Wladimir Klitschko made his 17th consecutive title defense of the world Heavyweight title as he dropped mandatory contender Kubrat Pulev four-times en route to a fifth round stoppage at the O2 Arena in Hamburg, Germany.
Klitschko scored 2 knockdowns in round one, both from booming left hooks. He continued to land power shots and in round three, he landed yet another left hook that sent Pulev to the canvas. Pulev tried and landed several hard right hands for which Klitschko’s always shaky chin withstood. Ironically it was after Pulev’s best right hand that Klitschko fired back with another devastating left hook that sent Pulev down to the canvas for a fourth and final time as referee Tony Weeks waved off the bout at 2:11 of round five.
Klitschko, 245 3/4 lbs of Germany is now 63-3 with 53 knockouts. Pulev, 246 3/4 lbs of Bulgaria is now 20-1.
