The month of December has been looked forward to by Boxing fans due in large part to the much anticipated rematch between undefeated unified WBO/IBO/WBA/WBC Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk and former two-time World Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. A rematch that could in some ways signal the end of an era, or perhaps potentially lead to a third chapter between the two future Hall of Famers.
While there is still much to be resolved between Usyk and Fury as well as unanswered questions as to what may follow after that fight, it is worth remembering that the politics that be in the sport is one reason why that second bout between Usyk and Fury is for a unified portion of the World Heavyweight championship and not the Undisputed championship, which was determined in their first fight earlier this year. Such political aspects also inevitably also create scenarios where others in a division are looking to maneuver themselves into position to potentially face the winner of a rematch.
One such scenario could be taking shape as Heavyweight contenders Manuel Charr and Kubrat Pulev will meet on December 7th in Bulgaria as each look to put themselves into a position to challenge Usyk or Fury. As simple and straight-forward as that should be for anyone to understand, this fight, which will be broadcast on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, will have an Interim/Regular championship designation in the WBA’s Heavyweight ratings, a designation held by Charr.
Although in reality this fight is simply two contenders looking to take the next step towards a shot at a world championship between one fighter in Charr, who has held an Interim/Regular label for several years, but has never fought for a world championship, and Charr, a longtime top contender who has fought for a world championship twice, the fact that there is an Interim/Regular label attached here does not mean much in the overall picture. The story, however, of this encounter should be whether either fighter will be able to make a strong argument for himself as being the next potential challenger for the winner of Usyk-Fury 2.
Both Charr and Pulev have been top contenders in the Heavyweight division for many years, but the question that should surround this fight is whether inactivity will be a factor. Specifically, the inactivity of Charr, who will be competing for the first time in two years following several legal entanglements involving himself and the WBA as well as visa issues, which has prevented him from traveling for competition.
Frankly, it would take likely several columns to go over each specific issue Charr has had to deal with in recent years, which have included fighters petitioning the WBA for fights with Charr among other issues which have led those aforementioned legal entanglements, so out of respect for the reader, this observer will move forward to simply discussing the issue of inactivity
Charr’s last fight took place on December 21, 2022 when he scored a second round knockout of Nueri Seferi. While Charr fought three times that year, which is fairly more active by today's standards for a top contender or world champions, now he finds himself in a position where the subject of “Ring Rust" is very real simply because he has been inactive.
In contrast, Kubrat Pulev, a former European Heavyweight champion and former two-time world title challenger is coming into this fight off of two straight wins and last fought in March of this year in scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over Ihor Shevadzutskyi. Pulev will also have two other advantages going into this fight in addition to being the more active of the two fighters.
Pulev is the naturally bigger fighter standing nearly 6’5 and has a near eighty inch reach. While Charr is only giving up two inches in reach, if Pulev can establish the tempo of the combat and keep Charr at distance with his longer reach, it could pose difficulty for Charr as the fight progresses if he cannot get inside of Pulev’s reach.
Although the weight of the two fighters is likely to be similar as both have tipped the scales in the 240lb. range in their recent fights, it will likely come down to who is able to implement their tactics between two boxer/punchers. Some may argue, however, that whom will take the next step towards a shot at a world championship may not be necessarily determined by who wins and who loses, but rather whether the winner will be able to put on a quality performance in order to drum up the type of buzz that will support the victor as the next challenger for Usyk or Fury. We will have to wait and see if Manuel Charr or Kubrat Pulev will be able to make a strong argument for themselves.
“And That's The Boxing Truth."
Charr vs. Pulev takes place on Saturday, December 7th in Sofia, Bulgaria. The fight can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 1PM ET/10AM PT (*U.S. Times Only.*) For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms,Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.
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