Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Odds and Picks for Main Card

• Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev goes Saturday, December 12th, 2020 at 1 PM EST in London, England
• Who leaves the ring with multiple heavyweight world title belts?
• Check out the fight odds, analysis, and predictions below

Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev will collide at Wembley Arena in London, England, with a thousand fans in attendance. Joshua vs Pulev broadcasts on DAZN.

The WBO, IBF, WBA, and IBO heavyweight world titles are on the line with AJ in the role of champion looking to ward off the challenge of top contender Pulev.

Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Odds

Odds taken Dec. 10 at FanDuel

Anthony Joshua’s Path to Pulev

UK compatriot Anthony Joshua makes his return to competing at home for the first time since September 2018.

This marks Joshua’s first bout of the calendar year after a pair of fights with Andy Ruiz in 2019. The first outing saw Joshua taste his first pro defeat when Ruiz halted him in the seventh round. In the second fight, Joshua won a lopsided unanimous decision in the rematch.

Redemption in the desert 👑#OnThisDay in 2019, @anthonyfjoshua defeated Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia to reclaim his World Heavyweight Titles 🙌#JoshuaPulev | This Saturday pic.twitter.com/2vu6IXnTSv

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) December 7, 2020

The Olympic gold medalist began his career on a twenty-two fight win streak prior to his Andy Ruiz prizefights.

There have been talks of Joshua linking up with Tyson Fury for a pair of heavyweight title bouts in 2021 but, AJ cannot overlook the challenge ahead of him here.

Kubrat Pulev’s In-Ring Resume

Kubrat Pulev is riding an eight-fight win streak heading into this after his one loss to Wladimir Klitschko in November 2014. In fact, Joshua aided Klitschko in preparing him for the Pulev bout, and now AJ will sling leather with Pulev himself.

Kubrat Pulev is the IBF mandatory and has had Joshua on his radar for a while, with the two initially scheduled for an October 2017 fight that fell by the wayside.

The puncher’s chance narrative isn’t one that factors in much for Kubrat Pulev here.

For people who think in lieu of Joshua’s KO loss to Ruiz that Pulev could halt things, think again. The fifty percent knockout rate of the challenger does not inspire much confidence for him to get it done inside the distance.

Conversely, Joshua has an overall knockout rate of 91 percent. Despite a pair of decision wins in two of his last three bouts, I think the finishing ability of AJ will inform how the story of this fight unfolds.

Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Tale of the Tape

The prop bets surrounding Joshua winning by KO or TKO (-305) and Joshua winning between rounds 7-9 (+333) present good value when Joshua vs Pulev goes down.

Pick: Anthony Joshua (-1300)

Main Card Picks for Joshua vs Pulev

1. Martin Bakole vs Sergey Kuzmin: Bakole has stoppages across his last six victories, but Kuzmin has never been stopped as a pro. I think Kuzmin presents good underdog value here. Pick: Sergey Kuzmin (+225)
2. Hughie Fury vs Mariusz Wach: Fury has struggled with consistency to a degree with his 4-3 record over the last few years. Wach has had this issue to a more pronounced degree with a 4-4 record in his last 8. Ultimately, I think Fury gets it done. Pick: Hughie Fury (-850)
3. Qais Ashfaq vs Ashley Lane: This is Ashfaq’s tenth fight, while Lane has 25 pro contests under his belt. Lane is more of a journeyman type fighter where Ashfaq is an 8-1 prospect looking to bounce back from that first blemish. Ashfaq returns to the win column here. Pick: Qais Ashfaq (-1600)