Joshua retains heavyweight belts with 9th-round KO of Pulev
World Heavyweight boxing champion Britain's Anthony Joshua punches challenger Bulgaria's Kubrat Pulev during their Heavyweight title fight at Wembley Arena in London Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020. (Andrew Couldridge/Pool via AP)LONDON โ Anthony Joshua retained his world heavyweight titles with a ninth-round knockout of Kubrat Pulev on Saturday, potentially setting up an all-British fight against Tyson Fury to be undisputed champion of boxing's marquee division. Joshua had already knocked down Pulev three times when he unleashed a right hook that sent the 39-year-old Bulgarian to the canvas once again. He has an agreement in principle with Tyson Fury, the WBC champion, for a two-fight deal in 2021 to unify all four titles in an all-British blockbuster. It would be one of the biggest fights in living memory, certainly the biggest in British boxing history.
Joshua, Pulev weigh in, then talk trash wearing face masks
LONDON โ Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and challenger Kubrat Pulev jawed at each other through black face masks Friday on the eve of their title fight at Wembley Arena. Joshua pointed a finger in Pulev's face as they exchanged words while beefy security guards kept the peace during their weigh-in for Saturday's bout. During the exchange, Pulev twice readjusted his mask after it slipped below his nose, and Joshuaโs mask also drooped low at one point. Pulev appears to be the only hurdle Joshua needs to clear before a shot at being the undisputed world heavyweight champion. First, Joshua must take care of business against the hardened Pulev, who didn't wait for Saturday to get things started.