Pulev to defend controversial WBA title against Wardley

The WBA ordered their regular heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev (32-3, 14 COs) to defend against #1-ranks Fabio Wardley (18-0-1, 17 COs). Pulev, 43, holds the secondary belt at the World Boxing Association, while Oleksandr Ulsyk is the most important champion and the one with the more sought after belt. It is under Wardley to bend to this level to fight for a secondary belt.

The WBA had to phase out its ‘ordinary’ belt long ago because it confused the fans and did nothing for anyone who held the title. Pulev took his ‘ordinary’ WBA band in December last year and defeated Mahmoud car by a 12-round unanimous decision in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is a bad look that the WBA still has their ‘ordinary’ title.

The age factor

Although the 6’4 ″ pulev looked good for someone at his age against a lesser fighter, he is still nowhere near the level he was years ago when he challenged his three belts on November 15, 2014, IBF, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Pulev’s last solid victory at a good B-level heavyweight champion was in 2016, when he dominated Derek Chisora, and made him a 12-round decision. Everyone has beaten Pulev since and was a marginal fighters with little ability, and he is nowhere near the top of the tree in the division.

It is unclear why Wardley’s promoter is bothering that he is fighting against Pulev for a belt that has no real meaning. Fabio (30) should fight against the best possible opposition rather than challenging for secondary belts.

Wardley is an eight -year pro that does not have the kind of talent that would allow him to beat any of the high -level heavyweights in the division. He misses the spark needed to get a chance to beat someone well.

Wardley is more like British level heavyweight, but he has received a high ranking based on his victories over other fighters from his country. The problem fabio with the 38-year-old travel man Eric Molina In 2021 he showed where he is talent. You can see that Wardley’s actions against Molina are watching that the wheels would come off if he is better than that.

Wardley is in Riyadh on October 12 in a first round win over 271-pound Frazer Clarke. Clarke is not a world -level fighter, and it is not a big matter that Wardley has knocked him out.

Who Wardley should fight

Instead of focusing Wardley’s promoters targeting trinket titles, they should focus on fitting Hi against these heavyweights to try to develop him in a meaningful way:

– Filip Hrgovic
– Bakhodir Jalalov
– Martin Bakole
– Richard Torrez Jr.
– fly
– Frank Sanchez
– Andy Ruiz

I doubt Wardley could beat any of these fighters, but at least he would fight against guys who would get the fans’ attention. The fight for secondary titles at a 43-year-old Pulev is stupid. I do not respect the move. It just makes fans consider Wardley as a lack of confidence in tackling the good fighters in the division, and given what he looked like against Molina, I can understand it.

Kubrat Pulev was ordered to defend his WBA World Heavyweight title against British challenger Fabio Wardley 🥊 pic.twitter.com/gvijjmen5y

– Sky Sports Boxing (@skysportsboxing) 5 March 2025