Joshua, Pulev clash at fiery weigh-in for Wembley showdown

LONDON: Anthony Joshua warned Kubrat Pulev he faces “the real one” in Saturday’s world heavyweight title bout in London as the pair almost came to blows at the weigh-in.

Former Olympic champion Joshua defends his IBF, WBA and WBO belts at Wembley Arena against the veteran Bulgarian in front of 1,000 fans due to coronavirus restrictions.

The two men have been scheduled to fight twice before but both times the bout was postponed — in 2017 Pulev was injured and Covid-19 put paid to a planned fight in June.

But the 39-year-old, nicknamed “The Cobra”, boasts an impressive 28-1 record — his only defeat came in a world title fight against Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.

“Many years I’ve been in boxing and seen a lot fighters talk a lot of rubbish, then they get smacked up,” Joshua told Sky Sports.

“I know what he’s like, I have studied him. He thinks he’s a warrior. I said ‘don’t let the guys you’ve fought gas you up, you’re in with a real one now’.

“When people come in the ring with me they are confident and then after a few rounds their soul gets destroyed. When I see that I can take them out.”

Pulev tipped the scales at 239 pounds (108 kilograms), six pounds lighter than before his last bout with Rydell Brooker in November 2019.