Super profile on the man by Eric Armit:
http://www.britishboxing.net/news_3039- ... story.html
Ruslan Chagaev
Old man Matt Skelton celebrates his 40th birthday (well, he is 40 four days after the fight) with a stab at the WBA heavyweight title held by Ruslan Chagaev on January 19 in Dusseldorf.
It's a daunting task.
Southpaw Chagaev, an Uzbekistani based in Hamburg and a baby by heavyweight standards at 29, is unbeaten in 23 fights (17 early) in the wake of an amateur career that saw him win super-heavyweight gold at the world championships in Belfast in 2001 and lick Cuban great Felix Savon. He can fight. He won the WBA title with a close but merited decision over Russian giant Nikolai Valuev last April in Stuttgart, despite conceding 90lbs and a foot in height, and while illness has kept him on the sidelines since (Hepatitis B), he is fully recovered and raring to make up for lost time.
At 6ft 1in, the home-grown Chagaev, trained by the excellent Michael Timm, is not a big heavy but a strong, educated pressure fighter with a solid punch and chin. He can brush past the counters to grind opponents down, as he showed busting up Reading's Michael Sprott in eight rounds in 2006, or outbox his rivals with the right jab and quick southpaw hooks, as he showed against John Ruiz and the lumbering Valuev, 46-0 going in.
Given Wladimir Klitschko's highly suspect chin, Chagaev may be the best heavy out there right now.
To burly Skelton, who was only able to outpoint Sprott in a sleep-inducing 12-rounder at the 02 Arena last July. The Bedford bear barged into moody Sprott, smothered him, biffed away in the clinches (of which there were many) and even boxed a bit when he had to. It was enough to keep him winning; Skelton has lost only to Danny Williams in 22 fights, a loss subsequently avenged.
Raw and uncompromising, big Matt has surpassed all expectations since turning pro at 34 in September 2002 - stopping 18 of his 21 victims since. He's heavy-handed. His chin is also good. Williams rocked him in their first battle at the ExCel in February 2006 - a man who flattened Tyson - but never looked like putting him over and settled for a split decision after 12 of the most foul-filled rounds seen in this country for years (Skelton has never been floored as a pro). But Skelton easily outpointed him in Cardiff five months later, although Williams came in at a ridiculous 20st 8lbs and could barely move.
"I think Danny trained for the same kind of fight he had in February, a bit of a brawl, but he got it wrong," said promoter F rank Warren.
So Skelton may be flattered by the Williams brace going into this other step up. He resorted to all those fouls in the first one, almost as if to disguise the skills gap, and had the second handed to him at the weigh-in. OK, he went on to beat Sprott, who had just sparked Audley Harrison - but Chagaev stopped Sprott. He also stopped Chesterfield's Mark Krence in five rounds in Germany, a man who went seven with Skelton and was never off his feet.
Chagaev dropped Krence twice.
Incidentally, the champion cleaned up a blemish on his record by flattening crew-cutted Rob Calloway in two rounds in Munich in January 2006. Chagaev had been on the verge of flattening Calloway when they first met in 2002 in Detroit but a bad cut over the American's left eye brought the contest to a halt in the third round and it was declared an unsatisfactory technical draw (shades of Williams against Oleg Platov recently).
Bottom line is, Chagaev, nicknamed "White Tyson", showed he could cope with a handful such as Valuev, so he should be able to cope with a handful such as Skelton, especially in Germany.
One has to favour the champion to come through.
It's a daunting task.
Southpaw Chagaev, an Uzbekistani based in Hamburg and a baby by heavyweight standards at 29, is unbeaten in 23 fights (17 early) in the wake of an amateur career that saw him win super-heavyweight gold at the world championships in Belfast in 2001 and lick Cuban great Felix Savon. He can fight. He won the WBA title with a close but merited decision over Russian giant Nikolai Valuev last April in Stuttgart, despite conceding 90lbs and a foot in height, and while illness has kept him on the sidelines since (Hepatitis B), he is fully recovered and raring to make up for lost time.
At 6ft 1in, the home-grown Chagaev, trained by the excellent Michael Timm, is not a big heavy but a strong, educated pressure fighter with a solid punch and chin. He can brush past the counters to grind opponents down, as he showed busting up Reading's Michael Sprott in eight rounds in 2006, or outbox his rivals with the right jab and quick southpaw hooks, as he showed against John Ruiz and the lumbering Valuev, 46-0 going in.
Given Wladimir Klitschko's highly suspect chin, Chagaev may be the best heavy out there right now.
To burly Skelton, who was only able to outpoint Sprott in a sleep-inducing 12-rounder at the 02 Arena last July. The Bedford bear barged into moody Sprott, smothered him, biffed away in the clinches (of which there were many) and even boxed a bit when he had to. It was enough to keep him winning; Skelton has lost only to Danny Williams in 22 fights, a loss subsequently avenged.
Raw and uncompromising, big Matt has surpassed all expectations since turning pro at 34 in September 2002 - stopping 18 of his 21 victims since. He's heavy-handed. His chin is also good. Williams rocked him in their first battle at the ExCel in February 2006 - a man who flattened Tyson - but never looked like putting him over and settled for a split decision after 12 of the most foul-filled rounds seen in this country for years (Skelton has never been floored as a pro). But Skelton easily outpointed him in Cardiff five months later, although Williams came in at a ridiculous 20st 8lbs and could barely move.
"I think Danny trained for the same kind of fight he had in February, a bit of a brawl, but he got it wrong," said promoter F rank Warren.
So Skelton may be flattered by the Williams brace going into this other step up. He resorted to all those fouls in the first one, almost as if to disguise the skills gap, and had the second handed to him at the weigh-in. OK, he went on to beat Sprott, who had just sparked Audley Harrison - but Chagaev stopped Sprott. He also stopped Chesterfield's Mark Krence in five rounds in Germany, a man who went seven with Skelton and was never off his feet.
Chagaev dropped Krence twice.
Incidentally, the champion cleaned up a blemish on his record by flattening crew-cutted Rob Calloway in two rounds in Munich in January 2006. Chagaev had been on the verge of flattening Calloway when they first met in 2002 in Detroit but a bad cut over the American's left eye brought the contest to a halt in the third round and it was declared an unsatisfactory technical draw (shades of Williams against Oleg Platov recently).
Bottom line is, Chagaev, nicknamed "White Tyson", showed he could cope with a handful such as Valuev, so he should be able to cope with a handful such as Skelton, especially in Germany.
One has to favour the champion to come through.
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Old bones Ian
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 11806
- Joined: 13 Jul 2004, 07:33
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TerribleTerry
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 5272
- Joined: 29 Aug 2003, 12:30
With Chagaev's southpaw counter punching ability it wouldnt surprise me to see him find big holes in Skelton's game and stop the big fellar through an accumulation of shots.Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:Matt might even get stopped. Would be funny to see him win somehow though!
I hope the Bedford Bear can pull out a victory but I would be surprised.
Exactly my read, TT.TerribleTerry wrote:With Chagaev's southpaw counter punching ability it wouldnt surprise me to see him find big holes in Skelton's game and stop the big fellar through an accumulation of shots.Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:Matt might even get stopped. Would be funny to see him win somehow though!
I hope the Bedford Bear can pull out a victory but I would be surprised.
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funso banjo baby
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 4417
- Joined: 23 Sep 2005, 11:05
Am I the only one who thought Danny had Matt in a bit of bother?funso banjo baby wrote:if a pumped up Danny Williams couldnt dent Skelton jaw theres no way Chags will
being in with Skelton is like nothing on earth....this will be new territory for Ruslan
im backing The big ugly bear all the way
GO GO Matt the cinderella champ
No I thought Skelton was rokcing against Williams.
I haven't seen Chagaev in action so I can't really comment but from what I've read and their records/tale of the tape etc it doesn't look too clever for Skelton.
But I guess it's mission accomplished with regard to what he set out to acheive when he took up pro boxing at age 34/35 whatever it was.
I didn't really think I'd see him in a WBA World Title fight and despite the poor state of the current Heavyweight crop that is what it is!
I haven't seen Chagaev in action so I can't really comment but from what I've read and their records/tale of the tape etc it doesn't look too clever for Skelton.
But I guess it's mission accomplished with regard to what he set out to acheive when he took up pro boxing at age 34/35 whatever it was.
I didn't really think I'd see him in a WBA World Title fight and despite the poor state of the current Heavyweight crop that is what it is!
Chagaev is a league or two above Williams that much is obvious.funso banjo baby wrote:if a pumped up Danny Williams couldnt dent Skelton jaw theres no way Chags will
being in with Skelton is like nothing on earth....this will be new territory for Ruslan
im backing The big ugly bear all the way
GO GO Matt the cinderella champ
I'll be amazed if Skelton lasts the distance.
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Max Molyneux
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7084
- Joined: 16 Aug 2004, 16:53
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jamesmcdonnell
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 45233
- Joined: 12 Nov 2003, 06:11
Me too. I think that Skelton is going to be sorely exposed here. Chagaev throws quite a lot of shots, and Matt is taking a big step up in class here.Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:Exactly my read, TT.TerribleTerry wrote:With Chagaev's southpaw counter punching ability it wouldnt surprise me to see him find big holes in Skelton's game and stop the big fellar through an accumulation of shots.Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:Matt might even get stopped. Would be funny to see him win somehow though!
I hope the Bedford Bear can pull out a victory but I would be surprised.
No offence to Matt, but Chagaev is much more skilfull than Skelton, and unlike Williams, isn't at the tail end of a long career, nor is he lacking in motivation.