Kubrat Pulev has been accused of racism over a comment he made about Anthony Joshua ahead of his world heavyweight title bout.
The 39-year-old Bulgarian will fight the Nigerian-British heavyweight champion for his WBA, IBF, and WBO titles, with the fight now set to take place in London on December 12.
Ahead of their clash, Pulev was asked about his verdict on Joshua – in which he made a controversial comment about his skin colour.
‘His strengths? I’d say he has a very powerful punch undeniably,’ said Pulev during a press conference.
‘What are his other strengths? His tan is better than mine.’
His comments regarding Joshua has sparked accusations of racism from boxing fans, with one demanding that he should be punished by the boxing authorities.
After hearing what Pulev said, one fan wrote: ‘That’s a shameful 1970s comment. Awful.’
‘Kubrat Pulev sadly proving why #BlackLivesMatter is needed. Idiot!’, another boxing follower said on Twitter.
