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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
Bulgarian boxing star Kubrat Pulev could be on the verge of getting a shot at IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko if he can defeat Tony Thompson next month.
The International Boxing Federation has given its approval that the Thompson-Pulev fight on August 24 will be an IBF heavyweight eliminator bout with the winner becoming the mandatory challenger of the winner of the Wladimir Klitschko vs. Alexander Povetkin fight on October 5th.
Pulev and Thompson both signed for the bout last week, but it was contingent on the organization agreeing to sanction it, which it did Tuesday.
"It's not something I could turn down," Thompson told ESPN.com on Tuesday, one day after he opened his training at the Keystone Boxing Gym in Temple Hills, Md. "It was a no-brainer for me. I saw some film of (Pulev) and he looks pretty good. He's fast and active. He's a pretty good heavyweight fighter. It should be a fight with good action."
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).
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