Kubrat Pulev takes on Derek Chisora at the O2 Arena on Saturday night, 18 months after his world heavyweight championship defeat to Anthony Joshua at Wembley Arena.
Pulev was fighting for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles that day and has returned to the ring this year following his ninth round defeat to Joshua. He beat Jerry Forest via unanimous decision in California in May and has a quick turnaround to face Chisora in London this weekend.
However, he has received the full backing of his promoter Ivaylo Gotsev, who says that the 41-year-old would 'smash Jake Paul to pieces' as speculation continues with regard to who the American YouTuber might face should Tommy Fury pull out of their August fight.
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Gotsev admitted that he was not expecting a call for the fight but he would be confident of his charge beating the 25-year-old American comfortably. Fury has not been allowed into the US after an issue with his VISA, and has been issued an ultimatum of this Wednesday to resolve the issue or face being replaced.
This has fuelled speculation as tow who could replace Fury, with questions being asked during the build-up to Pulev's fight this weekend surrounding a potential fight against Paul. However, Gotsev insisted that he was not expecting a call.
“Kubrat would smash Jake Paul to pieces, that would not be a problem,” explained Gotsev when speaking to BoyleSports Boxing.
"Jake Paul knows who to call and who not to call. There is no way this guy is going to come our way because there are smart people around him. They'll pick the right battles.”
