Top Rank boss Bob Arum spoke to iFL TV in the wake of Anthony Joshua’s fight against Kubrat Pulev. The multi-institutional champion won the bout by a 9th-round TKO after sending Pulev to the canvas 4 times.

The bout took place at the SSE Arena in Wembley after much delay due to the state of COVID-19. Kubrat Pulev landed some significant strikes throughout the fight, but he was out-maneuvered for the better part of the event.

Chiefly, it was his durability that kept him in the fight for as long as he lasted. The aforementioned scrap was Joshua’s first bout since rounding up his rivalry with Andy Ruiz Jr.

Bob Arum goes in on “tentative” Anthony Joshua

Despite snagging a crucial stoppage win, there have been some significant rumblings around Anthony Joshua’s performance. There was online chatter that put forth the idea that Joshua’s scraps against Ruiz Jr. led to him looking hesitant. Additionally, famed boxing promoter Bob Arum was also a part of this camp that was critical of Joshua’s performance.

“Joshua was the better man. Kubrat couldn’t pull the trigger. He landed a couple of good shots, but he couldn’t follow up, and Joshua got him out of there.

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“But I don’t think it was a particularly stellar performance by Anthony Joshua, but it was good enough to win the fight by stoppage. He tried his best, but it wasn’t good enough,” said Arum about Pulev.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it”

Arum went on to double down on his claim that AJ’s performance left plenty to be desired. Moreover, he also broached the subject that was on everyone’s mind regarding heavyweight unification between AJ and Tyson Fury.

“Now it clears the decks for the fight that everybody wants to see between Tyson Fury and Joshua. No, the truth is, no,” said Arum when asked if he was impressed by Joshua.

“None of us here worried because he was tentative, he didn’t show an ability to get away from a punch. I mean, he was a little bit better than ordinary.

“That’s the truth, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. He [Joshua] didn’t appear to any of us to pose any kind of problem for Tyson Fury,” said Arum.

While he’s received some flak for his most recent outing against Kubrat Pulev, Joshua will be keen to keep the streak going. Securing the unification bout against ‘The Gypsy King’ remains a matter of utmost priority for his legacy.