Derek Chisora Vs. Kubrat Pulev: Odds, Records, Prediction

In the grand scheme of the heavyweight division, the Derek Chisora vs. Kubrat Pulev fight on Saturday night shouldn’t have a huge impact. Both are past their primes, and both have consistently been beaten by the elite of the division. But if there’s one thing going for this heavyweight clash, it’s that it should be awfully fun to watch. Here’s everything you need to know about Derek Chisora vs. Kubrat Pulev, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

The first time these two fought in 2016, Pulev outboxed Chisora and prevailed by split decision (though Pulev deserved it unanimously). Six years later, Chisora will look to end the fight before it gets to the final round. More than anything, though, he wants to make it fun for those who are watching.

“For me, my plan is my fans—that is it. Entertainment. Do you understand? That’s what I like,” Chisora said. “I’ve lost so many fights. I’ve won a couple of fights. I’ve won things that I wanted to win. I prefer fighting. I wake up every morning, and I go training. I’ve still got the hunger for it. I get these younger guys into the gym to spar me. I see in their eyes the fear they have by the time they get to rounds 3 or 4. I’m still hungry and I still want to fight. I still want to cause damage to people and I still want to entertain. … I know what I’ve got, and I sell a product to people who want to have that product. And that product is war.”

Although Chisora is 38 and seems to be nearing the end of his career as a fringe contender and although he’s lost his last three fights, he still has a chance to pull the upset on Pulev. Especially since Pulev is 41 and considering he’s only fought once since getting knocked out by Anthony Joshua for the unified heavyweight title in 2020.

Since he fought Chisora six years ago, Pulev has stepped into the ring only seven times. Chisora, on the other hand, has fought 13 times. Whether Chisora’s activity will help him remains to be seen, but he doesn’t take on easy opponents. That kind of experience against the elite won’t hurt.

But Pulev is probably more talented, and if he can avoid Chisora’s power, it’ll be tough for Chisora to out-box him.

“Every round is going to be difficult for Derek Chisora,” Pulev said. “I’ve come here for the win. Now is a different situation because I see him, and he’s made good changes. I think he is smarter than before. He’s more balanced than before. It means he’s maybe better and I must be careful about that. He’s a stronger opponent than before. For me it’s very important and I think for him it’s also very important. That’s why we give everything and that’s why I’m sure he will give everything. It’s going to be a great fight. One of us must win. I hope the judges and the referee are honest. He says this is war but for me this is not war—I don’t hate him.”

Here’s more info on the Derek Chisora vs. Kubrat Pulev showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on DAZN beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Derek Chisora vs. Kubrat Pulev odds

Pulev is a solid favorite at -334, but I actually would have expected him to be in the -400 range. So, maybe there’s a tiny bit value in his money line. Chisora is a +240 underdog, but I wouldn’t bother betting his money line unless he was around +350.

There’s more value in picking Pulev to win by decision at +137 and even more by unanimous decision at +200. If I were to wager on this one, I’d probably go with the latter or just wager on the fight to go the distance at -125. Otherwise, you can feel free to stay away from this contest.

Derek Chisora vs. Kubrat Pulev records

Chisora’s record of 32-12 (23 KOs) is hardly an impressive one, but his resume is filled with the elite of the elite, including Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury twice, Dillian Whyte twice, Vitali Klitschko and Joseph Parker twice. Chisora lost to all of them. But he does hold victories over Carlos Takam and an undefeated Malik Scott.

Pulev’s (29-2, 14 KOs) resume isn’t nearly as impressive, and he’s lost the two biggest fights of his career to Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko. But he has solid wins against Samuel Peter, Tony Thompson and Hughie Fury.

Derek Chisora vs. Kubrat Pulev prediction

Like most of Chisora’s fights, I can see this being a gritty brawl with both fighters landing plenty of clean punches. It should be a fun scrap to watch. That said, Pulev is simply a better fighter, and even though he’s older than his opponent, he’s a little less shopworn. Go with Pulev by decision, somewhere in the 116-112 range.