Nigerian-born world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Olaseni Oluwafemi Joshua has been hit with a scathing verbal attack by his next opponent, Kubrat Pulev, who taunted the three-belt holder as a ‘local lad’ that always prefers to fight in England.
Megasportsarena.com reports that Pulev has reignited the war of words with Joshua ahead of their mandatory International Boxing Federation (IBF) title showdown in December by claiming that ‘A.J.’ is arrogant and scared to fight outside of London.
The Bulgarian fighter admitted he is eager to dethrone the two-time world champion, who he claims is struggling psychologically since he was handed his first defeat by Andy Ruiz last year and ys now using hype around a possible unification clash with fellow-Brit, Tyson Fury to shy away from the Pulev fight.
Joshua and Fury recently reached an agreement over a sensational two-fight deal in 2021, with the pair hoping to unify the heavyweight division should they overcome mandatory dates ahead of them, but news of this mega-deal irked Pulev, who promised to inflict a second knockout on the Watford-born heavyweight.
The pair had earlier been due to slug it out in 2017, but the Bulgarian had to withdraw from the bout with a strained pectoral muscle, which led Joshua to fight and beat Carlos Takam and he slammed Pulev for withdrawing from that schedule three years ago, while claiming that he would have gone ahead with the fight had he sustained the same injury.
The Bulgarian pugilist is now firing back, declaring that he is fit and raring to go, while adding that he has no problem with where he fights Joshua and affirmed that he is very confident of handing him a second knockout defeat of his career, once they finally go toe-to-toe inside the squared-circle.
Pulev declared via Betway Insider blog: ‘We have one heavyweight champion and he is too slow all the time to agree a date. We understand the world pandemic and everything but I think we can fight this year and I prepare to do this – it does not matter where, which day, I’m ready, we are training and I wait for the date.
“December 5th is what we’ve heard and I hear London is favourite to host. We think London because maybe he is scared and he wants to fight there. Normally we can fight anywhere in the world not only in London – but for me it’s no problem, I can fight anywhere. I’m ready, I’m hungry, and I know I am going to win.
“He is a very good boxer for sure, a world champion… and he has had a lot of good fights but I see a lot of problems in his style and his boxing and I think I can use every small opening and I can beat him. I do think he has a problem with psychology. This is also very arrogant. Talking about Fury because he doesn’t think about my fight, like last time with Ruiz.
“But life showed him that this is very bad when someone does that. That’s why he will take his second knockout of his life. We will show him and the whole world. I’m now next in line for Fury and I think after AJ, I will fight with Tyson Fury because Joshua is going to lose and he does not think I’m a big problem – but I will show him really new things.”
