Kubrat Pulev vs Jerry Forrest Preview May 14th, 2022
Veteran heavyweight Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria returns to the ring this Saturday, May 14th when he meets Jerry Forrest of Lafayette, Louisiana in a 10-round tilt at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Kubrat last fought in December, 2020 when he was stopped in the ninth round by then-heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua. Forrest last fought in December when he fought to a 10-round draw with Michael Hunter in a rematch which was seven years in the making. The fight can be seen live on Triller Fight Club/FITE TV.
Pulev vs Forrest Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jerry Forrest +400
- Kubrat Pulev -575
My Pick
Pulev just turned 41 years old and before losing to Joshua had won eight straight fights since being stopped by Wladimir Klitschko in the fifth round in November, 2014, which was his first loss as a pro. Pulev’s a former 2008 Olympian who enjoyed a fine amateur career and now owns a pro record of 28-2 with 14 Kos. He made his pro debut in 2009 and has fought 212 rounds since. Pulev really isn’t a knockout artist by any means but has good power with a current knockout ratio of 46.7 per cent.
However, Pulev fought former UFC Champion Frank Mir last December in a mixed-martial arts contest and stopped him in the first round. Pulev stands just over 6-feet-4-inches tall and has a 79.5-inch reach. He stopped Alexander Dimitrenko in 11 rounds in May, 2012 for the European Heavyweight Title and then stopped Alexander Ustinov in the same round four months later.
He also beat the aging Tony Thompson by unanimous decision in 2013 and stopped Joey Abell the same year. Pulev also has wins over the likes of Hughie Fury, Samuel Peter, Michael Sprott, Dominick Guinn, Derric Rossy, Matt Skelton, Travis Walker and Zack Page. The big Bulgarian has good boxing skills and understands the importance of distance and timing but doesn’t really have the one-punch power to stop skilled opponents and often has to go the distance.
Since turning pro he’s also won the European Heavyweight Title twice as well as the IBF International Heavyweight Crown and the WBA Inter-Continental Heavyweight title. He may be underrated by many since he’s now 41 years old but still seems to possess enough skills and power to compete, but his days as a legitimate contender are likely now behind him.
Forrest is 34 years old and enters the fight with a record of 26-4-2 with 20 Kos. He made his pro debut back in 2012 and has just 113 rounds of experience under his belt. The main reasons for his low round total are because he’s been 10 rounds just three times and plenty of his knockouts have been early in fights. And speaking of stoppages, he has good power, especially in his left hand, with a current knockout ratio of 62.5 per cent.
Forrest’s last two fights have ended in 10-round draws. He was dropped in the first, second and third rounds by Zhilei Zhang in February, 2021 but battled back valiantly and caught a break when the exhausted Zhang was deducted a point in the ninth round for holding and then drew with Michael Hunter in his last outing. Forrest stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 78-inch reach so gives up 3.5-inches in height and 1.5-inch in reach to Pulev.
The four losses on his pro record have been at the hands of Gerald Washington by second-round KO in 201 and then an eight-round unanimous decision defeat to Michael Hunter 10 months later in his next outing. He dropped a 10-round split decision to Jermaine Franklin. He was also beaten via a 10-round split decision by Jermaine Franklin in July, 2019 and by 10-round decision to Carlos Takam in 2020.
As you can see, when stepping up in class, Forrest hasn’t fared too well as of yet. His best wins have been over the likes of Riley Brooks, Marlon Hayes, Willis Lockett (twice), Grover Young (three times), Miree Coleman (twice), Edgar Perez and Lamont Capers. Just 14 of his 32 foes have entered the ring with winning records though.
Prediction…
Forrest has a win, two losses and two draws in his last five fights but has shown a lot of grit and determination in them. Pulev has good boxing skills for a big guy and while he isn’t really built for speed he has lost just twice and has proven to be more than a handful for most opponents. No outcome will be a surprise here at this stage of their careers but Pulev should have just enough left in the tank to pull out one more victory.
I’ll go with Pulev’s experience in a close call.
Play: Pulev -575 @ BetOnline.ag
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Jerry Forrest betting • Kubrat Pulev betting