Purse bids ordered for Kubrat Pulev’s defence of WBA regular heavyweight title against Michael Hunter

Kubrat Pulev is set to face Michael Hunter for the WBA regular heavyweight championshipafter the organisation ordered purse bids to made by Tuesday, May 27.

44-year-old Pulev earned the belt by defeating Manuel Charr in December 2024, effectively becoming the WBA’s secondary champion.

Hunter, 24-1-2 (17), is currently ranked number two in the WBA’s heavyweight ratings. Number one, Fabio Wardley, has been bypassed as he is currently set to fight Justis Huni in his hometown of Ipswich on Saturday, June 7, live on DAZN.

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As such, the WBA says that Hunter is the ‘division’s top available contender’.

Announcing their intention to set up a fight between Pulev, 32-3 (14), and Hunter, the WBA stated: “The World Boxing Association (WBA) has officially called a purse bid for the heavyweight world title bout between reigning champion Kubrat Pulev and mandatory challenger Michael Hunter. The purse bid is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, in Houston, Texas, and will be conducted by WBA Championships Committee Vice-Chairman Julio Thyme.

It added: “After granting both camps a negotiation period that failed to produce a deal, the WBA has moved to the next step in the process. Formal notice was sent through official channels, outlining all terms and conditions of the purse bid procedure.”

The purse will be split 75/25 in favour of champion Pulev. Oleksandr Usyk is the current holder of the WBA’s super heavyweight title, which is viewed as being on par with the other three organisations’ main belts.

Coincidentally, Usyk will be fighting for all four equivalent belts this summer, when he aims to reunify the division with a rematch against IBF champion Daniel Dubois on Saturday, July 19, which will be live on DAZN.

Former undisputed champion Usyk was forced to vacate the IBF title shortly after unifying all four belts following his split decision win over Tyson Fury. That was because Usyk prioritised a rematch with Fury over facing his mandatory challenger, Dubois.

Dubois subsequently defeated Anthony Joshua in September 2024, elevating the Brit to world champion status and leading to another unification bout in the heavyweight division.

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Usyk previously defeated Dubois with a ninth-round stoppage in August 2023.

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