The suspension of a Bulgarian boxer who kissed a reporter without her consent during a post-fight interview was lifted after the boxer completed a course on sexual violence and paid a $ 2,500 fine.
The California State Sports Commission voted unanimously to allow Kubrat Pulev to reapply for his license, under the warning that if he commits other offenses he would face a life suspension to fight in the United States.
Pulev was suspended in March after he held Jenny Ravalo’s head in his hands and planted a kiss on her lips, following his knockout of Romanian Bogdan Dinu.
The 38-year-old Bulgarian apologized to Ravalo before the commission put his case to a vote. Pulev assured that it was not something sexual, but an emotional reaction to his victory.
Ravalo repudiated the action of the heavyweight boxer, adding that he has been bullied online by thousands of people for speaking out and has been vilified by Pulev’s manager, Top Rank’s Bob Arum.
“Mr. Arum cares little about sexual harassment,” Ravalo told the commission before the vote, noting that recently the promoter said that he did not believe that “a boxer of 1.93 meters and 113.3 kilograms that holds the face of a 5-foot-5 reporter forcibly kisses her with her bloody mouth out of sexual harassment. I’d like to see if he would think differently if a big, bloody man did the same to him without his consent. “
The reporter’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, asked the commission to sanction Pulev and Arum.
But in response, the commission noted that Arum also participated in the remedial class on sexual harassment with Pulev and appeared to have learned something.
Pulev agreed to participate in a campaign on sexual harassment that the commission is considering. The boxer indicated that it would be important for people to know that such behaviors are not correct “because many people like me do not know.” AP