Kubrat Pulev won the European Heavyweight title and an IBF eliminator heavyweight bout by winning a 12-round split decision over Dereck Chisora. Pulev controlled the action with quick combinations and Chisora was never able to get in a groove to land any hard power shots.
Pulev won by scores of 118-110 and 116-112. It seemed clear that he deserved the decision, but one judge saw the fight for Chisora by 115-113. It’s particularly surprising given that the fight was on German soil, and Pulev is the local guy and was considered the A-side of the bout. Yet, Chisora is promoted by Team Sauerland as well, so who knows.
Pulev improves to 23-1 and is now in line to potentially face Anthony Joshua. Chisora suffers another setback and is now 25-6 and will find himself in a tough place to try to land a big bout.
The Pulev vs. Chisora fight was aired in the United States on the AWE network, as part of a two-city card they broadcast on Saturday afternoon, headlined by Anthony Crolla’s TKO win over Ismael Barroso.
