Kynba impressed me. I think he needs a good strength and conditioning coach to be just a tad bit more physical in there but he shouldn't gain too much muscle because that could negatively impact his stamina which is key to his developing style.
Knyba reconstructed Kabayel's face, and would probably KO him. But the ref saved Kabayel and ruled a TKO, robbed Knyba. A rematch is needed.
Spot-on, Rummy. Let's face it: Infamous 114-113 Judges Glenn Feldman and Kevin Morgan would've called Larry Holmes vs. Tex Cobb a draw. They should be taken to task to explain their decision before they're granted their next judging gig.
I followed the build up to this fight on the various YT channels that cover boxing and was astounded by the comments of people saying easy win for Ruiz, early KO etc. These people would call you a casual for saying anything negative about Ruiz but clearly had not seen the Kabayel fight. I really dont understand how anyone thought this would be a walk in the park considering rust, age, and the incredible height and reach difference. I saw Ruiz weigh in at a light weight appeared trim. This was deceptive as he looked visually in shape but was not in the boxing condition or prepared to fight in the way that he needed to, to win. One of the post fight articles I found online, maybe The Guardian, summed it up as Ruiz really seeming unwilling to walk through the fire and take the necessary jabs to get inside and make the fight. Knyba fought the perfect fight and was really underestimated. I know Ruiz wants to be in a main event and demands serious purses but he really should be an undercard fighter facing a guy outside the top 50 or 100 just to get back out there and certainly not a twelve round fight after all that time off.
Congrats to Knyba. Used his natural attributes well and stuck to the game plan well even in the later rounds, something i did not expect. It must be said tho. Who's on Ruiz team picked this fight? Terrible style match up for ruiz on his best day let alone for a comeback fight. interested to see whats next for Knyba, as far as ruiz goes....harsh truth he will never be top 5 again although think theres still some fights out there that would suit better style wise than this. I wouldnt be mad if he had one more roll of the dice after this.
He definitely needs strength training, but more for endurance than muscle growth. Heck, I would throw him in a wrestling gym once or twice a week, that would fix him up proper.
Ruiz has looked anything but good since the Joshua win,Joshua loss looked poor,Arreola win looked poor,Ortiz win looked poor,Miller draw looked poor,knyba loss looked poor .
Let's start by saying that, as a fellow countryman of Knyba's, I'm happy for his success. However, there's no need to get too optimistic for a simple reason. The stylishly intelligent Knyba is a nightmare for someone like Ruiz Jr. Add to that the fact that the fat Mexican is a complete slacker who also made a fortune and basically lost interest in everything, choosing someone like Knyba was a truly big risk. Ruiz's career since the rematch with AJ has been a joke, considering the opportunities the guy has gained and the position he held at the time. Ruiz fought on average almost every two years (two fights every 1.5 years, plus two every two years, actually...) The guy completely blew the prime of his career. He couldn't have been in excellent boxing shape, even if he lost weight at the weigh-ins and looked good. He hasn't been in boxing for many years, and I get the impression he only wants to get back into the ring when his totals have dropped drastically and he decides it's time to "earn" more years of his lavish lifestyle. I don't want to be brutal or arrogant, but Ruiz seems like a really stupid guy. Aside from all that, he was incredibly lucky that AJ, after taking him down, entered his best territory. He didn't take advantage of it. But he's still a short, rather overweight guy with limited footwork. Sure, he has incredibly fast and heavy hands, but matching him with an opponent like Knyba... A tall, intelligent fighter who knows something will always be a challenge for such a "block." They overdid it. But I'm actually happy. I'm not a fan of Ruiz because his ego is sky-high and his decisions are so frustrating... He doesn't deserve to return to the big money. And will he ever get his act together? The guy is nearing the end of his prime, but considering how he's been performing, it might already be behind him. He won't recover easily from this. Especially in the current heavyweight division, which is swarming with truly solid fighters. Well. I can only wish Knyba the best of this opportunity and a great, cash-grabbing fight in which, even if he loses, he'll definitely leave his mark. And if Ruiz wants to save him, he should either go all-in and ask Parker for a rematch and hope that after his ordeal and layoff, Parker will be able to do something, or rebuild against more stylish opponents and ultimately cash in on his career. If they gave him Gassiev, he'd be something to watch. A festival of fast, heavy hands and concrete legs.
