Rostislav Plechko, Russian heavy

[Ilya Muromets]

#6 ranked heavy in Russia. 13-0, 13 ko's, all in round one. This was his last fight in August:



Of course he'll have to move up in oposition quality before we can adjudicate his standing in the world heavyweight scene. Right now Boxrec ranks him the 85th heavy in the world.

[victor-romeo]

Video proved nothing, All I saw was a guy fighting a human heavy bag..

[jamamb]

can crusher for now

[Ilya Muromets]

[candyslim]

It's about time he stepped up his level of opposition. Costa is likely to fall down from a strong gust of wind.

I'm not suggesting Povetkin or Kuzmin maybe not even Ustinov, but someone who will take him a few rounds and give him a learning experience. Someone of the calibre of Rodney Hernandez, Avery Gibson, Kamil Sokolowski, Jamaal Woods, somebody who will be upright long enough to hit him back.

Take out one of these guys in one round and you've got my attention.

[jamamb]

he seems to really have no serious amateur achievments from what i can find. not that thats all that matters.

but im getting a strong vibe of a guy who is a loss waiting to happen if he starts facing decent opposition. and being his size with that type of aggressive style doesnt really seem too promising (and ya i know of tyson etc). maybe he should drop to cruiser and hope to become a poor mans kudryashov

[greg]

..it's about time he faced a half way decent HW..

[candyslim]

He should face a bum with a chin, like Kevin Johnson for example, a fight he will win anyway, but then at least he'll realise that the top won't go down in one round and the 9 or 11 rounds after will have to be fought while beïng tired, beïng tired in the ring is dangerous.

Kevin Johnson is in the twilight of his career and was never really contender level in his prime, but he is still good enough to KO Francesco Pianeta (subsequently considered a suitable second comeback opponent for Tyson Fury) and to deny the vaunted Daniel Dubois an inside the distance finish, so please don't refer to him as a bum that's a horrible term for a fighting man.

[DrDuke]

For the moment he fought nobodies. So the record isn't a big factor. He should increase the opposition level.

[Ilya Muromets]

He should face a bum with a chin, like Kevin Johnson for example, a fight he will win anyway, but then at least he'll realise that the top won't go down in one round and the 9 or 11 rounds after will have to be fought while beïng tired, beïng tired in the ring is dangerous.

Kevin Johnson is in the twilight of his career and was never really contender level in his prime, but he is still good enough to KO Francesco Pianeta (subsequently considered a suitable second comeback opponent for Tyson Fury) and to deny the vaunted Daniel Dubois an inside the distance finish, so please don't refer to him as a bum that's a horrible term for a fighting man.

________________

But Plechko has only fought once in over a year. That doesnt sound very ambitious.

[candyslim]

I have to admit that fact had escaped me but no it doesn't seem too ambitiuous at all. Maybe he's worn out from all those long fights

@Astradamus: yes, I do too which is why I don't like the term 'bum' applied to any fighter. Sometimes I want to use it myself as it's a very convenient term, but it's just so disrespectful and I believe all fighters deserve respect.

I always think it requires a lot more courage to face someone like Efe Ajagba (just an example) when you have the skills and power of a Rodney Hernandez, than it would do if you have the skills and power of an Anthony Joshua. Much respect to all journeymen and travelling losers, especially to those who always make a contest of it

[Enlightened-One]

Any 6' 2½" fighter that whose official weight is in the region of 215lbs (able to weigh as little as 207¼lbs without trying or having to face any weight restrictions), should really be competing as a cruiserweight.

Stylistically-speaking, Rostislav Plechko is far too small to adopt a particularly aggressive and crude style of fighting.

He also seems a tad defensively irresponsible and almost certainly doesn’t adhere to the Russian stereotype for being technically sound, whilst fighting from the outside.

Instead, he’s wild, sloppy, unorthodox and as crude as hell. And if he recklessly attempts to overwhelm one of the heavyweight divisions’ truly talented and athletic big men, by blindingly throwing barrages of looping wide telegraphed hooks to the head, then he’ll surely walk himself onto a hellacious straight right-hand counterpunch, resulting in him suffering a very quick KO loss.

Anthony Joshua, who had a very brief amateur career, became the world heavyweight champion after being a pro for only 2½ years.

In stark contrast, Rostislav Plechko is on the cusp of turning thirty years of age, he’s been competing as a pro for more than 2½ years and he’s still being matched against opposition that is arguably one-level below journeymen.

Therefore, there’s no reason for anyone to get too excited about Rostislav Plechko just yet.

[Ilya Muromets]

I have to admit that fact had escaped me but no it doesn't seem too ambitiuous at all. Maybe he's worn out from all those long fights

...

Nice job, huh, work a few seconds and then take a year off to rest up for the next gig?

[Ilya Muromets]

Any 6' 2½" fighter that whose official weight is in the region of 215lbs (able to weigh as little as 207¼lbs without trying or having to face any weight restrictions), should really be competing as a cruiserweight.
...

That again! So a man whose naturally ideal trimmed down weight happens to be ~215 has to lose almost 10% of his bodyweight to have a fair shot in pro boxing now? Meanwhile the little fellows have their precious little custom made weight classes seperated by only 2 or 3 pounds, and even light heavy is now only between 168-175. Rank discrimination against selected individuals!

[candyslim]

I have to admit that fact had escaped me but no it doesn't seem too ambitiuous at all. Maybe he's worn out from all those long fights

@Astradamus: yes, I do too which is why I don't like the term 'bum' applied to any fighter. Sometimes I want to use it myself as it's a very convenient term, but it's just so disrespectful and I believe all fighters deserve respect.

I always think it requires a lot more courage to face someone like Efe Ajagba (just an example) when you have the skills and power of a Rodney Hernandez, than it would do if you have the skills and power of an Anthony Joshua. Much respect to all journeymen and travelling losers, especially to those who always make a contest of it

Well, I rather be called a bum then a loser, but ok, different opinions.

Well I think you have to consider context, I mean if I were to call you "a loser" that would be as bad as calling you a bum because the implication would be a loser or failure in life generally. Contrast that with referring to GGG as (officially anyway) the loser against Canelo, that isn't insulting that's just stating the facts.

When I referred to "travelling losers" this isn't meant in a disparaging way, these guys perform an important service to boxing. All fighters who aspire to top level need to learn their craft. They don't need to be fighting 50/50 wars every fight, what they need is someone who will give them rounds and experience, will set them problems to overcome, without actually having much of a chance to upset them.

Some guys make a living from being that opponent, the better ones have excellent survival skills. They might not pose much of a threat to the prospect, but they are adept at not getting hurt despite the difference in level, and putting up a good show of resistance. When I call these guys "travelling losers" that is not meant disrespectfully, quite the opposite in fact.

[Enlightened-One]

Any 6' 2½" fighter that whose official weight is in the region of 215lbs (able to weigh as little as 207¼lbs without trying or having to face any weight restrictions), should really be competing as a cruiserweight....

That again! So a man whose naturally ideal trimmed down weight happens to be ~215 has to lose almost 10% of his bodyweight to have a fair shot in pro boxing now? Meanwhile the little fellows have their precious little custom made weight classes seperated by only 2 or 3 pounds, and even light heavy is now only between 168-175. Rank discrimination against selected individuals!

You may have quoted a very small extract of my original post, but your response intentionally fails to accurately reflect the point I actually made.

So what are you talking about when you mention phrases like “fair shot” and “rank discrimination against selected individuals”?

Is this a rather weak attempt at a straw man fallacy? It seems you’re trying to goad me into an argument by attacking a misrepresented version of my actual stance, since you intentionally chose to omit a rather pertinent sentence I wrote.

Also, what about the rest of my comments that I’ve made about Rostislav Plechko? Are you intentionally refraining from directly addressing my thoughts on this matter, because you want to create some sort of diversion that distracts other readers away from considering my rather sensible critique?

You’ve created a thread that is trying to promote Rostislav Plechko and it seems that you’re trying to defend his honour at all costs, even if it means employing straw man fallacies to dishonestly attempt to undermine entirely reasonable opinions held by others that conflict with your own.

[oogiebe]

Not impressive with those wide punches that leave him wide open for any short puncher. Too small for heavy as well.

[Oiky]

Yeah, be a better cruiser, and too soon to make a decision on him judging on his current scalps he's taken

[Ilya Muromets]

Any 6' 2½" fighter that whose official weight is in the region of 215lbs (able to weigh as little as 207¼lbs without trying or having to face any weight restrictions), should really be competing as a cruiserweight....

That again! So a man whose naturally ideal trimmed down weight happens to be ~215 has to lose almost 10% of his bodyweight to have a fair shot in pro boxing now? Meanwhile the little fellows have their precious little custom made weight classes seperated by only 2 or 3 pounds, and even light heavy is now only between 168-175. Rank discrimination against selected individuals!

You may have quoted a very small extract of my original post, but your response intentionally fails to accurately reflect the point I actually made.

So what are you talking about when you mention phrases like “fair shot” and “rank discrimination against selected individuals”?

Is this a rather weak attempt at a straw man fallacy? It seems you’re trying to goad me into an argument by attacking a misrepresented version of my actual stance, since you intentionally chose to omit a rather pertinent sentence I wrote.

Also, what about the rest of my comments that I’ve made about Rostislav Plechko? Are you intentionally refraining from directly addressing my thoughts on this matter, because you want to create some sort of diversion that distracts other readers away from considering my rather sensible critique?

You’ve created a thread that is trying to promote Rostislav Plechko and it seems that you’re trying to defend his honour at all costs, even if it means employing straw man fallacies to dishonestly attempt to undermine entirely reasonable opinions held by others that conflict with your own.

Your post makes no sense to me. You didn't even read my posts on this thread except the first. I think you just want to argue. The point I was making, that you quoted, should be self evident. Boxing weight classifications are illogical and archaic and unfair, especially to men weighing in the low 200s. You can see it right here with Plechko, whose weight seems to fluctuate a lot between 215 and 231, and he's 6' 2 1/2“, and the poster above said he's "too small for a heavyweight". Where does that leave a man whose perfect weight is 205? That's why we need at least one more heavy weight division, a superheavyweight div.

[Enlightened-One]

Your post makes no sense to me.

Then please read my words again. All I did was to respond to your post, which seemed out-of-context.

You didn't even read my posts on this thread except the first. I think you just want to argue.

You initiated the debate. I made no effort to comment on any of your posts until you challenged me. Check through the chronological order of all the posts in this thread for yourself and attempt to prove otherwise.

I didn’t need to read your comments in all the posts in this thread, since the topic under discussion is Rostislav Plechko and all I did was express my own thoughts about the man.

When you challenged a very small extract of my post, by attacking a misrepresented version of my thoughts in an aggressive manner, whilst also trying to change the subject matter being discussed, then I felt compelled to return fire by demanding that you clarify yourself, since what you were saying didn’t relate to anything that I’d actually written.

The point I was making, that you quoted, should be self evident. Boxing weight classifications are illogical and archaic and unfair, especially to men weighing in the low 200s. You can see it right here with Plechko, whose weight seems to fluctuate a lot between 215 and 231, and he's 6' 2 1/2“, and the poster above said he's "too small for a heavyweight". Where does that leave a man whose perfect weight is 205? That's why we need at least one more heavy weight division, a superheavyweight div.

Like I said before, “a man whose perfect weight is 205” should become a cruiserweight! Temporarily losing 5lbs to make the official 200lbs limit and then regaining that weight within the following 24 hours is obviously a trivial feat to achieve for any 6' 2½" fighter.

No one can possibly deny that Rostislav Plechko is considered a very small heavyweight by today’s standards. I was not alone in making this observation, but I was the only forum poster you attacked for saying this.

If you exclude his anomalous weight against Ibrahim Labaran, Rostislav Plechko’s average weight for his last seven bouts is 215¾lbs, with his lowest recorded weight being 207¼lbs.

I am supremely confident that there are world-rated cruiserweights that are about the same height and rehydrated weight as Rostislav Plechko that manage to be extremely effective competing "officially" as 200lb-ers.

Rostislav Plechko’s lack of size become far more apparent when you review the obvious trend of his “official” career weights since he made his pro debut.

If you exclude his anomalous weight against Ibrahim Labaran, no one can possibly deny that the trendline for Plechko’s weight compellingly suggests that he’s actually getting lighter as his career progresses. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that he can easily make the stipulated 200lbs cruiserweight limit.

There is an obvious reason why weight classes exist. The various sports governing bodies aren’t going to create a new weight class specifically tailored for men “whose perfect weight is 205”!

[Heretic]

Where does that leave a man whose perfect weight is 205? That's why we need at least one more heavy weight division, a superheavyweight div.

We have been trough this couple of times already but here it is again. Boxer who's perfect fight night weight is 205 is little bit too small for cruiser weight. He is going to have around 5 pounds weight disadvantage in the ring when fighting in cruiser weight.

What you are actually saying is you want to have weight class between lightheavy and cruiser to perfectly fit in the guys who are too small for cruiser.

This makes zero sense

[Heretic]

And what comes to this Rostislav guy. Like others have already said. Hes small heavy with poor technique. He will loose when he steps up the competition.

Anyone can look good while crushing cans

[Ilya Muromets]

Where does that leave a man whose perfect weight is 205? That's why we need at least one more heavy weight division, a superheavyweight div.

We have been trough this couple of times already but here it is again. Boxer who's perfect fight night weight is 205 is little bit too small for cruiser weight. He is going to have around 5 pounds weight disadvantage in the ring when fighting in cruiser weight.

What you are actually saying is you want to have weight class between lightheavy and cruiser to perfectly fit in the guys who are too small for cruiser.

This makes zero sense

Of course that's not what I'm saying.

[Heretic]

Where does that leave a man whose perfect weight is 205? That's why we need at least one more heavy weight division, a superheavyweight div.

We have been trough this couple of times already but here it is again. Boxer who's perfect fight night weight is 205 is little bit too small for cruiser weight. He is going to have around 5 pounds weight disadvantage in the ring when fighting in cruiser weight.

What you are actually saying is you want to have weight class between lightheavy and cruiser to perfectly fit in the guys who are too small for cruiser.

This makes zero sense

Of course that's not what I'm saying.

Ok then tell me how does making super heavy for example 230+ will help a guy who's ideal weight in weight is 195

[dagilechia]

If we really need new weight classes then we should increase limits of current ones (like CW to 220 or 210, LHW to 190 and so on) and then add some lowest weights like Atomweight or so. No super cruiser or super heavy please.

But i actually think that boxing needs less weight categories, just weight limits should be changed.