I like this guy, but he's being managed EXTREMELY poorly. He's a top 30 HW with better management and definitely has the beating of some guys ranked in the top 15-20 on a good night. But he's taken 3 bad KO losses this year against fellow HW contenders. The Kownacki fight was definitely winnable for him but he was in a bit over his head against Hunter and Joyce while probably having lapsed into a bit of a defeatist journeyman mentality. Would like to see this guy take some time off and rebuild.... He can beat the likes of Browne, Charr, Hammer, Price, Teper etc. no doubt. But at this rate he's going to become completely worn out and lapse into just another journeyman of the sport who could have done more. Although this is a trap that a lot of fighters have and will continue to fall in.. Brutal sport boxing is.
Unfortunately, he's not going to be competitive with top-10-15 HWs. He doesn't have a good punch resistance, and he's featherfisted at HW. When I looked how he caught Joyce with flush right hans on the chin, and Joyce didn't even blink... Joyce was KO'd twice in 1 round in amateur boxing, he doesn't have a great chin. So that are his main limitations (along with being poorly managed). I pick him to beat Lucas Browne and other opponents on that level every day of the week though. The difference is speed and skills would play the key role.
Lets be real, Kiladze is a top 20-30 Cruiserweight at best who has moved up to Heavyweight to make some money. Moulding himself as a tough journeyman who can give rising contenders solid rounds is his choice.
You're overestimating the HW division. With the right management, mentality, full training camp etc. I'd see a slightly different story for him. The Browne's, Hammers, Tepers, Charts etc. Are winnable fights for him. If he beat a few if these guys he could get a nice payday.
What does Freddie Roach see in Kiladze? I mean he doesn't just train anyone that walks into his gym... He's eccentric like that.
Talent, obviously. Unless you think you have a better ability to see talent than Freddy. Just because he's being matched with much larger and legitimate opponents doesn't mean he's terrible in his own right. He was taking rounds off of Kownaki and badly bloodied his nose. Guys issue is his offense and inability to keep these giant heavyweights off of him, winning fights primarily with your movement is almost impossible at heavyweight.
I very much doubt anyone will put the time in to rebuild him. I'd suggest he goes back to cruiserweight, have a couple of tune ups and then maybe a guy like Sillakh.
Yes, Freddie Roach knows more about boxing than me. I never said I knew more. I was simply asking, what does Freddie see? Because I cannot see it. "Guys issue is his offense and inability to keep these giant heavyweights off of him" So erm pretty much everything then yeah? Both offense & defense
"winning fights primarily with your movement is almost impossible at heavyweight." Thank you, I'll pass this message on to Usyk fans when he shows up at Heavyweight.
He has some talent and he did gave Kownacki problems and I thought he did well to hang in there as long as he did against Joyce and he landed some good shots of his own in that one too. But Kownacki and Joyce both had a lot of weight on him, 40lbs and 45lbs respectively, and it was too much for him to overcome. Throwing him in there with Joyce after he was coming off back to back stoppage loses was borderline criminal. ''Hey, you've just lost 2 on the spin via stoppage.. let's throw you in with an undefeated Olympic silver medalist colossus who has a ton of weight on you and will be the biggest puncher you will have ever faced.''
Mhm, a once in a generational talent moving up from Cruiserweight... durr that's exactly what I talking about. Lets talk about intellectual dishonesty.
