According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former two-time world Heavyweight title challenger, Tony Thompson will take on Kubret Pulev on August 24th in Germany in will be an IBF title elimination bout.
“We now have received the sanction approval by the IBF,” said Team Sauerland’s Chris Meyer. “We will continue with our plan to stage the fight on Aug. 24.”
“It’s not something I could turn down,” Thompson told ESPN.com on Tuesday, one day after he opened his training at the Keystone Boxing Gym in Temple Hills, Md. “It was a no-brainer for me. I saw some film of (Pulev) and he looks pretty good. He’s fast and active. He’s a pretty good heavyweight fighter. It should be a fight with good action.”
Twice Thompson went to Price’s hometown of Liverpool, England, and knocked him out in exciting fights, in the second round in February and in the fifth round on July 6.
“I went there trying to make an opportunity for myself,” Thompson said.
“This will be a tough test for Pulev as he hasn’t boxed since beating Ustinov in the first leg of the IBF eliminator (box-off),” Meyer said. “Thompson has again entered world stage after beating David Price twice. Thompson may be much older than Pulev, but has made quite a number of big bouts in his career. His only two losses in the last 13 years were to Wladimir Klitschko.
“The bout was made under the condition that the winner becomes IBF mandatory contender to face the winner of Wladimir Klitschko versus Alexander Povetkin. That’s the big incentive for both camps.”
“I think people kind of forgot I only had two losses to the heavyweight champ of the world (since 2000),” Thompson said.
“Once I beat a guy, Price, that people considered a threat to Wladimir’s throne and was rated as the up-and-comer of the year, it opened a lot of eyes to what I am capable of.
“For me, this fight with Pulev is huge and I’m as excited as can be. Wladimir beat me twice and I can understand people being put off by a third fight, but for me it’s the only thing. He is the heavyweight champ of the world so if you are trying to be champion you have to go after him.”