Anybody have any background on him? He seemed to be fairly skilled and a good natural athlete and he's the "essential" 6 feet five.
Spoiler ahead--- The big Russian looked good against a debuting Cuban named Alexis Guerrero. Guerrero may be dismissed as limited opposition but he did come to win and had a point deducted in the first round for head butting Abakarov . Abakarov KOed Guerrero in the second round. He showed good footwork an excellent jab and an effective left hook. I wouldn't call the left hook great but it was short and got the job done. Surprised nobody has mentioned Abakarov yet. Seems like he should have an amateur background or kickboxing background. I think he's in his early twenties as far as age goes which is a change of pace compared to the quintessential contemporary heavyweight.
25 according to BoxRec. http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/793522 Here's his fight from yesterday: This content is protected
He was a kickboxer in the past. He has won European championship in kickboxing, World championship and is two-time Russian champion. He had 50 fights in kickboxing.
I only saw the first minute of his match with Guerrero before Canal 6 cut away (they were invested solely for Mayorga showing virtually none of the undercard in favor of studio punditry and old Mayorga highlights) but in that minute he looked good.
This content is protected Looks pretty good (albeit against a punchbag), could be one to watch, it'd be interesting to see him step up
You said it'd be interesting to see him step up (I agreed, but jokingly added that he could also do with some cardio). Yeah, there's potential there.