What is it about Bivol that makes him soo good despite looking ordinary?

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  • automaton89
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    #1

    What is it about Bivol that makes him soo good despite looking ordinary?

    If you used Bivol for the famous eyes test and see him fight anonymously, I would say he neither fails nor passes the eyes test. He's the most boring prize fighter in my opinion.

    He's not strong. He's not powerful. He's not particularly fast. Add to that his boxing style which is pretty wooden/ ordinary. No cause for concern there either.

    But Bivol obviously does something great by beating up Canelo.. So what is it about him? Does he rely on exceptional timing and that's that?
    Last edited by automaton89; 02-09-2024, 01:33 AM.
  • HENNY
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    #2
    To simplify it, he has awkward, unconventional rhythm and very solid fundamentals. He punches when a fighter is resetting without looking sloppy doing it, he sticks to his fundamentals, and makes mfers feel uncomfortable in there with his rhythm. And he rarely falls for traps

    You never feel comfortable even finishing a combination off on him and resetting your offense; he'll get shots off during these sequences. Very unconventional, and extremely high IQ

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    • crimsonfalcon07
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      #3
      Hoo boy. Honestly I think that one of the things that makes him so special is that he does hard things so well that they look trivial to the uninitiated.

      Here's one example. One essential skillset for a pressure fighter is the ability to walk your prey down. Bivol is really hard to walk down because his ring awareness and timing are elite. Maybe the best in the sport.

      To really appreciate him, you got to watch some of the fights on slow and pay attention to the opponent's feet. They crack that distance and Bivol has a combo in their face right when that front foot lands. They're guaranteed to be a step behind, and because he's using straights to blind, you can't counter him with hooks or uppercuts, and he's in control of the center line. Then he's exiting in unpredictable ways so they're just chasing, chasing, chasing.

      Then he steps to them right when they think they've got his pattern, and pushes them back. Bigger guys, smaller guys, etc. They all end up fighting his fight. That's the mark of genius, IMO. If all your fights look the same, no matter what style they bring to face you, you're a class above. Inoue is that way, and against the very best guys in multiple divisions. So far both Bivol and Beterbiev look that way at 175. It's going to be a really interesting clash of styles, but one that really favors Beterbiev because judges tend to lean towards his style. Bivol has to dominate his opponents to win. But he's made even the likes of Canelo, or Zurdo, or Joe Smith Jr look easy.

      Really elite ring IQ, timing, and awareness. He intimately understands his tools and their weaknesses, and controls the pace and rhythm of the fight. Looks very bland, but try to do what he does in the ring, and you won't be able to.

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      • MulaKO
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        #4
        Originally posted by automaton89
        If you used Bivol for the famous eyes test and see him fight anonymously, I would say he neither fails nor passes the eyes test. He's the most boring prize fighter in my opinion.

        He's not strong. He's not powerful. He's not particularly fast. Add to that his boxing style which is pretty wooden/ ordinary. No cause for concern there either.

        But Bivol obviously does something great by beating up Canelo.. So what is it about him? Does he rely on exceptional timing and that's that?
        Besides Canelo who else do he look this amazing
        What other masterclass has he had besides Canelo who was moving up so ……

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        • automaton89
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          #5
          Originally posted by HENNY
          He punches when a fighter is resetting without looking sloppy doing it,

          ​​​​​​That's an interesting observation. And certainly true against Canelo.

          I wasn't sure if it said more about him than it did Canelo. When any fighter is getting pieced up, there's a tendency to be drifting. Take more and more shots. Stagnate.

          But you're saying most people attempting that resetting strategy would be sloppy doing it. Why is that?

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          • Roadblock
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            #6
            He isnt special otherwise with the advantages he had would have stopped Canelo, Bivol is just very correct comes in good shape stays tight at all times, similar to Winky Wright, A grade but not great, but he isn't finished boxing yet that's when you can grade him its not over yet.

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            • automaton89
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              #7
              Originally posted by crimsonfalcon07
              Hoo boy. Honestly I think that one of the things that makes him so special is that he does hard things so well that they look trivial to the uninitiated.

              Here's one example. One essential skillset for a pressure fighter is the ability to walk your prey down. Bivol is really hard to walk down because his ring awareness and timing are elite. Maybe the best in the sport.

              To really appreciate him, you got to watch some of the fights on slow and pay attention to the opponent's feet. They crack that distance and Bivol has a combo in their face right when that front foot lands. They're guaranteed to be a step behind, and because he's using straights to blind, you can't counter him with hooks or uppercuts, and he's in control of the center line. Then he's exiting in unpredictable ways so they're just chasing, chasing, chasing.

              Then he steps to them right when they think they've got his pattern, and pushes them back. Bigger guys, smaller guys, etc. They all end up fighting his fight. That's the mark of genius, IMO. If all your fights look the same, no matter what style they bring to face you, you're a class above. Inoue is that way, and against the very best guys in multiple divisions. So far both Bivol and Beterbiev look that way at 175. It's going to be a really interesting clash of styles, but one that really favors Beterbiev because judges tend to lean towards his style. Bivol has to dominate his opponents to win. But he's made even the likes of Canelo, or Zurdo, or Joe Smith Jr look easy.

              Really elite ring IQ, timing, and awareness. He intimately understands his tools and their weaknesses, and controls the pace and rhythm of the fight. Looks very bland, but try to do what he does in the ring, and you won't be able to.
              He lights up on occassion and throws a nice sequence. But generally yeah, it's like watching paint dry.

              They should coin a new style base on him : 'technician".

              It boogles the mind that someone not fast, not powerful, just walks Canelo down.

              The flashy boxer Canel landed his shots and then had no plan B.



              ​​

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              • MulaKO
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                #8
                And who’s alt are you Mr automaton

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                • automaton89
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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Roadblock
                  He isnt special otherwise with the advantages he had would have stopped Canelo, .
                  His power is below average for a boxer that size and that level.

                  That's why.

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                  • MulaKO
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                    #10
                    The agenda begins

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