Anthony Joshua dropped Kubrat Pulev 4 times en route to a 9th round knockout
- Anthony Joshua dominated Kubrat Pulev in a ninth-round shut-out in which he dropped the Bulgarian four times.
- It was hoped victory would tee-up a mega-money match involving Joshua and Tyson Fury — a bout which would determine the undisputed heavyweight champion.
- However, it is clear boxing politics will get in the way and fight fans, writers, and promoters might not be able to see the all-British contest for another year.
Anthony Joshua dropped Kubrat Pulev four times en route to a ninth-round knockout in front of approximately 1,000 fans at the SSE Arena in London on Saturday.
Joshua was patient, methodical, and when openings presented themselves, the Brit clobbered Pulev with a variety of shots, felling the top 10-ranked opponent again and again.
It is hoped victory tees-up a lucrative match involving Joshua, the WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight boxing champion, and the WBC incumbent Tyson Fury.
Joshua vs. Fury is one of the greatest bouts combat sports can produce as it would determine the undisputed champion in boxing's glamour division in a fight that generates hundreds of millions of dollars.
Representatives of both fighters have spoken positively about fight negotiations, however, there are two big obstacles in the way of making it happen, and so fight fans may have to wait an entire year before the first fight can even begin.
Joshua dominated Pulev
Anthony Joshua's worldwide fame rocketed with the up-and-down, 11th round knockout win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.
It was the first legacy-shaping win of Joshua's career, and the back-and-forth nature of the fight - with Joshua climbing off the canvas to finish the Ukrainian - helped retain a fierce interest in heavyweight boxing.
His record rose to 19 knockouts from 19 wins but as he reached top-tier championship bouts, an evolution in style began to shape the way he fought.
Before Klitschko, 44% of Joshua's punches on a per-round average were jabs, as he preferred instead to throw, and land, power shots like hooks, straights, and that signature uppercut of his (56%), according to Compubox data.
The five fights Joshua fought after Klitschko, 60% of Joshua's punches were jabs, compared to 40% power shots.
Joshua's evolved style was clear in the Andy Ruiz Jr. rematch when, wary of the Mexican's fast hands and stinging power - things which had beaten him in humiliating fashion earlier in 2019 - he boxed cautiously around the ring, picking up points, happy to win a decision.
Against Pulev, a 39-year-old marginally flirting with title contention, Joshua again boxed with caution, didn't rush the Bulgarian even when he had him hurt with big shots in the third round, and instead let the finish come to him - a deft pull-counter in the ninth.
Aside from near-constant rabbit punches (blows to the back of the head), Pulev rarely troubled Joshua. He had brief moments in the middle of the fight, but was out-boxed, out-maneuvered, and out-punched through the contest.
Floyd Mayweather called Joshua 'a helluva fighter'
The retired boxer Floyd Mayweather, who founded Mayweather Promotions in 2007, flew to England to watch Joshua retain his world titles from ringside.
As he made his way into the venue, Mayweather told the UK broadcaster Sky Sports that Joshua "is one of the best heavyweights out there."
The American said: "His career is going great, he is a helluva fighter."
Said Joshua: "I play a smart game and I make the right moves at the right time. Round nine, I got the knockout and onto the next."
The next fight the boxing world wants is the Fury vs. Joshua match.
Though Joshua appeared to loathe naming Fury specifically, he asked the fans at Wembley Arena who they wanted to see him box next.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn, the group managing director of Matchroom, could be seen rubbing his fingers together at the prospect of booking the money fight of 2021, though.
And Fury's representative, the Top Rank CEO and founder Bob Arum, said his company will open talks for the fight Monday.
Fury also pledged to knockout Joshua during a video call-out that night. "I want the fight. I want the fight next. I'll knock him out in three rounds," Fury said.
But there are 2 obstacles in the way of Fury vs. Joshua, though
Despite fight fans, fight writers, and fight promoters seemingly in unison about which heavyweight championship bout needs to happen next, boxing politics will likely get in the way.
A trilogy bout involving Fury and long-time rival Deontay Wilder could be closer than we might have thought, as Insider previously reported.
Fury defeated Wilder with an aggressive masterclass in February, after a disputed draw in 2018.
The contract for the rematch included a third fight, one which became difficult to organize when the coronavirus pandemic forced boxing to operate behind-closed-doors for many months.
Recent reports suggest Fury will fight once before meeting Joshua and will compete in Q1 2021, and Sky Sports executives said that the opponent could well be Wilder.
As a champion of three-belt champion, Joshua is obligated with each organization to defend each title with a mandatory challenger.
Pulev was the mandatory challenger with the IBF, and Joshua is due to meet his mandatory challenger with the WBO - Oleksandr Usyk.
This was confirmed by the WBO president Paco Valcarcel on Saturday.
"Anthony Joshua looked sensation against Kubrat Pulev," Valcarcel said. "As to the WBO belt, Eddie Hearn knows the meaning of commitment; the ball is in Hearn's court."
Should Fury be forced to fight Wilder in a contracted trilogy bout, and Joshua mandated to defend the WBO belt against Usyk, then it might not mean the Fury vs. Joshua fight materializes until this time next year.
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