By Per Ake Persson

Newly crowned EBU heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev (23-1) will now have big Pole Mariusz Wach (32-2) as official challenger. The parties  have a period for private negotiations before a date for purse bids are set.

Pulev, promoted by Sauerland Event, also won an IBF eliminator when he beat Dereck Chisora on May 7 in Hamburg and is ranked # 2 by the IBF so there might be bigger fights on the horizon than a mandatory defense of the EBU title.

Wach was stopped in the twelfth round last November when he  traveled to Russia to face former world champion Alexander Povetkin.

After the loss to Povetkin, it was revealed that Wach had tested positive for a banned substance, but the failed test was thrown out by the World Boxing Council, because the testing agency RUSADA was under a WADA suspension for allegations of manipulating test results.

Wach returned to the ring last month and struggled badly against Marcelo Nascimento and won a very close decision off scores of 96-95, 98-92 and 96-94.

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Former World title challenger Enad Licina (30-4) continues his way back July 15 in Munich on a show promoted by Petko´s Box Promotion. Topping the bill is super lightweight Howik Bebraham (3-0) in a defence of the International German title against Robert Tlatlik (18-0).

Also on the bill are the Kraft Brothers, James and Toni. James, a cruiserweight is 8-0, and Toni, a lightheavy is 7-0.

Petko´s Box Promotion is headed by semi retired heavyweight Aleksander Petkovic.