BoxRec

Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Pirog at Middleweight.

Given how abruptly his career ended due to injuries, Dmitry Pirog remained a "what if" type of fighter. We don't really know how good he really was. He was passing the eye test, though.

As of Canelo, his last fight at 160 came against Daniel Jacobs. And Jacobs, as we know, remains Pirog's sole signature win.

So, let's put Canelo from the Jacobs fight and Pirog from the Jacobs fight against each other.

How would this fight go?

I'll bite on this. Canelo UD, something like 8-4. Pirog, like a lot of boxers who were forced to retire/die early, is a bit mythologised. A solid boxer/puncher, but his competition beyond Jacobs is meh, his three title defenses were against weak oppostion and he really labored against Marcel, who was a club fighter/career opponent (and, if I remember, a jr. middleweight moving up). Cancelo would have imposed his will/strength in the second half of the fight.

giacomino wrote: ↑06 Nov 2023, 16:25 I'll bite on this. Canelo UD, something like 8-4. Pirog, like a lot of boxers who were forced to retire/die early, is a bit mythologised. A solid boxer/puncher, but his competition beyond Jacobs is meh, his three title defenses were against weak oppostion and he really labored against Marcel, who was a club fighter/career opponent (and, if I remember, a jr. middleweight moving up). Cancelo would have imposed his will/strength in the second half of the fight.

I think, "mythologized" is a perfect word in relation to Pirog and his perception among some fans. And I'm glad you brought up his three title defenses, where he looked less than stellar. Most seem to be remember only his KO win over somewhat inexperienced Jacobs (understandably so).

But if anyone would want to draw some parallels between Pirog and Bivol - between two Dmitry, Bivol is less flashy, but far more fundamentally advanced and had a deeper amateur background than Pirog. Pirog was flashy, had a nice upper body movement and footwork. But for all this flashy stuff, he was still far from illusive. Maciel and Ishida were able to land on him.

I agree with you that Canelo would win. Not without some struggle down the stretch of the fight, but he would win.