Reporter says boxer's mid-interview kiss on the lips was 'embarrassing' and 'strange'
Bulgarian boxer Kubrat Pulev kissed Vegas Sports Daily reporter Jenny SuShe while she interviewed him following his fight on Saturday. Pulev is now being slammed as video of the kiss went viral. On social media SuShe said the kiss was, 'Lil embarrassing. Strange.' Vegas Sports Daily released a statement regarding the incident, saying the site did not 'condone the behavior of Kubrat Pulev.'
A female reporter who made headlines earlier this week after a video captured Bulgarian boxer Kubrat Pulev kissing her during an interview now claims he also grabbed her buttocks.
Vegas Sports Daily reporter Jennifer Ravalo, also known as Jennifer SuShe, interviewed Pulev after his 27th victory in a fight against Bogdan Dinu in Costa Mesa, Calif., on March 23. After answering a question, Pulev – seemingly out of the blue – gives SuShe a kiss.
Following the interaction, SuShe called the moment “lil embarrassing. Strange.”
Vegas Sports Daily released a statement regarding the incident, saying the site did not “condone the behavior of Kubrat Pulev.”
Pulev released a statement regarding “the most commented kiss in the world!” He said he and SuShe were friends.
REPORTER SAYS BOXER KUBRAT PULEV'S MID-INTERVIEW KISS ON THE LIPS WAS 'EMBARASSING' AND 'STRANGE'
On Thursday, SuShe appeared with high-profile attorney Gloria Allred and called for Pulev’s license be suspended. She also called on the California State Athletics Commission to investigate the incident.
"He grabbed both of my buttocks and squeezed with both of his hands. Then he walked away without saying anything to me and laughed," she told reporters Thursday, according to KTLA.
She said the encounter made her feel “uncomfortable and frustrated.”
"I did not encourage or consent to Mr. Pulev grabbing my face, kissing me, or grabbing my backside," she said. "I was there at the event covering the boxing match as a professional member of the press. Kissing a woman on her lips without her consent and grabbing her is not acceptable."
The reporter said Pulev invited her to a party later on where he allegedly asked her to "remove the kiss from the interview." She said she refused to and posted it instead.
Allred said SuShe wasn’t “looking for an apology just consequences.”
"He has not provided any defense" except to say they're friends, Allred said. "Which is not a defense, even if it were true."
WORLD CUP REPORTER DEFLECTS UNWANTED KISS DURING BROADCAST
SuShe said she would take legal action against the boxer over the encounter.
The California State Athletic Commission [CSAC] said in a statement that they are “taking this incident seriously.”
“Before he will be licensed to fight in California again, boxer Kubrat Pulev must appear in front of the commission and demonstrate that he will conform to this principle of respect,” CSAC Deputy Director of Communications Veronica Harms said in a statement, Reuters reported.
The next hearing is slated to for May 14 and SuShe plans to attend.