HBO Fight Preview

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Kubrat Pulev

For a long time the best heavyweight champion in the world has been Wladimir Klitschko.  So even though he isn't the most exciting fighter in the sport he is an important one considering the heavyweight division is the glamor division.  Which is probably why HBO just signed Klitschko to a 3-fight deal the first of which will be this afternoon against contender Kubrat Pulev.  Pulev will be looking to make a big splash in the heavyweight division as he looks to beat the long reigning heavyweight champion in this 12 round bout with Klitschko's lineal IBF, WBO, and WBA titles on the line.

Klitschko is in the middle of a historic reign

Klitschko isn't always entertaining to watch but he is a master of his craft.  He is an orthodox fighter who likes to keep his jab hand very low around his waist.  That jab is Klitschko's best weapon and he uses it often.  His jab is very stiff and he can controls the pace and distance of most fights with that single punch.  Klitshcko's offensive game isn't very diverse and mainly consists of his jab and a powerful straight right hand.  Also during a Klitschko fight there will always be a lot of clinching because he likes to tag his opponent and then hold him on the inside where he can lean is massive 6'6'' body in his opponent.  The only weakness Klitschko has is his chin which isn't very easy to hit because he is so tall and uses his height very well.  Klitschko has not lost a fight since 2004 but all three of his career losses have come by the way of knockout.

Many people criticize Klitschko for his lack of top quality opponents but you can't fault a fighter for the era in which he fought.  While today's heavyweight division isn't exactly historic Klitschko still has a nice list of good opponents he has easily handled.  There is no disputing the fact that Klitschko is the king of the heavyweight division and his title reign has been a historic one.  However Klitschko is getting older and there is a growing number of young heavyweight contenders looking to take his crown perhaps most notable the winner of the fight between Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder if it actually ever happens.  For his career Klitscho has put together an impressive record of 62-3 with a very strong 52 knockouts.  While Pulev isn't very well known in the U.S. he is a solid contender and will be hungry for the upset.

Pulev will need to be perfect to pull off the upset

For Pulev to win this fight he might need to be perfect because he has some major flaws in his game.  The orthodox Pulev actually fights like a poor man's version of Klitschko.  He works the jab a lot and likes to shoot it low from his hip.  While he does move pretty well for a big man and his defense is solid he also has some major holes that Klitschko should be able to take advantage of.  First of all Pulev doesn't have much of a right hand and he lets his left hand drift away from his body on defense and when he throws the left hook he doesn't bring it back up to protect his chin.  This should leave him wide open for Klitschko's powerful right hand which he will be able to counter with all night.  Luckily for Pulev he has a good chin and has never been knocked out but he has also never faced anyone as powerful as Klitschko.

This will be the biggest fight of Pulev's career.  He has amassed a career record of 20-0 but he only has 11 knockouts and he has never fought anyone near the level of Klitschko.  His biggest win to date came against Tony Thompson who is a solid fighter but not on Klitschko's level.  If Pulev is going to win this fight he not only needs to be safe defensively but he needs to be busier on offense and really test the chin of Klitschko.

Whether or not this fight turns out to be any good really relies on how aggressive Klitschko decides to be.  Things might be interesting early on if Pulev comes to win and not just survive but Klitschko should be able to really control the fight after the first few rounds.  If Klitschko decides to be aggressive like he was against Alex Leapai he could exploit Pulev's weaknesses and knock him out.  However if Klitschko fights like he did against Alexander Povetkin where he just sticks the jab and clinches it could be a long boring fight.

PREDICTION: This is the first fight of Wladimir Klitschko's new three fight deal with HBO and he will look to make a statement.  Kubrat Pulev is solid but he isn't in the same league as Klitschko and the champion will be able to take advantage of his weaknesses on his way to a 6th round stoppage.