Kubrat Pulev-Jarrell Miller in works for Saudi Arabia – unless Michael Hunter request is granted

ORLANDO, Florida – Kubrat Pulev versus Jarrell Miller is in the works and could take place in Saudi Arabia early next year.

Pulev won the WBA “regular” heavyweight title earlier in December, when beating Mahmoud Charr over 12 rounds to return the much-maligned championship to prominence of sorts. Pulev’s representatives have asked the sanctioning body to grant a “special permit” to allow the Bulgarian veteran to take on Miller, who is ranked 13th in the weight class, rather than ordering a mandatory title defence.

The status of the championship, and the expectations from the WBA on Pulev, remain unclear. The secondary strap was to be phased out by the WBA after Oleksandr Usyk, the full champion, defeated the then-regular titlist Daniel Dubois on August 25, 2023. However, following extensive litigation with the WBA, the former regular belt-holder Charr – who won the trinket in 2017 and did not defend it – was reinstalled as the champion just five days after Usyk halted Dubois in nine rounds.

Michael Hunter is also keen to get embroiled in the chaos. He is ranked third by the WBA and, with Tyson Fury, first, and Martin Bakole, second, seemingly otherwise engaged, Team Hunter asked to be named as mandatory and for Pulev’s request for a special permit to be denied. While making the case, it was pointed out there hadn’t been a mandatory defense of the regular title since Dubois obliterated Trevor Bryan to win the belt in June 2022. 

That’s not all. An elimination bout was requested on behalf of Cuba’s Lenier Pero, ranked fourth, “with anyone in the top 10”.

The Saudi paymaster Turki Alalshikh is said to be keen on staging Pulev-Miller. The American’s two most recent outings, a ninth-round loss to Dubois in December 2023 and a 12-round draw with Andy Ruiz Jnr in August, occurred on cards that were overseen by Alalshikh.