Yes, poor choice of words on my part. But I don't think I've ever seen Nistor stopped like that before; it was a brutal stoppage of a very tough and game opponent in his prime in a fight the Mak man was losing quite clearly. And like you said he was nearly stopped in the first, which showed some very strong mental toughness on his part. He does lack a traditional jab, but I've come to believe that that isn't always a hindrance to certain fighters. As a taller, primarily offensive minded fighter his aim is to walk down shorter guys to land his power shots against the ropes, and the way he uses his left to frame opponents to land his shots accomplishes that very effectively. It might be an issue for him against a fighter of comparable height with a bit of craft, but that's quite a narrow range of opponents in this current division. Joyce might fit that bill though, which is why I'd be interested in seeing that fight.
I agree about the jab. Popping out a jab to score points is the most basic use for it, fighters who know how to use it to frame and control their opponent is a more impressive skill to me. Gone are the days just having a stiff jab works, boxing has evolved beyond that.
That's an interesting point I hadn't considered before. While I still love to see a really snappy traditional jab in the Ali/Holmes mould, I think the influx of Eastern European and post-Soviet fighters has seen a broadening of the tactics and skills that can be used effectively at the top level. When a jab tends to be thrown it's almost like a power punch itself, a step in lead straight shot that brings the fighter into mid range for a follow up shot rather than maintaining the distance. I've noticed Makhmudov himself throw jabs like this as the prelude to a one two, but rarely seems to use them in isolation to break down a fighter's guard or soften them up for the kill, preferring to use his OH right and right uppercut to do that for him. This content is protected
Mak should've never based himself out of Canada or signed with Goldenboy. Two huge mistakes that will see him never getting any significant fights.
It's hard to get a gauge on how how his ceiling is. His defence is poor and he could get KTFO by one of the top boys who can crack, but by the same token he could very easily KO anyone of them if he catches them clean. He's not as slow as many believe he is and he can inject sudden bursts of pace when he attacks and put his shots together deceptively quickly and when you carry the kind of power he does the effects can be devastating.
Wtf 30 seconds??? What the heck did Golden Boy do to promote this guy? They seriously messed up. Arslanbek could have been their chess piece that check-mated the entire division and brought all that Khabib-fan money to the division. I'm telling you now, this guy is a monster and would wreck the Top 10 if given a chance.
He's faster than Joyce, who's been marinated to close to a title shot w/his big win over DD. Doubt his stamina has been tested since he usually stops the limited opposition he's faced. I think Mak needs to step up soon (at least top 20). He's 32, not old in our times, but he's not a youngster either in sports years. Then again this is the HW division where prospects fight twice per year and the big names about once per year
The anvil fists of the hardest puncher in the sport are on a collision course with the iron mandible of the sports most durable fighter very soon https://www.ringtv.com/631282-unbea...makhmudov-to-face-mariusz-wach-on-january-22/ Yes Wach is a senior citizen and has seen better days Yes he turns 42 in a couple of weeks But if Arslanbek shatters that iron it'll send out a cataclysmic shock wave not just throughout the HW division but throughout the entire boxing world And what if he blasts Wach out early? It'll earn him a top 10 P4P ranking for sure
Though bigger and stronger, watching his fights reminds me of watching Jimmy Thunder from Down Under on Tuesday night fights.
For sure It's not a foregone conclusion he even beats Wach but it'll be interesting to see if that power of his can dent Wach's granite mandible
It's only not forgone because Mak's mandible is a bit suspect (Omarov blew him out, though that was 10 years ago and Nistor almost had him out in the 1st in 2013 with 12oz gloves) but he'll be something ludicrous like a 1/20 favourite. He'll be favoured to stop Wach at this stage, considering that Wach's 42, having been a punching bag for much of his career (including in sparring) and Bakole and non-power puncher Miller managed to force 2nd half stoppages a few years ago. Mak will know he has to get Wach out of there before the 8th at minimum for it to be impressive but he will likely be going for a 1st round KO as he always does.
