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Kubrat Pulev, a heavyweight contender known as
"The Cobra," was also ordered during a commission hearing to
attend sexual harassment prevention classes and pay a $2,500
fine before he can fight again in the state of California.
Pulev, who has only one loss in 27 fights, grabbed Jennifer
Ravalo’s face and kissed her in the middle of a live interview
moments after knocking out Romania’s Bogdan Dinu in the seventh
round of a March fight in Costa Mesa, California.
One of Bulgaria's most popular sportsmen, Pulev apologized for
his actions during the hearing as his girlfriend, the Bulgarian
pop star Andrea, sat behind him, wearing dark glasses.
Attorneys for Pulev said that the fighter had got caught up in
the moment following his big win and "didn't have his wits about
him" when he kissed the reporter.
Pulev and his lawyers argued in the hearing that Ravalo did not
appear to be very upset about the incident because she joined
the boxer and his team at a post-match celebration later that
night.
But Ravalo said in tearful testimony that Pulev also grabbed her
buttocks off-camera following the interview, leaving her feeling
humiliated, and has not apologized in the two months since.
"I did not want him to kiss me," Ravalo said.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Omar Younis; Editing by Sonya
Hepinstall)
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