Kubrat Pulev can return to the ring after the kiss; Ravalo disappointed

The heavyweight boxer who forcibly kissed a female reporter on the lips during an on-camera interview can return to the ring, the California State Athletic Commission decided Monday. Kubrat Pulev was suspended in March for grabbing Jennifer Ravalo’s face and planting the surprise smooch during their interview after his technical knockout of fellow boxer Bogdan Dinu in Costa Mesa. Ravalo, a contributor to Vegas Sports Daily, attended the commission hearing Monday and said she was frustrated by the unanimous decision to lift Pulev’s six-month suspension after he attended a sexual harassment training course and paid a $2,500 fine. “It’s disappointing he didn’t do the full six months. I don’t know if he’s really sorry. I won’t know until I see how he acts,” Ravalo told the Daily News in a phone interview. “I was surprised and shocked when it happened,” she said of the attack. “He grabbed my face, kissed me, and then as I was leaving, he grabbed my butt. He and his friends started laughing. I was embarrassed and humiliated.” Pulev, whose nickname is The Cobra, is now free to reapply for his license, but any future offenses will result in a lifetime ban from fighting in North America, the commission said. Before Monday’s vote, a commissioner told Pulev to “continue to learn from this please, sir, and talk about it to others. We could use your help on that.” Ravalo’s lawyer Gloria Allred addressed the board shortly before the vote and said victims such as her client should be invited to attend events where boxers demonstrate their “rehabilitation” before reinstatement. She said Ravalo was given no advance notice that Pulev would be taking part in a Women in Journalism panel at UNLV earlier this month after attending a sensitivity training seminar at the university. Allred said victims of such harassment deserve the chance to offer “input into the process of educating the perpetrator.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-boxer-can-return-to-ring-after-kissing-reporter-without-consent-20190722-4dyov36lp5gfpn7chnamzrwagy-story.html?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=exchange