Gennady GOLOVKIN vs Dmitry PIROG - Analysis and Prediction Thread

he beat up ouma in that farce of a "title" fight... WBA grants title shots to guys fighting their first fight out of their natural division who has lost 4 out of 6 coming in?

 

Even that's a step up from Milton Nunez and Fuchigami.

 

That's the thing. I'v never seen Pirog fight off the back foot and box from the outside consistantly. He's a pressure fighter who always comes forward and if his opponent doesnt back up he's loves standing in the pocket and exchanging, confident that he'll outland you and make you miss more than he does.

Golovkin typicially has to take a stalking approach too but that's more due to his opponents wanting to stay away and not exchange. Golovkin can box at range though and does seem more versatile in that regard. If Pirog stands in the pocket and doesnt try to use his size advantage trying to keep Gennady on the outside i don't se him making it 12 rounds.

Alot of people think that due to the Ouma fight but believe me they have the wrong impression. His defense is quite good and actually shares some similaries to Pirog. He's very good at judging and controlling the distance when boxing and when he's stalking (which he has to do in most fights) he's good as slipping and parrying punches when he's moving forward and countering off his opponents misses much like Pirog. Counter pressure fighters i classify it as.

As for his punching i again disagree. He isn't like Cloud for example. Golovkin is good countering while moving forward and can actually be quite awkward as he ends up throw punches at unusual angles when you wouldn't think he would be set to with his feet.

This is how he typically fights. Make note of his parrying and head movement.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxjzRKpqhE4[/ame]

Rios can't box for ****. Golovkin much the opposite.

 

I'm taking Golovkin by stoppage.

 

no argument from me on that

 

I didn't say he was totally robotic, I said he was more robotic than Pirog who is clearly the more fluid fighter. The Fuchigami fight doesn't tell us much about Golovkin because Fuchigami is a sloppy B level fighter, Ouma is the closest thing to an elite fighter that Golovkin has faced and he got hit a lot in that fight.

I think Pirog's workrate, accuracy and rhythm will win him the fight IF he makes it to the final bell.

 

Ouma's punches weren't hard enough to get Golovkin's respect, after the fight his face wasn't all that marked up.

I still doubt this fight happens this soon. Both men have commented about how they are the top two along with Martinez and that they should clear out the division prior to facing each other. It's actually hard to gauge a favorite in this fight because neither man has been pushed very hard in the pros so we have no idea what their ceiling is. I also doubt Pirog would pass on the WBO title fight with N'Jikam which was the primary reason for him not fighting Geale. Imagine N'jikam's response if Golovkin were to win the WBO title.

 

The fight could really go either way.

I have watched Pirog-ishida and Golovkin-Ouma on youtube. Actually neither Pirog or Golovkin performed very well in their respective fights. Pirog was much sharper against Daniel Jacobs and Golovkin threw all his ring skills out of the window in order to KO Ouma.

This is just to say that fight-night luck may play an important part here as both fighters can have off-nights.

On to the breakdown (as witnessed from all of their other fights on youtube)

Speed: about equal but Golovkin's timing is better.
Power: Golovkin by a wide margin. KO power in both hands.
Range: Pirog.
Defense: Pirog by narrow margin. Both fighters can be hit, but are difficult to hit with something that matters.
Footwork: about equal.
Ring IQ: equally bad
Experience: equally bad, especially in important fights
Wear and Tear: practically none
Conditioning: both fighters able to 12 rounds at high pace. Edge Golovkin.
Team: possibly Golovkin. Trainer Abel Sanchez should be one of the best and training in California should have accessed pool of the very best sparring partners. Underestimated factor in fight preparation.

Pirog has a tendency to rely on his left a bit much. Leaning in with upper body movement, uppercut-hook to body or head. This worked very well with Ishida (who has no counterpunch ability) but could be a disaster against Golovkin. If Pirog however is able to box Golovkin while slowly stepping backwards and circling, he could possibly frustrate Golovkin enough to make mistakes, and win on points.

Golovkin (on a good day) waits out his opponent and then hammers in power left or rights. In order for this to work he needs to be in range and his opponent should not be in perfect balance. Mid-range Golovkin is superior. Against the ropes he should be better. As far as I know Pirog has never been tested on the inside but this should really be the last option for Golovkin.

Conclusion: the fighter best able to control range will win this fight. If Pirog wins the range contest - Pirog by UD. If Golovkin wins it - Golovkin by KO.

 

Scene article from yesterday made it sound as if Pirog was willing to give up the belt to fight in the US again and that he's already signed his paperwork for the fight. Also made it sound like the main reason the Geale fight didn't happen wasn't because of the WBO's rubbish but instead because Geale had a much better offer from Sturm (which obviously isn't surprising given how Sturm operates).

 

Yeah I just read that. I know Geale-Pirog was green lighted by HBO but then there was some footdragging and the N'Jikam nonsense came up. I wonder if Artie Peullo only gets paid by Pirog if Pirog fights in the US? Seems awful risky for Pirog to give up the WBO title to N'Jikam to jump in with Golovkin.

It'll be a tremendous fight if it comes off, I just hope it recieves the proper attention and doesn't end up in some small casino in Washington so that Gary Shaw can collect site fees.

 

Yeah that's my big worry too, especially since that was the rumored location for the Geale bout. Hopefully it's not up to Shaw since this and not Dzinziruk-Gonzalez would presumably be the main event, but I'm worried it will be his decision since Dzinziruk is the one who's owed a fight. It absolutely belongs on the east coast for demographic reasons in my opinion, and putting it on there would create extra pressure (if not incentives) for DiBella to give the winner a shot at Martinez.

 

Wow, so this is really happening? Damn this will be my most anticipated fight of the year.

 

But Golovkin didn't know that until he got hit. For him to take so many flush punches from a guy like Ouma is concerning, not in terms of damage but in terms of defensive ability.

You forgot a key element : workrate. And Pirog has the advantage in this department.

 

He's had the workrate up in his recent fights, but let's not forget that he was somehow losing on the cards vs. Jacobs on what could only be that basis. It's quite possible Golovkin could get him to lay off as well.