Pirog is one awkward mofo

[Tiozzo]

I watched the man knock Jacobs out last night.

It was a very good win, but I'm not sold on the guy like most people seemed to be. I see a lot of holes in his game. I won't jump on the bandwagon yet.



This fight happened in 2006. I don't see a lot of improvement between this version of Pirog and the one that knocked out Jacobs last night. Why ? Because he does the same things wrong.

First, he has a very suspect foot work.

3:46-3:50 is a great example of his sometimes very ugly footwork
3:58-4:01 another one...

His contant stance switch could be seen as an asset, but it is very awkward, and it threatens his balance. And he doesn't really switch, he just punches while walking in, hence punches out of the southpaw and orthodox stances alternatively. So it has nothing to do with fighters like Ward or Dirrell who switch completely to fight out of a given stance for a little while.

example of his awkward constant switching 3:08-3:13

another thing he does wrong is when he gets out of the way of punches going back, he always backs out way too far given his style
being an aggressive fighter, there is no point putting that much space between himself and his opponent just to get out of the way of an attack
example 3:28-3:31
there is a good possibility that he backs out too much because of his bad footwork (notice how he walks back using his left leg first instead of moving his right leg first)

he backs off in a straight line on top of it most of the time

It looks like he has a pretty good left uppercutt and good overall power. He hurt Jacobs with it and hurt this Moungo dude really bad too.

anyway this is how I break down this fighter, I like him, but he has a lot of improvement to do

leave your comments

I put a poll see what you guys think

[Tiozzo]

no feedback yet ? surprising, people sounded excited about Pirog last night

[NChristo]

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His constant stance switch could be seen as an asset, but it is very awkward, and it threatens his balance.

Michael Spinks' style was extremely awkward and most of the things he did were a danger to his balance but he somehow kept steady at all times, I'd say it's more of an asset then danger if you can pull it off like Spinks could.

Now he's obviously no Spinks but Pirog is one of the few that can pull off like he did, he looks somewhat comfortable doing it although his footwork is ugly and there's definitely room for improvement.

I'm not completely sold on him either like most people seem to be.

[purecyse]

i think you're being overly critical. there is always room for improvement so, even when analyzing for flaws, you have to have a fighter that is capable of being in a position to take advantage of them.

his stance switching while stepping in could be a flaw. it could also be a trap if he is aware of its weaknesses and is able to throw solid straights with either hand.

his footwork when he steps out is fundamentally wrong but he also does it in a comfortable manner, never taking his eyes off his opponent and in his defensive stance. even backing up, he calmly swats away punches as philly shell-like defenses are almost made for that straight line. on that straight line, he can catch the jab in his palm, catch the hook with his forearm, roll the right hand with his shoulder and/ or take away obvious attack angles.

the backing out too far is probably an amatuer habit, if you view it as a negative. at my gym we were taught to step in when we are ready to attack and, when we are not, step completely out of your opponent's attack range.

a common complaint, even my own, is that he gets hit more than he should but it must be remembered that that is the risk a fighter takes when he ups his own punch output. he definitely lands more than he allows, however, which is the name of the game.

i think he's good. even better because he's at middleweight where the herd is thin and just about all of them have obvious flaws. the middleweight king, himself, sergio martinez has been critisized for bad footwork yet no one seems to point out that his punch arsenal is limited to jabs, straight lefts and the occasional right hook. pavlik (#2) is extremely weak against lateral attack and defense. n'jikam (#3) is probably just as untested as jacobs and pirog were before last night. this goes right on down the line at middleweight.

[Tiozzo]

i think you're being overly critical. there is always room for improvement so, even when analyzing for flaws, you have to have a fighter that is capable of being in a position to take advantage of them.

his stance switching while stepping in could be a flaw. it could also be a trap if he is aware of its weaknesses and is able to throw solid straights with either hand.

his footwork when he steps out is fundamentally wrong but he also does it in a comfortable manner, never taking his eyes off his opponent and in his defensive stance. even backing up, he calmly swats away punches as philly shell-like defenses are almost made for that straight line. on that straight line, he can catch the jab in his palm, catch the hook with his forearm, roll the right hand with his shoulder and/ or take away obvious attack angles.

the backing out too far is probably an amatuer habit, if you view it as a negative. at my gym we were taught to step in when we are ready to attack and, when we are not, step completely out of your opponent's attack range.

a common complaint, even my own, is that he gets hit more than he should but it must be remembered that that is the risk a fighter takes when he ups his own punch output. he definitely lands more than he allows, however, which is the name of the game.

i think he's good. even better because he's at middleweight where the herd is thin and just about all of them have obvious flaws. the middleweight king, himself, sergio martinez has been critisized for bad footwork yet no one seems to point out that his punch arsenal is limited to jabs, straight lefts and the occasional right hook. pavlik (#2) is extremely weak against lateral attack and defense. n'jikam (#3) is probably just as untested as jacobs and pirog were before last night. this goes right on down the line at middleweight.

IDK if I'm being overly critical, all the points I made are legit
I admit I reacted to the way everybody jumped on the guy's wagon last night

I also reacted to the fact that the flaws I saw in him last night, he had them 4 years ago too (a sign that he hasn't been trained to change his bad habits)

you made valid points too

I will give you that he seems comfortable being awkward, and he does keep on punching with both hands when he comes in switching his stance
I think a better more experienced opponent could take advantage of many things he does wrong though, especially his footwork and overall awkwardness

as I have stated, it is because that his style is being aggressive and in punching range (one of the reason why he takes a too much leather) that I find it wrong for him to step back too far away

everytime he has to walk right back in anyway, this is a waste of time in his case, whereas it is just natural for an outside fighter to keep a good distance, even more when he steps out

the middleweight division being what it is, I believe Pirog could do very well too if he challenges the other champions and contenders, I look forward to seeing him again

[The_Demon]

Hes strong and very awkward,i dont see anything special though to be honest-might have to rewatch the jacobs fight

[Tiozzo]

Michael Spinks' style was extremely awkward and most of the things he did were a danger to his balance but he somehow kept steady at all times, I'd say it's more of an asset then danger if you can pull it off like Spinks could.

Now he's obviously no Spinks but Pirog is one of the few that can pull off like he did, he looks somewhat comfortable doing it although his footwork is ugly and there's definitely room for improvement.

I'm not completely sold on him either like most people seem to be.

I'll give you that

[Tiozzo]

Hes strong and very awkward,i dont see anything special though to be honest-might have to rewatch the jacobs fight

he's like a better version of Carl Froch

[AddiX]

That's whats great about boxing. After you box for a long time (which he has), you start to make things up in the ring that no one teaches. And all of a sudden you get good at it.

And than you confuse opponents with it. Because there is no sparring partners who can replicate it.

This is one of the reasons boxing is aka the "sweet science."

Technically it's wrong, but it works.

[sicko]

awkward is a GREAT THING in boxing, that is why nobody wants to fight Celestino Caballero because he is kinda awkward

I like Pirog style, not sure if I am ready to put him in the P4P top 10 like some people are ready to do after Knocking Jacobs Out