Comments Thread For: Guido Vianello stops one-eyed Arslanbek Makhmudov in career-best win

[JakeTheBoxer]

Hrgovic- Vianello ?

[joe strong]

I think the lesson is not to make hot takes off of a single result and to evaluate things in their totality and what your eyes tell you.

Vianello was winning against Rice when he was cut and the ref ruled it a TKO. Other than that cut Rice did nothing. But that's not why people didn't rate Vianello, it's because he hasn't looked good in most of his prior fights.

He was gifted a draw against Kingsley Ibeh in a fight he definitely lost. He looked better in the Ajagba fight but the Nigerian was pretty listless himself and hasn't looked good in a while. Last night Vianello was getting away with things in the ring because his opponent was glacially slow.

Makhmudov stopped looking impressive once his opposition level got to the point where people fought back. Takam was able to win rounds and make Makhmudov duressed even tho the Frenchman was very much shot at that point in his career. Kabayel blew him away and a limited Vianello landed at will.

Regarding Hrgovic, for me, it's not the fact he lost to DuBois....it's the fact he doesn't move his head off the line and is incredibly stiff. You can get away with that stuff up until a certain level and then you can't.

I agree with your assessment about big Mak once his opposition got better. For me it was the Wach fight. To Wach’s credit he was in good shape & came to fight but he was shopworn by that time. Wach was landing clean power shots on Mak until he got stopped. That is when I started to question if Big Mak was going to be a legit contender. Some here were saying the same things about Makhmudov as they were about Hrgovic. Now both have been sent to the back of the line.

[PBR Streetgang]

I agree with your assessment about big Mak once his opposition got better. For me it was the Wach fight. To Wach’s credit he was in good shape & came to fight but he was shopworn by that time. Wach was landing clean power shots on Mak until he got stopped. That is when I started to question if Big Mak was going to be a legit contender. Some here were saying the same things about Makhmudov as they were about Hrgovic. Now both have been sent to the back of the line.

Good point about Wach, at a certain he had become a glorified punching bag (and I have always liked Wach) and i thought Makhmudov would really blow him out but The Viking got in some good shots.

Yes, both Makhmudov and Hrgovic were touted by quite a few. I think it's only natural to be awed by heavy-handed offensive fighters. Especially early on against limited opposition, they blow through opponents. It's when that level jumps up and guys punch back that we see what they are really made of.

[Boomer]

Makhmudov is a flat footed big dummy who has no idea how to use the jab never mind working off the jab. I don't know how he got as far in rankings as he did.

[hitmanjosh]

I’m Canadian & all I can say is Bute/Andrade 1….

I been seeing this type of behavior in Canada boxing since I were a teen and I'm 56 now.

[hitmanjosh]

About time we had a good old Italian name HW. This guy has that.

Let's not get carried away, he won easy but he's got many holes in his game as well.

[letsgochump]

As much of a bum Wilder was he was at least managed well and only fought other complete bums for the first 30 fights of his career. These guys like Makhmudov think they’re world level for beating a few smaller journeymen. Delusional.

No head movement, no counter punching ability to speak of, no footwork. Zero defence.

How can one be a professional boxer and completely neglect all defensive aspects of training? Why?

And there are so many of these HWs. Hrgovic, Joyce, Makhmudov, Kownacki, Dubois, Breazeale, Ajagba… some of them considered top 10 fighter at some point in their careers. It’s crazy.

Only in heavyweight can you get to top 10 with such non-existent skill set that guys like Joyce and Makhmudov have.

[JakeTheBoxer]

As much of a bum Wilder was he was at least managed well and only fought other complete bums for the first 30 fights of his career. These guys like Makhmudov think they’re world level for beating a few smaller journeymen. Delusional.

No head movement, no counter punching ability to speak of, no footwork. Zero defence.

How can one be a professional boxer and completely neglect all defensive aspects of training? Why?

And there are so many of these HWs. Hrgovic, Joyce, Makhmudov, Kownacki, Dubois, Breazeale, Ajagba… some of them considered top 10 fighter at some point in their careers. It’s crazy.

Only in heavyweight can you get to top 10 with such non-existent skill set that guys like Joyce and Makhmudov have.

It is big guys game. Cruiserweight and heavyweight are the only divisions where you can reach top 10 by a very little talent.

Ajagba and Hrgovic would be total bums at 175 or lower.

[letsgochump]

It is big guys game. Cruiserweight and heavyweight are the only divisions where you can reach top 10 by a very little talent.

Ajagba and Hrgovic would be total bums at 175 or lower.

It seems to be also a training problem. This mentality that it’s a bit man’s game perhaps is partly responsible.

If you watch the 2015 WSB fight between Vianello and Makhmudov you see Mak has only regressed since. He is slower, bigger and much, much lazier in the ring. Same thing can be said for Kownacki who’s early fights look completely different - he actually used to slip punches when he was young.

Turning pro these guys seem to focus on building mass and strength. They lose their sharpness and movement almost completely. Same can be said for someone like Helenius who’s old fights show him to be much faster than the recent professional version.

Now with smaller skilled guys like Usyk, Kabayel and hopefully Itauma beating big oafs left and right, they can perhaps shake this post-Klitschko mentality that bigger = better.

Vianello looked like a boxer. Nothing special, just a guy who knows how to move, punch, defend, set traps and counter. Basics. Makhmudov looked like a retired MMA fighter hoping for a hail mary. Totally lost and clueless.

At 175 Makhmudov would get KO’d by any top 50 fighter no doubt.

[Dr. Z]

About time we had a good old Italian name HW. This guy has that.

Don't go Sonny Conto on me.