Would Pirog have derailed the GGG hypetrain?

I often forget to include him in assessments of MW from 2010-2014 on account of the way it ended for him. It's a shame, he was cut down right as the nitty gritty of his career was just beginning.

Always fancied The Grandmaster's chances in this bout.

 

So hard to say, initially would say GGG but that's only because we got to see what he is capable of. Still think we were to see the best of Pirog.

 

GGG arguably lost to Jacobs, Drevyanchenko, and also lost to Canelo.

I think its safe to say Pirog would be the favorite based on agility, ability, eye test, and overall skill set.

 

GGG is overrated as hell and Pirog was a very good boxer-puncher with brilliant defence. Pirog UD. Golovkin fans really didn't know what they were missing in Pirog. He was the true mercurial talent of the two.

 

People really inflate Pirog for putting down a 22 year old Jacobs who got rocked by Ishe Smith repeatedly the year before. The guy looked good, but we never saw him against top competition. Did he have another gear? Because GGG doesn't even fight like that against good fighters. I suspect Pirog would've tried to be a bruiser (inaccurate) wait for big counters in every situation, and Golovkin could defuse that. If he couldn't, he has a great jaw. He had more money behind him too. Could've probably won a close fight on the cards.

I'll reiterate this point, we don't know how much better GGG was defensively when he was young. He only had to fight like that against good opposition, and he didn't into them until late. Then we saw Canelo and Derevyanchenko both have success getting in his face, which is what Pirog or Hagler do. Were his legs gone? Would a young GGG falling back on that amateur pedigree be able to evade pressure more effectively? I'm going to guess yes. Regardless, there are far more questions about Pirog. He's a fun what if because he viciously knocked out somebody who became elite. That fighter however was not elite at that time.

 

No..

 

What does being young have to do with it? We watched a 36 year old Mayweather beat Canelo, even better a 41 year old Mosley managed to outbox and cut Canelo but all GGG could do was jab. Old GGG is SUPPOSED to be far more experienced than a young GGG so his defense was always terrible. Fighting all those D and C level guys didn't help and he is still doing it. Every time he ever stepped up he got embarrassed and all his fans do is make excuses. In fact he is in Malibu right now feasting on cans, literally!!!

 

"Pirog would've tried to be a bruiser in every situation", considering he was a defensive slickster with great counterpunching I'd say you're more off the mark about what his boxing style was than anyone I've ever seen. He knocked out a Jacobs who fought the exact same way he always did and upstaged him the most of all of his opponents. There's a reason that win is highly touted

 

Its okay, GGG isn't te MW God HBO sold you. Its fine to admit you got duped. There was no young elite unstoppable GGG, there was only a fighter fighting overmatched fighters. Every time he had an opportunity to fight a top fighter he squandered it somehow.

 

I don't think you actually watch much boxing and just **** talk about stuff you know nothing about. How about you watch Pirog instead of remarking on him having a style he's never used once in his life? You've said a lot of blatantly untrue **** seemingly to stir the pot today, just stop.

 

Let's just say he made it close every time he stepped up big time, proving he isn't that far above these guys in ability.

 

I mean, he had good footwork. Wouldn't call him a defensive slickster unless you think somebody like Canelo is one. Didn't mean bruiser as in limited. People do that **** with Usyk too. Like just because he knows how to position himself he's Pernell Whittaker.

Pirog was very much about soft pressure and countering dudes with big shots. Never saw that plan A fail. Can he trade jabs in open space and win a fight? Cause that seems to be GGG's M.O. against much more battle tested opponents. Even the fighter Jacobs turned into can force that fight. Canelo showed in the GGG rematch he has two sides to him. Most fighters do not.

 

Pirog was very much a slickster, that's what he was known for ffs. Are you deliberately being ******ed? He was extremely technical and he had solid front foot defence but that doesn't mean he was a bruiser or pressure fighter necessarily. He certainly pressured with feints, footwork and forced mistakes because that's what a slick boxer does to punish his foes.

 

Woah bud, no need to get upset. Just because you disagree doesn't mean you need to get bent out of shape. Pirog's pro career is pretty short. I've seen a lot of his fights. The only one I've seen recently was the Jacobs one which I paired with Jacobs fights from around that period. Was not impressed by green Jacobs.

I should've been more charitable in characterizing Pirog, sure. Calling him a bruiser makes people think I'm calling him Lemieux or some ****. That's not fair. I've always said it's hard to tell if a boxer is good. Easy to tell if he sucks. I think it's clear Pirog didn't suck. The fact people jump from that to "would he have beaten the elite middleweights who proved themselves against each other repeatedly" is a stretch to me.