Earlier this year, Top Rank Boxer Kubrat Pulev (27-1, 14 KOs) could not contain himself and went for first base during a post-fight interview. The incident happened after Pulev defeated Romania’s Bogdan Dinu (18-2, 14 KOs) in Costa Mesa, California back in March. Since then, the infamous kiss has gone viral around the world.
The Bulgarian fighter was interviewed by female reporter Jenny Ravalo after the victory and planted an unwanted kiss on the reporter's lips. The heavyweight contender was slapped with a $2,500 fine as well as a six-month suspension and would only be considered to return to boxing if he completed a sexual harassment prevention training.
On Wednesday, in attempts to comply with California Athletics Commission, Pulev appeared in front of a panel of women at the University of Las Vegas Nevada. The panel consisted of a wide variety of departments from the university that came together to elaborate on their careers and to discuss common issues women facing journalism and in the workplace.
Pulev sat in as the panel elaborated on the not so talked about topic, sexual harassment. He was given the opportunity to see a woman's perspective when it comes to working in a male-dominated environment. Women on the panel stated that they struggle to be taken seriously. Some even went on to say that they sometimes feel that harassment hinders their ability to do their job effectively. “Female reporters don’t get the same respect in sports broadcast than men do, even if they are asking the same question,” said a panelist.
Pulev admits it was a mistake on his part “I only did this because I was happy, but this was a mistake, for the other side it is not good. More people need to speak about this topic to know where not to cross the line.”
He recognizes that he allowed his emotions to excite him and planted a kiss of victory to whom he thought was his friend. He stated that this has been a learning experience, he hopes to bring awareness to the issue. “The more you talk about this topic; the more people know not to do this,” said Pulev.
His manager, which accompanied Pulev said “This has given us a podium to teach others, this was a clear mistake. He realizes what happened. Going through this process has been a learning experience for us and millions around the world. He was on the brink of becoming a world champion and now he is dealing with this. This should be a good example for other athletes they should learn from this because journalist are to be respected.”
Pulev and his team have used this situation to bring awareness on the topic around the world in hopes to be more proactive and preventative before an issue does occur.
Promoter Bob Arum told iFL TV that the 38-year-old has completed the sexual harassment awareness courses. Pulev is expected to regain his boxing license by the next commission meeting in San Diego on July 22nd.
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