In March 2018, the IBF ordered Pulev vs. Dominic Breazeale for a final eliminator, however Breazeale refused to take part.
In April, the IBF ordered Pulev to fight British boxer Dillian Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs).
A purse bid was set for 10 May. The purse bids were delayed as a deal between Eddie Hearn and Team Sauerland, Pulev's promoter was close to being agreed.
The IBF gave them until 24 May. Despite Whyte stating that Pulev did not want the fight, Pulev stated he was more than happy to fight Whyte, but "a lot of things need to be agreed" before the fight could be confirmed.
According to Nisse Sauerland, the date of 28 July was being discussed with the host venue being either London or Bulgaria.
New York based promotional company, Epic Sports & Entertainment made a purse bid of $1,500,111, winning the rights of the fight.
Hearn offered $831,111, which was higher than the $801,305 bid from Team Sauerland.
IBF ruling states for a final eliminator, the higher ranked boxer, in this case was Pulev, would get 75% ($1,125,083.25) and Whyte would earn $375,027.75 for the fight.
On 7 June, Whyte pulled out of the fight and instead Matchroom announced he would be fighting former WBO champion Joseph Parker in London on 28 July.
Pulev was unhappy with the pull out and labelled Whyte and Hearn as 'extreme manipulators and plain schizophrenics' as well as accusing them of avoiding him at all costs.

On 16 June, the IBF then ordered Pulev against their #3 ranked American boxer Jarrell Miller 21-0, 18 KO).
On 25 June, at the purse bid, Epic Sports & Entertainment made the winning bid of $2,111,111, much higher than the $1,000,010, which was placed by Team Sauerland.
The bid meant Miller would be earning his highest purse at $527,777.75 US dollars.
According to Epic Sports, the contracts were sent within two days of the purse bid.
By 2 July, there was no deal made.
It was said that Miller's camp were stalling, likely due to the fight taking place in Bulgaria.
Miller's promoter Dmitry Salita confirmed negotiations were still ongoing however the biggest hurdle was the venue.
According to IBF public relations director Jeanette Salazar, Miller had 15 days from when he received the contract to agree or the IBF would go back to the rankings.

At the time, the next highest challenger was Hughie Fury (21-1, 11 KO), who was inserted at #5 by the IBF in June.
Negotiations between Pulev and Miller broke down on 10 July.
The IBF ordered a purse bid to take place on 9 August.
On the morning, the IBF pushed the date of the bid to 16 August.
However on that same date, the fight was agreed from both parties and was announced to take place in Sofia, Bulgaria on 27 October 2018.

Pulev defeated Fury via a 12 round unanimous decision to become the mandatory challenger for IBF heavyweight title.
The scores were 117–111, 118–110, and 115–113.
After a good start by Fury, he could not overcome a cut that opened up in round 2, which altered his mindset and game plan.
Fury had suffered the cut over his left eye during training camp and Pulev took advantage by opening it up again.
With the cut bleeding bad, it forced Hughie to fight more aggressively but cautiously.
After the fight, Peter Fury said, “Hughie came into the fight with a cut above the eye.
He was stitched up two weeks ago but they [the doctors] said it would heal in time for the fight and obviously it didn’t.”
He praised Fury for his efforts after the cut was open.
Pulev used his jab often, until round 4, he started unloading on more power shots.
Fury spent the majority of the second half of the fight trying to counter Pulev, however was unable to land any meaningful shot.
As the fight went on, Pulev's jab became much stronger and accurate, although Pulev was caught with a right hand in round 8.
Pulev clinched after being wobbled and took back control in round 9.
By round 11, Fury seemed tired and spent most of the final two rounds boxing with his back against the ropes.
Fury believed the cut was what ultimately lost him the fight.
In March 2018, the IBF ordered Pulev vs. Dominic Breazeale for a final eliminator, however Breazeale refused to take part. In April, the IBF ordered Pulev to fight British boxer Dillian Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs). A purse bid was set for 10 May. The purse bids were delayed as a deal between Eddie Hearn and Team Sauerland, Pulev's promoter was close to being agreed. The IBF gave them until 24 May. Despite Whyte stating that Pulev did not want the fight, Pulev stated he was more than happy to fight Whyte, but "a lot of things need to be agreed" before the fight could be confirmed. According to Nisse Sauerland, the date of 28 July was being discussed with the host venue being either London or Bulgaria. New York based promotional company, Epic Sports & Entertainment made a purse bid of $1,500,111, winning the rights of the fight. Hearn offered $831,111, which was higher than the $801,305 bid from Team Sauerland. IBF ruling states for a final eliminator, the higher ranked boxer, in this case was Pulev, would get 75% ($1,125,083.25) and Whyte would earn $375,027.75 for the fight. On 7 June, Whyte pulled out of the fight and instead Matchroom announced he would be fighting former WBO champion Joseph Parker in London on 28 July. Pulev was unhappy with the pull out and labelled Whyte and Hearn as 'extreme manipulators and plain schizophrenics' as well as accusing them of avoiding him at all costs.
On 16 June, the IBF then ordered Pulev against their #3 ranked American boxer Jarrell Miller 21-0, 18 KO). On 25 June, at the purse bid, Epic Sports & Entertainment made the winning bid of $2,111,111, much higher than the $1,000,010, which was placed by Team Sauerland. The bid meant Miller would be earning his highest purse at $527,777.75 US dollars. According to Epic Sports, the contracts were sent within two days of the purse bid. By 2 July, there was no deal made. It was said that Miller's camp were stalling, likely due to the fight taking place in Bulgaria. Miller's promoter Dmitry Salita confirmed negotiations were still ongoing however the biggest hurdle was the venue. According to IBF public relations director Jeanette Salazar, Miller had 15 days from when he received the contract to agree or the IBF would go back to the rankings.
At the time, the next highest challenger was Hughie Fury (21-1, 11 KO), who was inserted at #5 by the IBF in June. Negotiations between Pulev and Miller broke down on 10 July. The IBF ordered a purse bid to take place on 9 August. On the morning, the IBF pushed the date of the bid to 16 August. However on that same date, the fight was agreed from both parties and was announced to take place in Sofia, Bulgaria on 27 October 2018.
Pulev defeated Fury via a 12 round unanimous decision to become the mandatory challenger for IBF heavyweight title. The scores were 117–111, 118–110, and 115–113. After a good start by Fury, he could not overcome a cut that opened up in round 2, which altered his mindset and game plan. Fury had suffered the cut over his left eye during training camp and Pulev took advantage by opening it up again. With the cut bleeding bad, it forced Hughie to fight more aggressively but cautiously. After the fight, Peter Fury said, “Hughie came into the fight with a cut above the eye. He was stitched up two weeks ago but they [the doctors] said it would heal in time for the fight and obviously it didn’t.” He praised Fury for his efforts after the cut was open. Pulev used his jab often, until round 4, he started unloading on more power shots. Fury spent the majority of the second half of the fight trying to counter Pulev, however was unable to land any meaningful shot. As the fight went on, Pulev's jab became much stronger and accurate, although Pulev was caught with a right hand in round 8. Pulev clinched after being wobbled and took back control in round 9. By round 11, Fury seemed tired and spent most of the final two rounds boxing with his back against the ropes. Fury believed the cut was what ultimately lost him the fight.
Kubrat Pulev