Kubrat Pulev vs Tony Thompson Preview August 24
American heavyweight Tony Thompson travels to Germany this weekend to take on undefeated Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria in Schwerin on Saturday August 24. The bout is being billed as an IBF Heavyweight Elimination contest and is set for 12 rounds. The 41-year-old Thompson has an impressive 38-3 record with 26 Kos while the 34-year-old European Heavyweight Champion Pulev is perfect so far at 17-0 with 9 Kos.
Thompson isn’t very well known to casual boxing fans, but the veteran has been beaten by just two men during his long career he’s also lost just two times since 2000 and these defeats came courtesy of heavyweight titleholder Wladimir Klitschko. He’s a southpaw who stands 6-foot-5 and is generally quite underrated. He’s a good counterpuncher who likes to make opponents’ pay when he makes them miss.
Thompson’s last two bouts were stoppages over British heavyweight hopeful David Price and they both came on the road in England. He’ll need to keep himself busy and try to bob and weave out of the way of Pulev’s punches. The Bulgarian’s biggest strength could be his power and Thompson was floored by Price in their last bout before coming back to stop him.
Pulev fought for his homeland at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China and is quite mobile for a heavyweight. He’s got fast hands and is good at fighting from a distance. He’s won his last three fights by knockout over Michael Sprott, Alexander Dimitrenko, and Alexander Ustinov. He’s just over 6-foot-4 and is also pretty good on the inside as he moves in behind an effective jab.
Thompson has good stamina and pretty good power, but he’s not known as a heavy hitter or knockout artist. However, Price might not agree with that. He’s slightly taller than Pulev and has a couple of inches on him in the reach department as well. Pulev is sometimes a little too cautious and could do with letting his hands go a bit more. His best weapon is his right hand and he’d probably have more knockouts next to his name if he threw it more often. He’s also got a solid chin.
The Bulgarian doesn’t mind going the distance though, especially if his jab is working for him. He often wears his opponent down and is satisfied with winning decisions this way. He likes to grind opponents down while keeping himself out of trouble. Thompson usually likes to initiate the action when he can and we might see him have a better chance if he tries to slug it out, which isn’t always in his nature though.
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Prediction
To win this bout, Pulev can’t fight too cautiously. He needs to control Thompson’s attack and the best way to do this will be via his jab and right hand. But he needs to let his hands go instead of waiting. Thompson on the other hand, knowing how cautious Pulev tends to be, could jump right after him from the get-go. It’s hard to bet against Thompson, but this bout will likely end in a decision win for Pulev.
Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.eu has the latest odds of a Thompson win at +500 and a Pulev victory at -700. Visit 5Dimes.eu to see up to date odds and to bet on this fight. You should also check out our recent boxing betting predictions to see how we’ve done of late capping the fights.
Kubrat Pulev betting • Tony Thompson betting