Anthony Joshua v Kubrat Pulev analysis ahead of PPV fight on Saturday

The announcement that Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev this coming Saturday night would cost a domestic pay-per-view price of £24.95 produced a collective groan from hardcore UK boxing fans. But with the industry struggling to put big fights on during a pandemic, it was perhaps inevitable.

Eddie Hearn will never be a man to tone down the hyperbole, but however you dress it up this is a fight which simply has to happen if fans are to see the clash everyone wants to see in 2021. It is the ultimate means to an end.

The giant shadow of Tyson Fury now towers over everything. Joshua, the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight boss, cannot risk a slip-up as he looks to clear the path to an enormous unification match against ‘The Gypsy King’ next summer.

Joshua vs Pulev, originally planned for June at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, now goes ahead in December in front of 1,000 fans at the SSE Arena, Wembley.

Anthony Joshua analysis

As well as a two-time world heavyweight champion, Joshua is a marketing juggernaut who at the age of 31 has already secured his financial future.

He is now boxing for respect and for validation as the greatest big man of his era. Joshua scaled the top of the mountain as an amateur, winning gold at super-heavyweight at the London 2012 Olympics, and that schooling and pedigree has served him well in the paid ranks.

Indeed he looked unstoppable as a pro as he swaggered to WBA, IBF and WBO world title glory before losing in a huge upset to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019. He avenged that loss the same year, but the defeat left many fans and pundits questioning

The now 23-1 (21) Joshua boasts an eye-catching KO ratio. The Englishman has proven his power at the highest level, and he showed in his revenge win over Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia that he can also box to a gameplan when required.

The muscular Joshua always looks in tremendous shape, and at 6ft 6ins has the physical dimensions to cope with a mountainous opponent such as Pulev. At 31 he is very much in the prime of his heavyweight life and his hand speed at this level is another key strength.

Indeed it is difficult to pinpoint any glaring weaknesses in his make-up, but that defeat by Ruiz Jr cannot be ignored. Once a fighter reaches a certain level of success and dominance, they radiate an invincible aura. AJ had that, but the overweight Mexican-American Ruiz Jr shattered it that night inside Madison Square Garden.

When an athlete has just a flicker of doubt about their own ability, this can manifest and make any future assignments that much more difficult. Mental strength and toughness are the cornerstones of the journey to success.

Joshua may well go on to beat Fury next year to prove beyond doubt that the Ruiz defeat was an aberration, but until he does the doubts will linger. Success does not seem to have had a negative impact on his work ethic or desire, but as Marvelous Marvin Hagler once memorably put it: “It’s tough to get out of bed and do roadwork at 5am when you’ve been sleeping in silk pyjamas”.

Kubrat Pulev analysis

Hunger and motivation should not be an issue for Pulev. The Bulgarian is unbeaten in six years and at the age of 39 this is surely his last throw of the dice at the very top level. He is a big man who has chiselled out a fine 28-1 (14) professional log. As an amateur he won a bronze at the 2005 World Championships and gold at the 2008 Europeans, so he has served a decent apprenticeship in the sweet science.

‘The Cobra’ has a classic European style and is big enough and well-schooled enough to give anyone an argument. He has been training for nearly all of 2020 for this opportunity and we all know that a fighter with nothing to lose can be dangerous. Pulev is most at ease fighting on the outside and can be difficult to discourage once he establishes a rhythm.

However, he was disappointing in his only venture into genuine world class when he seemed to freeze against Wladimir Klitschko (L KO5) in Hamburg in 2014. Wladimir dropped him twice in round one and closed the show with a left hook so devastating that ref Tony Weeks didn’t even bother administering a count.

Pulev has a similar ‘jab and grab’ style to Klitschko, but does he have the necessary firepower to trouble AJ? Four of his last six fights have gone the distance and while he was a worthy winner against Hughie Fury in 2018, he rarely looked like getting Tyson’s cousin out of there.

Pulev also tends to paw with his jab in an effort to find openings for his right hand. Another weakness is that he is something of a slow starter who needs a few rounds to get his engine fired up. That could be a serious problem if Joshua decides to jump on him early, though he has shown a good chin in every fight apart from that defeat by Klitschko.

Big-fight pointers

On paper this is Joshua’s fight to lose, and this is reflected in the betting line. He is a hugely prohibitive 1/12 with Sky Bet.

Pulev’s size can conceivably be seen as a plus because he won’t be easy for AJ to manhandle and tie up. However, the flip side of that argument is that such dimensions merely present Joshua with a bigger target to aim for and Pulev is pretty slow and methodical in the ring. His honey punch is the right hand, but when he detonates it he leaves himself open and Joshua has the speed to capitalise.

Pulev also struggles against fighters who show him angles and feints, and Team Joshua will have done their due diligence ahead of this one given what is at stake for the winner.

The Cobra’s best hope is surely catching Joshua with something big early doors, as the fighters are not comparable in terms of power, speed and ring nous. A quick Pulev blitz before AJ has warmed into the fight looks the only way in which the underdog can win.

However, a more realistic analysis would be Joshua realising pretty early that he is in with a fighter on the slide. Twenty-one of AJ’s wins have come via TKO or KO and 16 of them have come in the first half of the fight. There could be early fireworks again and the pick is for Joshua to make a statement to Mr Fury and the watching world by blasting past Pulev and securing a stoppage win between Rounds 1-6.

When is Joshua v Pulev?

The fight takes place on Saturday December 12, with ring walks expected some time after 2200 GMT

Where is the fight taking place?

London's SSE Arena in front of a crowd of 1,000 spectators

What are the odds?

Anthony Joshua ranges from a 1/9 favourite to as short as 1/14, with Pulev a best of 7/1

How do I watch it on TV?

The fight and its undercard is being televised live on Sky Sports Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office HD, channels 491 and 492 for Sky subscribers.

The event is priced at £24.95 for Sky's UK customers and €27.95 for those from the Republic of Ireland, up until midnight on Friday December 11.

Thereafter £24.95 / €27.95 (ROI) across all "self-service" bookings (remote control / online) and £29.95 / €32.95 (ROI) if booked via the phone (either IVR or agent), with an additional £2 booking fee if via an agent still applies.

The event price will revert back to £24.95 / €27.95 (ROI) from midnight on Saturday December 12.

Two repeat showings (full duration) will be shown at 9am and 4pm on Sunday December 13.

Sky users can sign up here. If you do not have Sky, click here.

Tale of the tape

Anthony Joshua

• Age: 31
• Fights: 24
• Won: 23
• By KO: 21
• Lost: 1
• Drawn: 0
• Rounds: 103
• Height: 6'6"
• Weight: TBC
• Reach: 82"
• Stance: Orthodox
• Nickname: AJ
• Nationality: British

Kubrat Pulev

• Age: 39
• Fights: 29
• Won: 28
• By KO: 14
• Lost: 1
• Drawn: 0
• Rounds: 203
• Height: 6'4"
• Weight: TBC
• Reach: 79.5"
• Stance: Orthodox
• Nickname: The Cobra
• Nationality: Bulgarian

What's on the undercard?

• Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev (WBA 'Super', IBF and WBO heavyweight titles)
• Lawrence Okolie vs Nikodem Jezewski (12 rounds at cruiserweight)
• Hughie Fury vs Mariusz Wach (10 rounds at heavyweight)
• Martin Bakole vs Sergey Kuzmin (WBC international heavyweight title)
• Florian Marku vs Alex Fearon (8 rounds at welterweight)
• Kieron Conway vs Macaulay McGowan (10 rounds at super-welterweight)
• Qais Ashfaq vs Ashley Lane (8 rounds at super-bantamweight)