Mahmoud Charr vs Kubrat Pulev Preview December 7th , 2024
Heavyweight Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria returns to the ring this Saturday, December 7th when he meets fellow veteran Mahmoud (Manuel) Charr of Lebanon. The 12-rounder from Sofia, Bulgaria can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Pulev last fought in March when he beat Ihor Shevadzutskyi by a 12-round unanimous decision while Charr hasn’t fought for two years when he stopped Nuri Seferi in the second round. This bout is being contested for the ‘regular’ WBA Title, which Charr reportedly owns and also possessed from 2017 to 2021.
Charr vs Pulev Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Mahmoud Charr +260
- Kubrat Pulev -350
My Pick
Pulev is now 43 years old and before being stopped by Anthony Joshua in the ninth round in December, 2020 had won eight straight fights since being stopped by Wladimir Klitschko in the fifth round in November, 2014. In fact, those two attempts at winning a heavyweight title were the only two defeats Pulev had suffered in his pro career until losing to Dereck Chisora via a 12-round split decision in 2022 for the European Title. This means he enters the ring this weekend with a mark of 31-3 with 14 Ko’s.
Pulev’s a former 2008 Olympian who enjoyed a fine amateur career. He made his pro debut in 2009 and has fought 256 rounds since. He isn’t really known as a knockout artist by any means as just 45.2 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage and he hasn’t scored a knockout since March, 2019 when he halted Bogdan Dinu in the seventh round. His power shouldn’t be underestimated though as he fought former UFC Champion Frank Mir a couple of years ago in a mixed-martial arts contest and stopped him in the first round.
The big Bulgarian stands just over 6-feet-4-inches tall with 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 beat the aging Tony Thompson by unanimous decision in 2013 and stopped Joey Abell the same year. He also has wins over Hughie Fury, Samuel Peter, Michael Sprott, Kevin Johnson, Dominick Guinn, Derric Rossy, Matt Skelton, Jerry Forrest, Travis Walker and Zack Page.
Pulev 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 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 due to his age but still seems to possess enough skills and power to compete.
As for Charr, he’s 40 years old and climbs through the ropes with a mark of 34-4 with 20 Ko’s and has boxed 210 rounds since making his pro debut in 2005. He was born in Lebanon, owns a Syrian passport, fought out of Germany and now resides in Dubai. He hasn’t faced the same calibre of boxers that Pulev and is an inch shorter and unfortunately has an unlisted reach. He’s aggressive and durable and also has a bit more power than Pulev as 58.8 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage, including his last three.
His first defeat came at the hands of Vitali Klitschko in a shot at the WBC Heavyweight Crown in 2012 when he was stopped in the fourth round. He was beaten by Alexander Povetkin by a seventh-round stoppage in an attempt at the vacant WBC International Title in 2014 and dropped a 10-round majority decision to Johann Duhaupus the following year. His last loss came in 2015 when Mairis Briedis halted in in the fifth round. Charr won the vacant WBC Silver Belt in 2011 by stopping Marcelo Nascimento after the eighth round and captured the vacant WBC Mediterranean Title in 2012 when he halted Konstantin Airich in just 44 seconds.
Charr also has wins over Denis Bakhtov, Michael Grant, Kevin Johnson, Alexsandr Ustinov, Alex Leapai, Danny Williams, Zack Page, Owen Beck, Sherman Williams and Robert Hawkins. The unanimous decision win over Ustinov was for the WBA regular Heavyweight Title which he was stripped of in 2021 for inactivity. However, the WBA gave it back to him in 2023 following a cour battle. Charr was shot four times in the abdomen in 2015 at a kebab restaurant in Germany, but made a remarkable recovery and has fought six times since, winning all six fights with four of them coming by way of knockout.
Prediction…
Pulev has good boxing skills for a big guy and while he isn’t really built for speed he has lost just three times in his career and two of those were in world title fights. He’s proven to be more than a handful for most opponents thanks to his jab and technical ability. Charr will have some ring rust as he hasn’t fought in two years due to an injury. This is a pretty even matchup and although Charr has more power he also has a weaker chin as he’s been stopped three times. No outcome will be a surprise here at this stage of their careers and due to their advanced ages. I’m leaning towards Pulev though as he’s fighting at home but his chin will need to hold out.
I’ll go with Pulev here in a close call.
Play: Pulev -350 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Kubra Pulev betting • Mahmoud Charr betting • Manuel Charr betting