By Per Ake Persson

IBF I/C heavyweight champ Kubrar Pulev, 14-0, is set to make the first defense of the title he won against Travis Walker in October. Pulev will take on Hamburg-based Ukrainian veteran Taras Bidenko on the Arthur Abraham/Robert Stieglietz doubleheader in Offenburg on January 14.
 
Pulev suffered bad cuts against Walker. And while he was an exellent amateur, he seems to have left his best days there and hasn't proved himself in the pros. The skills are there but Kubrat tends to fight one-paced and so far he hasn't displayed the explosive power that his Sauerland stablemate Robert Helenius has.
 
Bidenko, previously promoted by Universum for a long time, was at one time world ranked with the WBA but reportedly had a lot problems with sore hands and after beating Michael Sprott in 2008 he was out of the picture for over a year and when he returned he was stopped by Denis Boytsov and then Robert Helenius. He has since bounced back with a few wins and his skills and experience will certainly give Pulev problems but not enough for an upset.

Tags: Kubrat Pulev