Name your HW prospects?

[candyslim]

That 6' 9½" was in reference to Zakhozhyi not Fury. Of course that might be a similar overstatement.

I don't think TF is 6' 9". I'd say 6' 7½" but that could be ½" out either way. One thing we can be sure of ... Nobody calls him "Short-arse"

[oogiebe]

Just watched vids on Oleksandr Zakhozhyi. He's far off the discussion to this point, IMHO. Decent jab, but has no real arsenal except that jab and straight right which doesn't seem to carry special power. Aside from the human punching bag Johnson, he hasn't fought anyone who was there to fight it seems.

[candyslim]

Fair comment but if you were to remove anyone from the discussion who hasn't really been tested you going to have a very short list.

I think Sirenko is a more viable prospect but who has he fought that is better than Kevin Johnson never mind a bigger name than?

[oogiebe]

Fair comment but if you were to remove anyone from the discussion who hasn't really been tested you going to have a very short list.

I think Sirenko is a more viable prospect but who has he fought that is better than Kevin Johnson never mind a bigger name than?

Being tested is only one part of my comment. He doesn't do anything special, and because of his limited opponents, that means even more. Sirenko LOOKS more the part in the ring.

[oogiebe]

[Tony1244]

Fast hands, good left hook to body, and I love it when fighter KOs a fighter when he himself is backing up.

[oogiebe]

Fast hands, good left hook to body, and I love it when fighter KOs a fighter when he himself is backing up.

That left hook vs Diddier right?!

[Tony1244]

His Mama must have been pretty tough to name him knife.

[margaret thatcher]

We already talked about Makhmudov. Like you said Balolov is an amateur again.

I think that's disgusting and potentially very dangerous to any greenhorn Jalolov might be sharing the ring with. I can't believe I find myself on the same side of an argument as Mauricio Scumbag

Don't see why fighting 6 bums as a pro would turn Jalo into a beast

[gregregegg]

We already talked about Makhmudov. Like you said Balolov is an amateur again.

I think that's disgusting and potentially very dangerous to any greenhorn Jalolov might be sharing the ring with. I can't believe I find myself on the same side of an argument as Mauricio Scumbag

Don't see why fighting 6 bums as a pro would turn Jalo into a beast

Agreed. Why is fighting 6 bums then fighting ams deadly, But staying in ams, through your prime, in a top program, sparing with pros, Getting everything paid for so you can train like a pro, considered just standard and fine. Oh and also just getting strait up paid in WBSS....
Amatures are only real Amatures if they have to fit there training in around a full time job and regular responsibility. If they train free with coaches, nutritionists, physios, get there food free, get there rent free, get there travel free. then they are not more amature than 75% of pros.

[margaret thatcher]

Ya, these dudes are fighting at a way higher level in these international and national competitions than they are vs the usual fodder prospects usually feast on at the start of their careers, I'd bet if anything those pro fights were probably a disruption from a higher level of competition and national team training as an amateur

[candyslim]

We already talked about Makhmudov. Like you said Balolov is an amateur again.

I think that's disgusting and potentially very dangerous to any greenhorn Jalolov might be sharing the ring with. I can't believe I find myself on the same side of an argument as Mauricio Scumbag

Don't see why fighting 6 bums as a pro would turn Jalo into a beast

I think he's already something of a beast. I take your point about six fights against bums, maybe that doesn't make it more dangerous, but it's more a matter of principle i think once you turn pro there should be no going back.

[candyslim]

Fair comment but if you were to remove anyone from the discussion who hasn't really been tested you going to have a very short list.

I think Sirenko is a more viable prospect but who has he fought that is better than Kevin Johnson never mind a bigger name than?

Being tested is only one part of my comment. He doesn't do anything special, and because of his limited opponents, that means even more. Sirenko LOOKS more the part in the ring.

I already said that about Sirenko but Zakhozhyi has some potential, I never said he was special. Sirenko could well turn out to be a long way short of special we shall have to see.

[PLAYER-HATER]

Thanks for your words of encouragement, it feels good to know someone appreciates my efforts and isn't thinking 'why doesn't this windbag STFU?" Let's have a look at your list then:

I enjoyed reading it even more in your reply. Great to read something more than just "XXX is gonna be great".
I do not have time to rewatch everything from past once it is hardly possible to find any inside about sparring sessions and amateur career from outside of top20 fighters.

Relying on your hospitality - could you share your thoughts on:

Oscar Rivas (especially if he has ever been knocked down? I was trying to search via french Google about his amateur days - but still no clue about being knocked down)
Ivan Dychko
Mladen Mijlas
Peter Kadiru
Aliev


Big up!

[candyslim]

Thanks again PH you can count on my hospitality, I enjoy subjecting the forum to my witterings

Oscar Rivas : I honestly don't know. I thought Dillian dropped him briefly but I guess my memory is playing tricks because BoxRec only mentions his dropping of Whyte. I always had respect for Rivas, he beat Kubrat Pulev as an amateur and he's a fierce little (for a hwt) warrior. I was enthralled at the prospect of watching him fight Bryant Jennings and I wasn't disappointed. Deep into the second half of the fight I still had no idea who was going to win. I didn't reach a conclusion about that until the penultimate round, and then it turned out I was wrong anyway

Rivas has had problems with his eyes which has hampered his progress, and maybe that might account for why he's based himself in Canada rather than the US, although I wouldn't have expected Canada to be less stringent on their licensing requirements than many US States. With the narrow defeat to Whyte and narrow win over Jennings I consider Rivas beyond the prospect stage now.

Ivan Dychko : Seems to have vanished off the face of the planet and seems one the few boxers whose activity levels have been largely unaffected by the lockdown He is clearly one of that elite group of former amateurs who turned pro about the same time Hrgovic, Joyce, Yoka ... albeit my least favoured. He is not without talent but appears quite fragile to me. I remember him getting knocked cold by one of the top amateurs, I think it was Medzhidov. Like Yoka he needs to make up for lost time when he's free to pursue his career.

Mladen Miljas: Can I refer you to my long post (what else?) about "Monster Mel" at the very top of the previous page.

Peter Kadiru: Former World amateur youth champion I believe, but for a boxer of such a distinction he looks worryingly easy to hit. He's able to move well when he chooses, but his idea of defence seems to be to cover up and let the opponent unload. He strikes me as a bit timid at times. He has a good jab, mixes up his punches well, and throws the sweetest of right uppercuts. While not as vicious in terms of power, his has finesse in abundance and I'd rate his uppercut better than Makhmudov's although nowhere near as effective due to the difference in power. Kadiru has respectable punching power but he's a boxer rather than a puncher and at 22 he will only get better.

Shigabudin Aliev : I've never seen him fight. Seems to have a rather less than stellar amateur career, almost as many defeats as wins, including one loss against another Russian I listed in my first post on this thread, the powerful sawed-off Artem Suslenkov. Aliev recently became the hundred and forty second boxer to get a win over Kevin Johnson, or least that's what it seems like to me.
I think for me his most revealing fight to date was a majority decision over Ukrainean southpaw Pavel Doroshilov. Now Pavel made my watch-list in 2014 by beating vastly experienced Brit Danny Williams - you know him (Mike Tyson, Vitali Klitschko etc) in his debut at the age of twenty. Pavel was inactive 2016 and 17, returning for one fight in 2018 a six round majority decision to Aliev. His first fight in three years or so and Aliev can only beat him on a majority. Doesn't sound great does it not from Aliev's perspective. That was it for 2018 for Pavel, wouldn't want to over-tax himself would he, but he was back in 2019 for his annual fight this time against Cuban prospect Lenier Pero (also 27 like Aliev) this time losing another 6 rounder on a majority. Pavel is still only 26. I wonder why he has been so inactive and I wonder which rising star he'll face this year

[PLAYER-HATER]

Rivas has had problems with his eyes which has hampered his progress, and maybe that might account for why he's based himself in Canada rather than the US, although I wouldn't have expected Canada to be less stringent on their licensing requirements than many US States. With the narrow defeat to Whyte and narrow win over Jennings I consider Rivas beyond the prospect stage now.

(He has not been down in fight vs Whyte)

Rivas is my favourite fighter right now becuase he is built like poor man's Mike Tyson. Perfectly suited to peek-a-boo style but instead he has chosen to fight one-gear paced fights. IMO, he would have won vs Whyte if Dillian was not using juice. Almost got him on ropes second time in a bout at the very end of Round 12. Ringbell let him survive.

Imagine TopRank elminator Oscar Rivas vs Jarell Miller aka "Fight in Telephone Booth"...



What do you know aboutRaphael Akpejiori who has been on my radar since I have read his comments about potential Anthony Joshua fight which is...today

[candyslim]

To be fair Whyte was fully exonerated by UKAD in relation to the Rivas fight, and VADA passed him clean on their pre-fight testing. Of course that isn't to say he is, or has always been, clean but I still believe in the principle 'innocent until proven guilty'. The bout was a close run thing though and Rivas proved he is able to play with the big boys. The prospect of Rivas v Miller would be mouth-watering and I'm intrigued to see what effect being deprived of his pharmaceutical enhancements has on Miller's previously prodigious work-rate and stamina

In all honesty, I have to say I'd never even heard the name of Raphael Akpejiori until I read your post. Ee's a big lad innee? I just checked his record and it's fair to say he doesn't like to stick around in the ring any longer than necessary. Unusually for me (I'm familiar with the names of many heavyweights of modest talents even if I've never laid eyes on them) I haven't heard of even one of his opponents. He appears to have had something of a step up with his most recent opponent who has a winning, although not unbeaten, record and lasted into the second round. I think there is an error in the recorded weights in his fight with Leo Cassiani otherwise he must have gone on the mother of all crash-diets.

I think I'll see how he progresses before adding him to my watch-list. I've seen a good many of African heavies fall at one of the first few hurdles. Fellow Nigerian Onoriode Ehwarieme being one example out of many, Big Jack Mulowayi another.

[margaret thatcher]

Dude is about to turn 30, late start and very little am experience (and even his trainer said he looked bad as an am), only 6 fights/7 rounds and all against nobodies. His only notable hype point is that he's really tall.

Has all the look of someone who will not go far at all vs half decent opposition, I was about to say another Tye Fields, but Tye Fields had 30 fights at this guy's age and beat Michael Sprott, Airich, and Firtha (not that they are murderer's row), which might all be beyond Rapha.

Might be more like Ray Edwarrds
https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/568947

[margaret thatcher]

Can hardly block a punch and gets hurt within like 30 seconds even vs lowly opposition, hurt at the end of the first too even when the other guy is wobbly

[candyslim]

Very true. The most impressive bum in the ring was undoubtedly that of the young woman holding up the round number card.

Now if the guy were 18 I'd say there is raw material for a good trainer to work with, but the guy's 29. He has way too much to learn and not enough time to do it. Also an extremely limited opponent was able to get to him and shake him up. That does not bode well.

Move along now please, nothing to see here.

[OH_BxRc]

01] Daniel Dubois

02] Filip Hrgovic

03] Joe Joyce

04] Efe Ajagba

05] Tony Yoka

[Boxtune]

01] Daniel Dubois

02] Filip Hrgovic

03] Joe Joyce

04] Efe Ajagba

05] Tony Yoka

Joe Joyce vs Daniel Dubois reminds me of Jamell Mccline nearly shocking upset of Samuel peter
before losing to peter on decision. Joe is Heavy at 260Lbs plus and at 34 now near end of his prime,
we will see him going downhill next two years only.

and i rate Efe Ajagba above filip Hrgovic who is two years older and not taking his career seriously.

As for Daniel Dubious, lets see how he react when he meet someone who can punch hard. Still He hasn't .

[PLAYER-HATER]

another two names fighting in CW but I can easily imagine them fare very well in HW - Evgeniy Tischenko and Jai Opetaia

They are too huge for CW but still not big enough for HW yet. Size could be issue as always with that kind of category jump but both extremely skillfull with good punch power and while Tischenko is better pure boxer, I find Opetaia more explosive and dynamic puncher.

Both have great financial backup but lack of big promoter name to make more impressive leap in their career.

IMO, biggest talents in potential heavy division fighting for Russia and Australia since Pov is washed up and Parker is very good but limited.

[candyslim]

Tischenko is a pretty talented fighter probably more suited to cruiserweight. I remember seeing him being made to look quite ordinary by Erislandy Savon but that's nothing to be ashamed of. Jan Opetiah also opted to campaign as a cruiserweight although he and his close friend Willis Meehan (son of former hwt Kali) were talking some years back about their joint assault on the heavyweight ranks.

I don't know happened to Willis. His career seemed to peter out before it properly got going. Talking of Aussie heavies, recently turned pro Joe Goodall is about to be joined in the pros as soon as the lockdown ends by young Olympic hopeful Justis Huni.

He might have seen off Lucas Browne, but if Demsey McKean thought he was going to be without meaningful challenges for his Australian Heavyweight Title for the foreseeable, he might need to re-evaluate.

[PLAYER-HATER]

He might have seen off Lucas Browne, but if Demsey McKean thought he was going to be without meaningful challenges for his Australian Heavyweight Title for the foreseeable, he might need to re-evaluate.

What do you think about Opetaia? regardless of division he would choose

In Aus/NZL I personally rank it potential-wise:

Opetaia > Huni > McKean > Browne

with Jo Parker currently clearly the best of the pack but he is far from being immortal. Good pressure fighter without fear of being hit (Opetaia, Huni) could crack his confidence and dominate the fight. More or less Ruiz's blueprint from their bout.