Comments Thread For: Pirog Waits for the Champs, Considers Possible Retirement

[HeroBando]

Yes, it would look better than Jacobs. Jacobs doesn't have anything like the Williams 'loss'. As opposed to fighting two stiffs and only twice since Jacobs, anything would be better. Talked this with you before. Whatever Pirog is doing...it ain't working. Try something different. Fight four or five times a year if it's going to be stiffs (though this could reflect poor management). The only guy who expressed any interest in him at all recently is Lara. If Lara balked so be it but that COULD be a makable fight. You apply apply pressure on big names via visibility and wins when all else fails. Showtime was at least interested in Pirog-Geale late last year. They have Lara on air soon. That's an avenue worth exploring in '12 and could be a hell of a fight.

Rafael mentioned today Pirog might face Barker sometime soon (presumably) on HBO. It's not much improvement of foe but a step in the right direction. Anything is better than post-Jacobs. That was a good win to get the attention of hardcore fans but almost no one saw it (check the PPV #'s). Any momentum it gave has largely gone away.

I don't love the fight, I think Lara would be well undersized. He can probably drop down to welter even. But you're right, it's the best course of action for Pirog, a "name" guy willing to fight him, possibly even in Russia. If Lara offers him a fight in the US, he shouldn't (and I think wouldn't) think twice. Or he should offer him a good amount to come to Russia, say $2-300k. That is, provided the rumors of Pirog's purse are true. I'm not sold on this. You guys have the strongest East Euro desk, why hasn't anyone corroborated Gabe's figures?

My uninformed guess is that the Barker thing fell through, hence the self pity. I think we read similar stuff when the Geale bout fell through.

[Mikhnienko]

what? Pirog has tried to fight in america over and over again only to be rejected, so he's fought in Russia.

but with Hershman now at HBO I think he'll get another shot real soon.

Lets hope

Well I think that Dzinziruk was as good in the paper as Pirog. Pirog has only one good win and it was against an unproved Danny Jacobs for a vacant belt. Dzinziruk had wins against Lujan, Daniel Santos and Joel Julio, and around 8 or something like that title defenses. I don't get why Pirog is that much better when it comes to merits than Dzinziruk. About Barker as I said before, I won't argue it wasn't that much of a fight.

Now don't get me wrong, I like Pirog and I saw his victory against Jacobs and he looked pretty good, but Jacobs wasn't as good as people say he was.

Wins over Jacobs, Jantuah, Tatevosyan, Toyganbayev, Martirosyan, Maciel, Melis, Mitchell is a solid resume for 19 fights. People actling like his destruction of Jacobs is the only thing he's done expose themselves.

Yes, it would look better than Jacobs. Jacobs doesn't have anything like the Williams 'loss'. As opposed to fighting two stiffs and only twice since Jacobs, anything would be better. Talked this with you before. Whatever Pirog is doing...it ain't working. Try something different. Fight four or five times a year if it's going to be stiffs (though this could reflect poor management). The only guy who expressed any interest in him at all recently is Lara. If Lara balked so be it but that COULD be a makable fight. You apply apply pressure on big names via visibility and wins when all else fails. Showtime was at least interested in Pirog-Geale late last year. They have Lara on air soon. That's an avenue worth exploring in '12 and could be a hell of a fight.

Rafael mentioned today Pirog might face Barker sometime soon (presumably) on HBO. It's not much improvement of foe but a step in the right direction. Anything is better than post-Jacobs. That was a good win to get the attention of hardcore fans but almost no one saw it (check the PPV #'s). Any momentum it gave has largely gone away.

and then turned it down. Ever since Hershman left they've turned into ******s. I wouldn't expect Lee vs Pirog to happen either due to **** Dibella.

[xAUGUSTUSx]

I like Pirog, but lets be honest he's beaten one over-hyped prospects and that's it. Macklin deserves the shot at Martinez more. Macklin dominated Sturm. It was an embarrassment.

He did'nt dominate Sturm it was close and I would give Macklin a small edge but he did'nt dominate.

[EdMon917]

The Regular Champions suck. GGG, Kid Chocolate, Proksa, and Martinez are the best in the division and none of them hold the real WBA, WBC, or IBF belts. Unifying the division would be pointless because the real competition and worthy names to have on a record would be the contenders.

[BartBears]

Here, from Andy Lee, what he thinks about Pirog at 4:45

[Buffalo]

Instead of fighting nobodies in Russia, fight nobodies on ESPN! He could beat the **** out Golovkin in Russian TV, but in terms of building his name to an American audience, that still wouldn't help him as much as fighting a nobody on ESPN. He just said it himself. He doesn't need the money. He's willing to retire right now because he's well off. If that's true, take the paycut and fight on ESPN until HBO and Showtime is more willing to take a chance on him.

Hopefully that Barker vs Pirog fight they're talking about does go through on HBO, but I wouldn't keep my hopes up. Showtime ended up passing on Pirog vs Geale for a reason.

Never gonna happen

Golovkin v. Pirog.........get it done. Golovkin beats him

Pirog is ridiculous. His fans are worse. The man wants to fight in russia. He will only fight in america for big money. He is not going to get that type of money. Honestly in all of boxing who the f is dmitry pirog?

There are at least 50 boxers who have a better claim, and name, to those limited tv spots.

Look at the NHL. Russian hockey pays just as much, sometime more, yet why the hell do the worlds best players head to north america? Because thats where the top league is. In boxing america is the pinnacle. Cant climb that mountain in russia.

Khan could have made more money in britian. Yet he chose to come here. Pirog knows damn right well no top boxer is headed to the former soviet union for a fight. His team and fans suggesting otherwise is a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!

[B.U.R.N.E.R]

Wheres Martinez???????

[anonymous2.0]

Who or what is a Pirog?

And therein lies the problem. It doesn't matter if you have 19 fights or 91, a champ or unified champ or no belt at all, if people don't know who you are no network wants to host you. If you don't have a list of quality opponents no one is going to pay attention to you.

In my opinion, Pirog's situation is this: he can stay where he is, make good money by fighting people that are not well known and eventually retire with wealth but be forgotten in the annals of boxing history. He'll stay popular in his own nation but will never have international acclaim - ironic for a person who has won a 'world' title.

OR he could fight in America, take a payday hit but know that the paydays will only increase (paydays actually don't matter to him as he's stated that money was never an issue). The opponent quality will probably be at the same level as where he is now, but like the paydays, the opponent quality along with their names will only go up and if Pirog keeps winning and performing well, his marketability will rocket off the ground. At the end of his career he will have made his mark in boxing history and make as much if not more money then if he stayed where he was.

Am I wrong in thinking like this?

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Never gonna happen

Golovkin v. Pirog.........get it done. Golovkin beats him

Pirog is ridiculous. His fans are worse. The man wants to fight in russia. He will only fight in america for big money. He is not going to get that type of money. Honestly in all of boxing who the f is dmitry pirog?

There are at least 50 boxers who have a better claim, and name, to those limited tv spots.

Look at the NHL. Russian hockey pays just as much, sometime more, yet why the hell do the worlds best players head to north america? Because thats where the top league is. In boxing america is the pinnacle. Cant climb that mountain in russia.

Khan could have made more money in britian. Yet he chose to come here. Pirog knows damn right well no top boxer is headed to the former soviet union for a fight. His team and fans suggesting otherwise is a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where did he say he will only fight in America for big money?

Again....why do people just make things up?

[Boxingtech718v2]

The only thing Pirog can do is thrash all the Number 1 contenders out there and keep calling out these champs. Either they step up or vacate.