Bulgaria's Pulev Appears Closer to Clash with Klitschko

Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev celebrates after winning against German Alexander Dimitrenko for the EBU European heavyweight championship title, in Erfurt, Germany, 05 May 2012. EPA/BGNES

Bulgarian heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev may not have to face another opponent before his eagerly anticipated fight with IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Pulev is likely to be automatically installed as the mandatory challenger by the International Boxing Federation, according to boxingnews24.com.

The website says that British heavyweight Tyson Fury (20-0, 14 KO's) is willing to fight with 41-year-old Tony Thompson. Fury "obviously is going to take that fight if he can get past Steve Cunningham," it says.

Fury's move would be "the perfect excuse to get out of what will be a dangerous fight for him against Kubrat Pulev later on in 2013 in an IBF heavyweight eliminator bout."

Boxing News 24 believes that Pulev would be either installed as the mandatory challenger, or he may face #3 IBF Byrant Jennings in an IBF eliminator.

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