Kubrat Pulev has been one of Bulgaria’s most prominent professional boxers, building a career that spans European championships, two challenges for major unified heavyweight titles and a later secondary WBA title reign. Born in Sofia on 4 May 1981, “The Cobra” developed through the amateur system before becoming a professional in 2009.
His boxing has centred on a strong jab, an upright stance and the ability to control opponents over long contests. That approach helped him remain relevant across several generations of heavyweights. His career includes significant successes against experienced contenders as well as defeats against champions who set the standard of the division.
Pulev represented Bulgaria in the super-heavyweight division at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His amateur background provided extensive experience before he entered professional boxing, where he had to adapt tournament skills to twelve-round contests and opponents with different physical demands.
He progressed through the European professional scene and won the European heavyweight championship in 2012. A second European title success came in 2016, when he defeated Derek Chisora by split decision in Hamburg. Those achievements were meaningful continental titles, distinct from the unified world championships he later sought. They also established him as a credible opponent for leading international heavyweights.
An unbeaten professional run took Pulev to a challenge against Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg in 2014. Klitschko stopped him in the fifth round, handing him his first professional defeat. The contest exposed the difficulty of translating European success into a victory against the division’s established champion.
Pulev rebuilt his position rather than allowing that loss to define the remainder of his career. His later victory over Chisora and subsequent contender assignments restored his place in the title picture. A twelve-round unanimous decision over Hughie Fury in Sofia in 2018 was another important step, securing his position as an IBF challenger.
In December 2020, Pulev challenged Anthony Joshua in London. Joshua’s relevant unified heavyweight championships were the WBA, IBF and WBO titles. The nine-round title contest ended with Joshua knocking Pulev out in the ninth, giving the Bulgarian his second professional defeat.
Pulev returned to conventional heavyweight boxing with a decision victory over Jerry Forrest in 2022. Later that year he met Chisora again in London, with Chisora winning their rematch. The two contests with Chisora illustrate the changing stages of Pulev’s career: the first brought a European championship, while the second was a demanding encounter between veteran contenders.
In March 2024, Pulev defeated Ihor Shevadzutskyi over twelve rounds in Sofia. He then faced Mahmoud Charr at home on 7 December, winning a unanimous decision. The Charr victory earned him the WBA Regular heavyweight belt and took his record to 32 wins, three defeats and 14 knockout victories.
The distinction between that secondary belt and the division’s leading world championship is essential to an accurate account of the achievement. Pulev’s success extended his career at title level, but it did not make him the undisputed or lineal heavyweight champion.
He lost the secondary title to Murat Gassiev in Dubai on 12 December 2025. Gassiev knocked him out in the sixth round. That KO6 defeat is his latest verified meaningful heavyweight result and leaves his professional record at 32–4, with 14 knockout wins.
Pulev’s experience and title history remain part of the heavyweight record, even as his future participation is uncertain. No official next heavyweight bout has been verified, so the next-fight display remains TBA. An absence from competition is not, by itself, a retirement announcement.
His present status is kept neutral pending reliable confirmation of his plans and regulatory position. Unsupported current rankings are omitted. Any future return should be attached to an officially announced contest, while the Gassiev result remains the last meaningful heavyweight bout on this profile.
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