The unified heavyweight champion has yet to enter the ring in 2020. Anthony Joshua was unable to come to terms with Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury for a mega fight, so he will be taking on Kubrat Pulev on the second week of December. Joshua (23-1 with 21 knockouts) was the undisputed top heavyweight in the world before his stunning loss to Andy Ruiz last year, and he will be looking to avoid another disappointing defeat when he takes on Pulev (28-1 with 14 knockouts). This fight will be available through DAZN in the United States at 7 p.m. ET.
When: Saturday, December 12, 2020
Where: The SSE Arena, London, England
Why: WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight belts
Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Betting Odds
Anthony Joshua -1050
Kubrat Pulev +645
Total Rounds: 6.5
Joshua is a heavy favorite per the boxing betting odds heading into his bout with Pulev. At this price, you would need to wager $1050 on Joshua to win $100. That means you would need to wager $100 on Pulev to win $645.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Preview
It took Joshua a lot longer than most boxers to come to the sport. He didn’t enter the ring until the age of 18, but he showed that he was a natural early on in his amateur career. Joshua ended up flashing a lot of potential in his late teens and early 20s, and he had the opportunity to turn pro early. However, he remained an amateur in order to participate in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. That decision was rewarded when he claimed gold as a super heavyweight.
The victory made Joshua one of the hottest names in boxing in the United Kingdom. He didn’t turn pro until a year later, but everyone was excited to see him in action. Joshua knocked out his first eight opponents within three rounds, leading to a title fight with Denis Bakhtov. He secured a second-round TKO to win the WBC International heavyweight belt, and he followed that up with five more knockouts within the first three rounds.
Fellow heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte was the first boxer to give Joshua a real challenge, but the current champion secured a seventh-round TKO to earn a major title shot against Charles Martin. Joshua was a big favorite against Martin, and he delivered with a second-round KO. Two more title defenses led to Joshua squaring off against the legendary Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA and IBO titles. Klitschko’s defeat led to his retirement, ending one of the most dominant eras in boxing history.
Joshua defeated Joseph Parker to fully unify the heavyweight division. He defended all four belts against Alexander Povetkin before suffering a stunning seventh-round TKO loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. Ruiz was upwards of 25-1 per the boxing betting odds, and many claimed it was the biggest upset since Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson. Joshua avenged the defeat last December, but he showed he is vulnerable.
Pulev has had a pretty impressive career. He took his record to 13-0 before beating Travis Walker for the IBF International heavyweight title. Pulev was content to continually defend that title for a while, retaining the strap five times, and that eventually earned him a title shot against Klitschko. Unfortunately, he was no match for the legend, losing by fifth-round knockout.
Since that defeat, Pulev has somewhat been in the wilderness. He secured a split decision win over Derek Chisora for the European title in May 2016, but he has not been able to land top tier opponents. This has been a showdown three years in the making, so Pulev will want to make the most of it.
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