WBA Orders Purse Bid for Kubrat Pulev Vs. Michael Hunter Heavyweight Clash

Kubrat Pulev and Michael Hunter have been ordered to a purse bid by the WBA after the two camps failed to reach an agreement for their upcoming fight.

The purse bid is set to take place in Houston on May 27^th and will be conducted by Julio Thyme (Championships Committee Vice-Chairman).

Kubrat Pulev was in the ring back in December 2024 against Mahmoud Charr, where he defeated his opponent to claim the WBA Regular Heavyweight Title via a unanimous decision of 117-111, 117-111, and 116-112. The fight occurred in Sofia, Bulgaria, Pulev’s home turf, and the latter did not disappoint his home fans. Charr was returning from a long period of inactivity, but this did not weigh him down as he showed his determination and power, but it was not enough to match Pulev’s technical superiority.

Pulev’s camp had earlier appealed to the sanctioning body to grant a ‘special permit’ which would enable him to face Jarrell Miller instead of a compulsory title defense. His request did not go through, and the Bulgarian will be forced to square it off with Michael Hunter next instead.

Jarrell Miller, currently ranked at number 13 in the weight class, is a former kickboxer who currently competes in the heavyweight division, first coming into the spotlight back in 2007 after competing for the New Jersey Tigers in the World Combat League and making it to the finals of the New York Golden Gloves tournament in that same year.

A formal notice has been sent through official channels to both camps outlining all terms and conditions of the purse bid procedure. The purse split has been set at 75% for Pulev and 25% for Hunter, as Pulev holds WBA’s secondary title, a title he captured after defeating Mahmoud Charr back on December 7^th via unanimous decision.