What does the Lebedev fight tell us about Gassiev-Usyk?

[Counter-puncher]

I rewatched the Lebedev fight last night and it gave me a lot of grounds to consider Usyk strong favourite against Gassiev

For one Gassiev doesn't seem comfortable against southpaws. He seems to like to plant his front foot forward and the opponents lead foot being in the way really makes him laboured like he has to think his movement through every time. He was quite susceptible to the shorter mans right jab and let him get off first with it, which to me spells death by jab against Usyk's Hagleresque weapon.

The main problem for me though is that gassiev doesn't seem to counter much, just covers up when under fire. Considering Usyks superior footwork and jab (and reach I think?) and handspeed, I can see Gassiev covering up and leaking points for sustained periods. That was ok against Dorticos but I think Usyk will do a much better job of finding spots around and through the guard than Dorticos did, and he will definitely punish the body much more than Dorticos.

So Gassiev really needs to back Usyk up in my opinion, but with the more aggressive front foot style Usyk has shown lately I'm not sure Usyk will let him

I think it's a quite safe bet that Usyk takes a majority of early rounds, but I see him sustaining the pace too.

Oh and Gassiev looked very tired at the end vs Lebedev. Not good when Usyk has just shown an incredible engine against a guy who hit him with way more counters than I think Gassiev could land.

I'm really strong for Usyk here. I actually think Breidis would have a pretty good chance against Gassiev too, hope that happens one day.

[Mexi-Box]

Gassiev was and is still developing. He's the kind of fighter that can get exponentially better fight-to-fight. With that said, I don't think Gassiev is on the level of Usyk/Briedis. I wouldn't lean so much on the Lebedev fight, though.

Only thing the Lebedev/Gassiev fight tells us is that Gassiev needs to rematch Lebedev to be considered the undisputed champion.

[jamamb]

usyk deffo has the style edge. gass has the shortcomings that usyks style and attributes exploit very well, much better than gass can exploit usyks,

thing with gassiev is that he has those long dry spells and is predictable with his output. hes very strong and is a precise puncher but with those inactive spots and lack of counterpunches i think hes gonna really struggle to keep up with usyk and catch up to him in the points department. imo hes going to have to do damage fairly early and hope that usyk wears down by the end.

and not only did lebedev land the jab regulalry, so did dorticos.gass pretty much blocked all of dorticos looping power but the jab was getting in again and again, and the straight right was regulalry.

[jamamb]

also if your looking for boxing rocks in depth analysis here it is:

gassiev

[jamamb]

Gassiev was and is still developing. He's the kind of fighter that can get exponentially better fight-to-fight. With that said, I don't think Gassiev is on the level of Usyk/Briedis. I wouldn't lean so much on the Lebedev fight, though.

Only thing the Lebedev/Gassiev fight tells us is that Gassiev needs to rematch Lebedev to be considered the undisputed champion.

nope, gassiev-lebedev was close but gassiev won it fairly and now has the wba title. what if the match is super close again? would gassiev need to beat him a third time or a fourth time?

[Mexi-Box]

Gassiev was and is still developing. He's the kind of fighter that can get exponentially better fight-to-fight. With that said, I don't think Gassiev is on the level of Usyk/Briedis. I wouldn't lean so much on the Lebedev fight, though.

Only thing the Lebedev/Gassiev fight tells us is that Gassiev needs to rematch Lebedev to be considered the undisputed champion.

nope, gassiev-lebedev was close but gassiev won it fairly and now has the wba title. what if the match is super close again? would gassiev need to beat him a third time or a fourth time?

Lots had Lebedev winning the fight. Yeah, let's just not have rematches for close fights that could've gone either way. One guy already won, right?

I can't believe you call yourself a boxing fan. You're just a scrub with an agenda that DKSAB.

[jamamb]

hey, i wouldnt poo on a rematch, but gassiev if he wins the tournament is THE man, the undisputed champ with the four major titles. its not like hed be someone who already lost to the tournament winner and decided to sit the tournament out to fight an aussie nobody instead.

fight results are void just because the fights were close. gassiev beat leb fair and square. if they rematched and gass won he wouldnt have done something he hadnt already accomplished.

[Mexi-Box]

hey, i wouldnt poo on a rematch, but gassiev if he wins the tournament is THE man, the undisputed champ with the four major titles. its not like hed be someone who already lost to the tournament winner and decided to sit the tournament out to fight an aussie nobody instead.

fight results are void just because the fights were close. gassiev beat leb fair and square. if they rematched and gass won he wouldnt have done something he hadnt already accomplished.

https://twitter.com/FightScorecard/stat ... 1556677632

I remember this from Twitter. Majority scorecard had Lebedev edging Gassiev. Gassiev is THE MAN that arguably lost to Lebedev is all.

Results are only there as a placeholder until someone wins clear. So did Andre Ward really beat Kovalev in their first fight? The majority had Kovalev winning that fight. Why rematch at all anyways? Ward could've just turned his back since he was "THE man."

Only BoxRec warriors look at "results" without discussing the actual fight. That's what you are, a BoxRec warrior.

[jamamb]

i watched the fight, was a close but fair and square win for gassiev. the winner of the tournament will have already beaten lebedev or have beaten the guy that ledebev lost to 2 fights ago. the old guy couldve set things straight entering and winning the tournament but he decided to take it easy and fight some aussie nobody instead (and look crap)

this is boxing son, a fight being close doesnt mean it ws unfair or doesnt count. the tourney winner will have earned all the belts and easily have by far the best record at cruiser for recent years. leb will have 0 belts, no world class win for years, and recently only a win over mark flanagan

gassiev beating leb after the tournament will be nothing new, hes already done it.

[Mexi-Box]

i watched the fight, was a close but fair and square win for gassiev. the winner of the tournament will have already beaten lebedev or have beaten the guy that ledebev lost to 2 fights ago. the old guy couldve set things straight entering and winnibg the tournament but he decided to fight some aussie nobody instead (and look crap)

this is boxing son, a fight being close doesnt mean it ws unfair or doesnt count. the tourney winner will have earned all the belts and eadily have by far the best record at cruiser for recent years

You're a BoxRec warrior. You just look at results like a clueless clown. A draw would've likely been the fairest score. No one man could say they have beaten the other. It's exactly like Ward/Kovalev. As I said, I guess this is boxing and close doesn't mean anything because 3 officials' scorecards are so reliable.

Are you really that dumb? You're just too stubborn to realize that you are wrong and stupid.

[jamamb]

i watched the fight my son, gassiev did by far the most damage, put leb on his knee, and won fairly. it was close but a deserved win.

old man leb has done nothing since for gassiev to need him. he took a massive step up and already did it. you seem to be one of those crappy fans who want to reward ppl for avoiding challenges and sitting on there butts.

[jamamb]

thankfully pretty much everyone else gets it and will recognize the tournament winner as undisputed champ

wbo/wbc/wba/ibf/ring on the line baby

[Mexi-Box]

i watched the fight my son, gassiev did by far the most damage, but leb on his knee, and won fairly. it was close but a deserved win.

old man leb has done nothing since for gassiev to need him. he took a massive step up and already did it. you seem to be one of those crappy fans who want to reward ppl for avoiding challenges and sitting on there butts.

From what I saw on my forum, the majority thought Lebedev edged Gassiev. I trust their opinion a whole lot more than I trust your opinion. I had Gassiev winning, but just like Ward/Kovalev and GGG/Canelo it's a fight where there needed to be a rematch.

You seem like one of those fans that just look at official results and revise history to fit his agenda.

Gassiev needs to rematch Lebedev.

[jamamb]

you can repeat that im a boxrec warrior 100x, but it doesnt change the fact that im clearly right. gassiev won fair and leb has done nothing since to have an argument for being the top guy. he couldve entered the tournament but he wanted easier fights

theres no doubt pretty much everyone will rightfully regard the tournament winner as undisputed champ, all the belts and the best record baby

[boxing_rocks]

Lebedev will not want another beating from Gassiev, He has had enough damage throughout his career and especially from Gassiev.

I believe that Gassiev will have answers to Usyk's movement, and if Usyk decides to stand and fight like he did against Briedis, he will regret that.

[TempleSlave]

Lebedev will not want another beating from Gassiev, He has had enough damage throughout his career and especially from Gassiev.

I believe that Gassiev will have answers to Usyk's movement, and if Usyk decides to stand and fight like he did against Briedis, he will regret that.

My feelings exactly. Plus Gassiev seems to be improving in each fight at this stage. Plus I think he has more to offer than Briedis offensively, both in terms of power and variety of tools.

[Heretic]

In my eyes the KD was pretty much only thing setting Gassiev and Lebedev a part. Right man won but the fight was really close.

Couple of things that caught my attention in that fight that will be important in the fight against Usyk. Lebedev was landing that jab a lot. Usyk has good jab so thats not promising for Gassiev.

Gassiev looked kind of tired in the end. Usyk has great stamina. I have to say that Gassiev did better in the Dorticos fight. Didn't seem tired then.

Can Usyk take the hook to the body that knocked Lebedev down? Lebedev is build like tank and he was badly hurt by that shot... What happens if Usyk takes one?

I think that Usyk will out hustle Gassiev and win on points. I am still not counting out Gassiev tho. He is good boxer and proved it against Dorticos.

[Counter-puncher]

Lebedev will not want another beating from Gassiev, He has had enough damage throughout his career and especially from Gassiev.

I believe that Gassiev will have answers to Usyk's movement, and if Usyk decides to stand and fight like he did against Briedis, he will regret that.

My feelings exactly. Plus Gassiev seems to be improving in each fight at this stage. Plus I think he has more to offer than Briedis offensively, both in terms of power and variety of tools.

apart from the fact that Briedis showed excellent counterpunching against Usyk. Gassiev on the other hand doesn't seem to counter at all. which as I say may not be a good thing against someone with the range, jab and workrate of Usyk.

[Datsue]

C-P mate, agree completely with your analysis RE: G's technical limitations; he's like well-schooled or drilled or whatever in terms of actual punching technique but as you say Breidis is a much better boxer, despite not looking as tidy at times.

As well as presenting problems of stance & technique, as you've said, I thought Lebedev made Gassiev look like a glacier, not so much his sheer handspeed but his reactions & speed of thought & action if you like.

He looked like a completely different fighter versus the Cuban because I think Lebedev's fundamentals & boxing brain & technique are so far ahead of Dorticos it's untrue, despite the Russian's advancing dotage. Also, Lebedev's so old he started as a 190lb cruiser—a big light-heavy. Gassiev's a Darroll Wilson-size heavy that drains a bit & then gains a stone or a stone & a half, like Dorticos & Usyk & Breidis. This accounted for L's speed advantage & G's advantage in sheer physical presence (for want of a better phrase) in that fight—problem for G is that Usyk's got the speed of Lebedev, that pre-200 cruiser stealth, but is a big strong lad who won't be pushed about & run over like G could do to L, where just coming forward put the naturally smaller guy under duress.

I expect Usyk to jab his head off & kinda shut G right down in the final a bit & people to go "Oh, wasn't G a bit over-rated after all" afterwards.


PS: & yeah, Breidis's ability to time Usyk repeatedly with bombs impressed me, some really nice punch-picking, it's just hard to pull that shit off against a guy who can box & is so quick & always wants to be all over you with something constantly with educated pressure & finesse.

[Counter-puncher]

C-P mate, agree completely with your analysis RE: G's technical limitations; he's like well-schooled or drilled or whatever in terms of actual punching technique but as you say Breidis is a much better boxer, despite not looking as tidy at times.

As well as presenting problems of stance & technique, as you've said, I thought Lebedev made Gassiev look like a glacier, not so much his sheer handspeed but his reactions & speed of thought & action if you like.

He looked like a completely different fighter versus the Cuban because I think Lebedev's fundamentals & boxing brain & technique are so far ahead of Dorticos it's untrue, despite the Russian's advancing dotage. Also, Lebedev's so old he started as a 190lb cruiser—a big light-heavy. Gassiev's a Darroll Wilson-size heavy that drains a bit & then gains a stone or a stone & a half, like Dorticos & Usyk & Breidis. This accounted for L's speed advantage & G's advantage in sheer physical presence (for want of a better phrase) in that fight—problem for G is that Usyk's got the speed of Lebedev, that pre-200 cruiser stealth, but is a big strong lad who won't be pushed about & run over like G could do to L, where just coming forward put the naturally smaller guy under duress.

I expect Usyk to jab his head off & kinda shut G right down in the final a bit & people to go "Oh, wasn't G a bit over-rated after all" afterwards.

PS: & yeah, Breidis's ability to time Usyk repeatedly with bombs impressed me, some really nice punch-picking, it's just hard to pull that poo off against a guy who can box & is so quick & always wants to be all over you with something constantly with educated pressure & finesse.

i think the signs are all there, for those of a mind, and aptitude to see them.

The problems Lebedev's stance and footwork gave Gassiev, and the alarming drop-off in the power and snap of his punches after around rd9 or so against Lebedev, are major warning signs IMO. and I really don't think the 'gurd up for 6 rounds and wait for him to gas' strategy adopted against Dorticos will serve against Usyk.

[Boxing Writer]

I rewatched the Lebedev fight last night and it gave me a lot of grounds to consider Usyk strong favourite against Gassiev

For one Gassiev doesn't seem comfortable against southpaws. He seems to like to plant his front foot forward and the opponents lead foot being in the way really makes him laboured like he has to think his movement through every time. He was quite susceptible to the shorter mans right jab and let him get off first with it, which to me spells death by jab against Usyk's Hagleresque weapon.

The main problem for me though is that gassiev doesn't seem to counter much, just covers up when under fire. Considering Usyks superior footwork and jab (and reach I think?) and handspeed, I can see Gassiev covering up and leaking points for sustained periods. That was ok against Dorticos but I think Usyk will do a much better job of finding spots around and through the guard than Dorticos did, and he will definitely punish the body much more than Dorticos.

So Gassiev really needs to back Usyk up in my opinion, but with the more aggressive front foot style Usyk has shown lately I'm not sure Usyk will let him

I think it's a quite safe bet that Usyk takes a majority of early rounds, but I see him sustaining the pace too.

Oh and Gassiev looked very tired at the end vs Lebedev. Not good when Usyk has just shown an incredible engine against a guy who hit him with way more counters than I think Gassiev could land.

I'm really strong for Usyk here. I actually think Breidis would have a pretty good chance against Gassiev too, hope that happens one day.

Good analysis

But I have to counter some points:

1) Southpaw stance of opponent makes it easier for Gassiev to counter him with his best punch - left hook to the body. I think Gassiev will try to counter Usyk's jabs with a left hook to the liver.

2) Usyk gets hit much more when he is fighting aggressively. He needs to box and move like he did against Glowacki and Medjidov (in WSB) rather than fight like he did against Briedis.

[Counter-puncher]

I rewatched the Lebedev fight last night and it gave me a lot of grounds to consider Usyk strong favourite against Gassiev

For one Gassiev doesn't seem comfortable against southpaws. He seems to like to plant his front foot forward and the opponents lead foot being in the way really makes him laboured like he has to think his movement through every time. He was quite susceptible to the shorter mans right jab and let him get off first with it, which to me spells death by jab against Usyk's Hagleresque weapon.

The main problem for me though is that gassiev doesn't seem to counter much, just covers up when under fire. Considering Usyks superior footwork and jab (and reach I think?) and handspeed, I can see Gassiev covering up and leaking points for sustained periods. That was ok against Dorticos but I think Usyk will do a much better job of finding spots around and through the guard than Dorticos did, and he will definitely punish the body much more than Dorticos.

So Gassiev really needs to back Usyk up in my opinion, but with the more aggressive front foot style Usyk has shown lately I'm not sure Usyk will let him

I think it's a quite safe bet that Usyk takes a majority of early rounds, but I see him sustaining the pace too.

Oh and Gassiev looked very tired at the end vs Lebedev. Not good when Usyk has just shown an incredible engine against a guy who hit him with way more counters than I think Gassiev could land.

I'm really strong for Usyk here. I actually think Breidis would have a pretty good chance against Gassiev too, hope that happens one day.

Good analysis

But I have to counter some points:

1) Southpaw stance of opponent makes it easier for Gassiev to counter him with his best punch - left hook to the body. I think Gassiev will try to counter Usyk's jabs with a left hook to the liver.

2) Usyk gets hit much more when he is fighting aggressively. He needs to box and move like he did against Glowacki and Medjidov (in WSB) rather than fight like he did against Briedis.

(1) certainly, but Lebedev ended up coming through those shots- like i say Gassiev's punch lost a lot of sting as that fight went on.

(2) I'm not sure. letting Gassiev go on the front foot = letting him get off first. I think Usyk might be best putting him on the back foot, where Gassiev has shown no ability to put punches together, rather than letting him come forward with confidence.

[boxing_rocks]

Usyk doesn't have power to put Gassiev on the back foot. Regarding body punches, I am pretty sure that shorter, more muscular Lebedev has better body punch tolerance than Usyk.

[Counter-puncher]

Usyk doesn't have power to put Gassiev on the back foot. Regarding body punches, I am pretty sure that shorter, more muscular Lebedev has better body punch tolerance than Usyk.

I look forward to your being proven wrong

[boxing_rocks]

Usyk doesn't have power to put Gassiev on the back foot. Regarding body punches, I am pretty sure that shorter, more muscular Lebedev has better body punch tolerance than Usyk.

I look forward to your being proven wrong

I look forward to this fight regrdless of an outcome. Whoever wins it, will be a strongest candidate for a fighter of the year.