WBA heavyweight champion Mahmoud Charr will finally defend his title six years and four months after claiming the secondary belt.
Charr will put the strap on the line against former world title challenger Kubrat Pulev, giving up home advantage to the Bulgarian.
The Lebanese-born German, who was formerly known as Manuel Charr, faces Pulev on March 30. The two boxers announced at a press conference in Sofia on Thursday.
Cruiserweight Tervel, Pulev’s younger sibling, is confirmed for the undercard.
Heavyweight title on the line after six years
Sofia’s 12,000-capacity Arena will host as Charr makes the first defense. Charr first won the title in November 2017 and went over three years facing a challenger due to legal action by Fres Oquendo.
The WBA had to follow up on Oquendo’s claim to the crown, which eventually got settled out of the ring in 2021. The WBA ordered Charr to face Trevor Bryan in January 2022 until visa problems hit.
After a protest from Bryan’s promoter, Don King, the WBA decided to strip Charr of the title through no fault of his own. Bryan won the belt against Jonathan Guidry and eventually lost it five months later to Daniel Dubois.
By that time, the WBA had mandated that Dubois face Oleksandr Usyk. The Briton faced the unified ruler in August 2023, losing via stoppage.
However, throughout that process, Charr had launched an appeal against the WBA’s decision to vacate his title. He won the case and was reinstated in September 2023, rendering reigns by Bryan and Dubois obsolete.
The WBA wasted no time ordering Charr to defend against Jarrell Miller and gave a deadline of November 2023 for the fight. Miller eventually accepted an offer to fight in Saudi Arabia, leaving Charr in the lurch again.
Mahmoud Charr vs Kubrat Pulev
He will now belatedly face his first challenger in Pulev, a full 2331 days from when he beat Alexander Ustinov for the vacant title.
“I’m a fighter. I do not fight for money. I fight to leave a legacy. If you only fight for money, you are lost. Work hard, and one day you will get everything you have dreamed of,” Charr told the Bulgarian media.
“I will be facing a very serious opponent who, like me, has a lot of experience,” said Pulev.
According to a WBA spokesperson, whoever wins the Charr vs. Pulev fight will eventually get a shot at the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
“The WBA [regular] world title has been confirmed by the organization [for this fight]. We are now awaiting the appointment of the refereeing team for the match.
“We all realize how big the opportunity of this fight is for both Mr. Charr and Mr. Pulev. It’s especially significant with the upcoming heavyweight fights of Anthony Joshua [vs. Francis Ngannou] on March 8 and the match between Usyk and Fury in the near future,” said the WBA’s Mariana Borissova.
