(Prediction) Wladimir Klitschko vs Kubrat Pulev

Airing live from Germany, Wladimir Klitschko faces off against the undefeated Bulgarian, Kubrat Pulev, on the 15th of November.

The fight was meant to take place earlier on in the year but was set forward because Klitschko injured himself in training. With the fight postponed, both fighters were able to train more and become more focused for the fight. I expect it was especially helpful for Pulev as he had no injury to get over and so could stay calm and maintain a steady diet and fitness schedule. Obviously he wouldn't have over-trained but he would have kept himself in good shape throughout the time they were meant to be fighting. Klitschko, however, would have been worrying about his injury. So his fitness levels would not have been kept at a consistent level.

With that in mind, I expect this fight to be a competitive one. The hungry bulgarian contender vs the experienced Ukrainian champion. Pulev will enter the ring with a record of 20-0 (11). With wins over Tony Thompson (UD), Ustinov (KO11) and Dimitrenko (KO11), all of whom are no push overs, fans can expect Pulev to give Klitschko a solid test. Especially with Pulev's awkward style.

With a record of 62-3 (52) wins, Wladimir will enter the ring as favourite as he has proved that he can still compete with top contenders. Klitschko's last 2 out of 3 fights have been against rather disappointing opposition (Exluding Povetkin). After his loss to Wladimir, Pianeta went on to KO fighters nobody has even heard of. While Alex Leapai has just lost to the Wilder leftover, Malik Scott.

Regardless, I still believe Klitschko to be on top of his game. I expect the first few rounds will be won by Pulev. He has quite an awkward style but I expect Klitschko to figure him out from the 4th round onwards. From there on, Klitschko will pepper the contender with 1-2 combinations, step in, and hold onto Pulev. While in the hold, he will use his sheer size to weaken and tire the slightly smaller Bulgarian.

It could be possible for Pulev to use his movement to move away from Klitschko's hold but I think in the end, Wladimir's experience at top level will prove too much for the Bulgarian.