Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev
12th December 2230hrs
Boxing – London – Title fight
Pick Joshua Rounds 1-6 Round Group Betting
Bookmaker Boylesports
Odds: 5/4 odds taken 2000 GMT, Friday, 11th December
Anthony Johsua will be defending his heavyweight belts on Saturday night in London.
This is being looked at as the final step to him getting a match against Tyson Fury.
But Joshua has to see this one out first against Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev.
The underdog has nothing to lose and everything to gain on a big night at the SSE Arena. It’s going to be an intriguing scrap between the two.
Table of Contents
Anthony Joshua Preview – Will Joshua do the business?
Both look pretty hungry for this fight. Anthony Joshua is the one with all of the pressure on him on Saturday.
That’s because he has all of his belts on the line and he can’t afford to have a slip up on his potential massive showdown with Tyson Fury.
Joshua lost his unbeaten career record to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019, a slip up from the Briton which shocked the heavyweight division.
But he made amends with a commanding points-win over the same opponent in a Saudi Arabia rematch.
Joshua is the overwhelming 1/10 odds-on favourite for the win on the night.
So there’s no value there for boxing betting, so we have to explore things a little deeper.
It is a 23-1 career record that Joshua now holds and it’s over a year now since he was in the ring against Ruiz Jr for the second time.
It has been a couple of years since he fought in the UK.
The absence is fascinating for both fighters really. Who has been the more disciplined throughout this strange year?
How much ring rust is there going to be?
Of the 23 career wins that Johsua recorded, all but two of them have been stopped.
He has the power and that’s highlighted in the method of victory market in boxing betting.
An Anthony Joshua by KO TKO or disqualification is at 1/3 odds* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Friday, 11th December).
But against Ruiz in their rematch, Joshua went a different direction, happy to use a hit and move strategy.
Kubrat Pulev Preview – Can Pulev pull off a big sucker-punch?
Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev has been around the block and at the weigh-in he looked pretty fired up at his big chance here.
If he gets the win on the night he will become the first ever Bulgarian heavyweight champion.
He’s knocking on the door of 40 years of age and really this is going to be his last chance at earning that status.
So he has the experience of course and the rounds under his belt throughout his long career.
The Cobra is a 6/1 underdog in the fight outright betting market for Saturday* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Friday, 11th December).
This is also his first fight in more than a year since beating Rydell Booker over 10 rounds in California in November 2019.
That moved him on to eight straight wins since his loss to Wladimir Klitschko back in 2014.
During that run he has beaten a couple of Brits, taking out Derek Chisora and Hughie Fury.
But can he now make the most of this huge shot to win the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles?
As stated above, he has nothing to lose and that makes him enormously dangerous.
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Kubrat Pulev does line up behind a decent jab and his career record is 28-1.
But whether or not he is going to have the movement and variety to hurt Joshua on the night, is a different matter altogether.
Three of his last four fights have gone the distance and only half of his successes have come by a knockout.
We don’t see a way past Joshua’s defence for that to happen on the night, which means that the points decision is likely going to be played for.
Pulev is out at a very long shot of 16/1 to win by Decision or Technical Decision* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Friday, 11th December).
Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Betting Advice
This should be a night for an Anthony Joshua win. He is the more accomplished of the two fighters.
The fascinating thing is that no-one really has a clear idea of how the fight is going to go.
Will Joshua be super patient as he was in his rematch against Ruiz, or will he try and work in a bit more aggression looking for a knockout?
Key Facts – Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Betting Tip
- Anthony Joshua is 23-1 in his career
- This is the first fight in over a year for both
- Kubrat Pulev’s only pro defeat was against Wladimir Klitschko
We get the feeling that Pulev is probably going to be a bit more of a one-trick pony type of deal.
He may feel that his best chance is sticking in there and sit defensively behind his jab for as long as he can.
Joshua needs a good composed fight here and it’s going to be all down to the variety that the Brit can produce on the night.
We would have him stopping his opponent on a big night – Joshua Round 1-6 5/4* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Friday, 11th December).
The best betting odds for Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev
Anthony Joshua to win: 1/10 at Bet365
Kubrat Pulev to win: 6/1 at Bet365
