Free boxing betting tips: Anthony Joshua v Kubrat Pulev and undercard

Anthony Joshua v Kubrat Pulev betting tips

3pts Anthony Joshua rounds 7-12 at 9/4

1pt Sergey Kuzmin at 11/4

For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record

It's been a long time coming but finally the fans return to boxing this weekend and they are back in time to greet Anthony Joshua for his homecoming bout against Kubrat Pulev in London. With 1,000 spectators allowed into the Wembley Arena, the strangest of years could end on a real high as British boxing's golden boy makes his sole appearance of 2020 and shines the light on a brighter future.

Better times are on the horizon and not just in terms of the pandemic, as Joshua and Tyson Fury have reportedly agreed a two-fight deal for 2021 that would break all records and signal the return of the big fights in the best possible style.

However, Joshua can't afford to look too far ahead and needs only to glance into his rear-view mirror to see why, as he was on the wrong end of a huge upset when being spectacularly stopped in seven rounds by Andy Ruiz Jr last year. Pulev is more than capable of doing the same if the champion isn't fully focused and he is a shorter price at 7/1 than the unassuming Mexican-American was 19 months ago.

These two were originally scheduled to fight in October 2017 when an injury forced the challenger to pull out at short notice and this IBF title mandatory has been hanging over Joshua ever since. He's a 1/8 chance to keep hold of the belt with career victory number 24, but Pulev's pedigree and experience mean he certainly shouldn't be overlooked.

After enjoying a lengthy period as a top-level amateur on the world scene, the Bulgarian racked up 20 consecutive victories to earn a title shot against Wladimir Klitschko in 2014, only to be despatched in five one-sided rounds. That said, he came up against a peak version of the future Hall-of-Famer that night and paid the price for really taking the fight to the heavy-handed champion.

That remains his only defeat and he is no stranger to prevailing over British foes, with his subsequent unbeaten run including points wins over Dereck Chisora (2016) and Hughie Fury (2018). Well-schooled and technically sound, he's a big unit with plenty of power and no shortage of confidence, especially having seen what Ruiz did on that famous night in New York.

The sight of Joshua being knocked down and out-gunned by the smaller man on that occasion gives every future opponent the blueprint of how to beat him, highlighting his vulnerabilities and turning up the volume on the chatter about his ability to take a shot.

However, Joshua proved all the doubters wrong when reclaiming the belts with a brilliant boxing display in Saudi Arabia almost a year to the day of this latest outing. Much leaner and 100% focused, he adopted a more cautious approach by keep things long behind his excellent jab and utilised his far superior footwork to keep out of range of the shorter man en route to a wide-margin points victory.

The shape in which the new champion entered the desert can be questioned, but the performance of the challenger that night under such intense pressure and the discipline he showed to stick to the game plan for the full 12 rounds was impressive. Redemption was complete and the Watford man was able to draw a line under a turbulent six months.

Having shown a very different side to his game and done so with tremendous success, it begs the question as to which Joshua we will see on his return this weekend. Will he revert to the seek-and-destroy tactics that saw him blast his way through the division in exciting fashion, or is that version in the past and can we expect a more safety-first approach from here on in?

He had shown he can box well behind the jab and take fewer risks when unifying the belts via the scorecards against Joseph Parker in March 2018, but was nowhere near as mobile as he was against Ruiz and the dominant display in Diriyah showed a new side to his game. At 31, Joshua is a much more rounded fighter now and it is probably going to be a case of 'horses for courses', so what tactics will serve him best here?

This represents very different test for Joshua, not least because of the size and strength of the well-built underdog. As you would expected from someone with his amateur pedigree, Pulev does the fundamentals very well and has an authoritative jab which can prove a serious weapon in itself.

He's happy to box at range or mix it on the inside, while he has always had a good engine and does the 12 rounds well. While speed has never been a strength of his, the 39-year-old has slowed down of late and he looks a man on the slide. Although he's won all eight outings since the Klitschko loss, the aforementioned bouts with Chisora and Fury represented by far his toughest opposition and this is a big step up in class.

He really should have got rid of an overmatched and overweight Rydell Booker when labouring to a points win when last seen 13 months ago, in a bout that was arguably as painful to watch as it was for his opponent to participate in.

Having used his quicker feet to stay out of the way of Ruiz's faster hands, Joshua will boast a speed advantage in all departments this time and, for that reason, it is very hard to look past the favourite. In a typical upright European style, Pulev has never had too much head movement and has become even easier to hit in recent years, so expect Joshua to be first and beat him to the punch with regularity.

The visitor has proven susceptible - especially against Klitsckho - to left hooks and right hands straight down the middle, both of which are money punches for Joshua and those power shots can do the damage needed to help him justify odds of 2/5 about him recording the 22nd stoppage of his career.

This was a better fight three years ago, when Pulev was more dangerous and Joshua was more likely to oblige his opponent in a tear-up. The home fighter could still well do so and has the speed and power to prevail if going down that route, but it's clear that the challenger's best chance is to jump on the younger man early and those in the opposite corner, most notably shrewd coach Robert McCracken, will be well aware of this.

Pulev's power must still be respected and it is seems more likely we will see Joshua aiming to keep it at distance early doors, utilising his three-inch reach advantage and breaking his man down with the jab. Once the sting has been taken out of Pulev's attacks, the favourite can turn up the heat and begin to unload the heavier stuff in the middle rounds.

There is no doubt Joshua can get rid of his man before halfway (5/4) if he chooses to revert to his more aggressive approach, but the scars of what happened in New York could prevent him going for the finish too early and a more methodical dismantling of Pulev for a stoppage between rounds 7-12 at 9/4 makes much more appeal.

Can Kuzmin upset the odds against Bakole?

Lawrence Okolie was due to get his big world title shot against Krzysztof Głowacki on the undercard, but that intriguing clash went up in smoke when the Pole tested positive for Covid-19 last week and his countryman Nikodem Jezewski steps in as a late replacement.

There is no belt on the line now and the change in opponent will test the focus of Okolie, but the Hackney native should be a class above the underdog, who is having his first fight outside Poland, and this should be over well before the final bell. Okolie by stoppage is priced accordingly at 1/3, though, as is the aforementioned Hughie Fury to outpoint the durable Mariusz Wach at 8/13, with the youth and speed expected to be too much for the faded 40-year-old.

The heavyweights dominate the card and the fight of the night could be between two more big men in the shape of Martin Bakole and Sergey Kuzmin.

These two like to come forward and get on with things, so we should be in for plenty of action and they look well matched. Given their near identical records, it is surprising to see the betting so heavily in favour of Bakole, who is a top price of 1/3, with the Russian as big as 3/1.

Both men bring records of 15-1 and similar knockout ratios to the table, with each being handed their sole loss by Michael Hunter. While Bakole was stopped in the last session of their exciting 10-rounder just over two years ago, Kuzmin dropped a clear-cut points verdict over the championship distance in America when last seen 15 months back.

The lopsided odds may be down to Bakole being based on these shores and bouncing back from that defeat with four stoppage wins, but they were all against opponents he was a strong favourite to beat and this is his first big test since the Hunter loss.

Kuzmin's excellent amateur career included stopping Joe Joyce in around 30 seconds in 2013, while he is no stranger to boxing over here having beaten David Price (retired after the fourth) in 2018.

There looks to be little between the pair and both will be bang up for this crossroads encounter, so Kuzmin rates the value play at the prices in a bout which should give those lucky enough to have a ticket plenty to cheer about.

Posted at 2030 GMT on 10/12/20

When is Joshua v Pulev?

The fight takes place on Saturday December 12, with ring walks expected some time after 2200 GMT

Where is the fight taking place?

London's SSE Arena in front of a crowd of 1,000 spectators

What are the odds?

Anthony Joshua ranges from a 1/9 favourite to as short as 1/14, with Pulev a best of 7/1

How do I watch it on TV?

The fight and its undercard is being televised live on Sky Sports Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office HD, channels 491 and 492 for Sky subscribers.

The event is priced at £24.95 for Sky's UK customers and €27.95 for those from the Republic of Ireland, up until midnight on Friday December 11.

Thereafter £24.95 / €27.95 (ROI) across all "self-service" bookings (remote control / online) and £29.95 / €32.95 (ROI) if booked via the phone (either IVR or agent), with an additional £2 booking fee if via an agent still applies.

The event price will revert back to £24.95 / €27.95 (ROI) from midnight on Saturday December 12.

Two repeat showings (full duration) will be shown at 9am and 4pm on Sunday December 13.

Sky users can sign up here. If you do not have Sky, click here.

Tale of the tape

Anthony Joshua

• Age: 31
• Fights: 24
• Won: 23
• By KO: 21
• Lost: 1
• Drawn: 0
• Rounds: 103
• Height: 6'6"
• Weight: TBC
• Reach: 82"
• Stance: Orthodox
• Nickname: AJ
• Nationality: British

Kubrat Pulev

• Age: 39
• Fights: 29
• Won: 28
• By KO: 14
• Lost: 1
• Drawn: 0
• Rounds: 203
• Height: 6'4"
• Weight: TBC
• Reach: 79.5"
• Stance: Orthodox
• Nickname: The Cobra
• Nationality: Bulgarian

What's on the undercard?

• Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev (WBA 'Super', IBF and WBO heavyweight titles)
• Lawrence Okolie vs Nikodem Jezewski (12 rounds at cruiserweight)
• Hughie Fury vs Mariusz Wach (10 rounds at heavyweight)
• Martin Bakole vs Sergey Kuzmin (WBC international heavyweight title)
• Florian Marku vs Alex Fearon (8 rounds at welterweight)
• Kieron Conway vs Macaulay McGowan (10 rounds at super-welterweight)
• Qais Ashfaq vs Ashley Lane (8 rounds at super-bantamweight)

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