Send to Kindle
Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev celebrates after winning against German Alexander Dimitrenko for the EBU European heavyweight championship title, in Erfurt, Germany, 05 May 2012. EPA/BGNES
A deal for Bulgarian heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev to fight American Tony Thompson is in place and only a sanctioning letter from IBF is needed to formally announce the contest, according to Pulev’s promoter.
“We signed the contact for Thompson to fight Pulev on August 24. The only matter left open is the approval of the IBF to sanction the bout as a final eliminator. Such sanction is the condition for both fighters to face each other,”Sauerland Event General Manager Chris Meyer has told Fightnews.com.
“I have no clue why the IBF has not yet approved the bout. #1 versus #4 with #2 vacant and #3 rated Jennings refusing the bout is the natural eliminator. Pulev was left inactive as he participated in the first eliminator bout versus Ustinov in September 2012, and then had to wait for his opponent for a final eliminator.”
“Pulev was treated badly by the IBF throughout these months. And now when there is a legitimate opponent in Thompson, the IBF doesn’t pick up the matter and leaves our request unanswered.”
Pulev is unbeaten in 17 fights with 9 knockouts. He won the title in May last year by knocking out Alexander Dimitrenko in eleven rounds and then knocked out Alexander Ustinov in September in eleven rounds in the first defence.
The Bulgarian is currently IBF International Heavyweight champion (2011) and European Boxing Union heavyweight champion (2012).
Kubrat Pulev has been dethroned as the regular World Boxing Association champion after suffering a knockout defeat to Russia’s Murat Gassiev
Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev will step back into the ring on August 23
The controversy surrounding trans and intersex women in the women’s boxing tournament at the Paris Olympics may soon have a resolution
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, whose Olympic participation has been surrounded by gender-related controversy, is now on the verge of winning gold in Paris
Svetlana Kamenova, Bulgaria's representative in the Olympic boxing tournament, has begun her campaign in the 57 kg weight category at the Paris 2024 Games with a decisive victory
The decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Algerian Imane Khelif and Taiwanese Lin Yu-Ting to participate in boxing competitions has sparked heated debates recently
For the first time in the history of Bulgarian alpine snowboarding, the national flag was raised at the very top of a World Cup podium, with two Bulgarians finishing among the medalists.
The Bulgarian Ski Federation held its final press briefing ahead of this weekend’s Snowboard World Cup in Bansko, where the nation’s top athletes will compete for medals and Olympic quotas for Milan/Cortina
Viktoriya Tomova made a winning start to her Australian Open qualifying campaign, advancing to the second round after a comeback victory over American Bernarda Pera, ranked 169th in the world. Bulgaria’s top-ranked player prevailed 1-6, 6-4, 6-0 after rou
For those who watch sports in America, 2026 should already feel like a marathon year.
Grigor Dimitrov opened his 2026 season with a strong statement at the Brisbane tennis tournament, defeating Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour
Alexander Nikolov of Cucine Lube Civitanova has been ranked as the world’s second best volleyball player for 2025, according to the latest Volleyball World standings.
Bulgaria's Strategic Role in the EU's Drone Wall Defense Initiative
When Politics Means Violence
