So I was thinking about Enzo's upcoming Euro title tilt and I got onto his latest embarassment against Lebedev. But actually, I'm quite impressed by Lebedev despite Enzo being a shell in the fight. His recent form is very good. Since beating Enzo he's scored a further two stoppages. One against Ismailov who is quite a good technical boxer and only lost to Ramirez by SD. Okay this was on cuts but the reports I've read suggest he was well up and in charge of the fight. Most recently he stopped a Mexican who had never been stopped and had been fairly competetive with Enad Licina, another of Europes more solid cruisers. So I guess a lot of people are going to say this is not tearing up any trees or worrying the likes of Cunningham and Huck but I do think the signs are there this guy could be serious and worthy of consideration. Watching him fight I've noticed he's very solid in everything he does. Nothing immediately grips you but you can quickly realize he doesn't make too many mistakes. Everything is very methodical. He has the advantage of being a southpaw and employs a nice jab to get close being of fairly short and stocky dimensions. He seems to be bull strong, and in close is shots have a heavy look to them. This being a division devoid of too much star quality he could be a factor. I'd like to see him get a title shot against Huck or for Cunningham to come another away mission in Europe if they can make him a good offer. Or I'd love to see him fight Jonathan Banks who is known and has fought in Europe before. I think he could give Jonathan Banks hell late in the fight and stop him. This content is protected
**** it I think he can beat the Caveman Huck too. I know Huck has a bit of a cult following for his entertaining marauding punching style..but...he's not actually that good is he? His stamina is really poor and he was badly hurt by Ofolabi, he did the chicken dance in there and Afolabi being the sparring partner type opponent didn't follow up. I could imagine Lebedev being really tough and absorbing Huck's early promise and coming on strong in the middle and drowning Huck in deep waters. What do you all think?
Was a terrible decision for Enzo to go in with this guy after the Olofabi fight, like you say he's done nothing but underline his abilities sinse the Enzo win (as has Olofabi for that matter). Huck would be a great fight and if he's as sturdy as he looks I can see Lebedev being to much for Huck. Cunningham is the best in the division imo and would be another great fight 50-50. Dont imagine Banks will fight at cruiser again but if he does I see you being spot on with Lebedev grinding him down with a mid to late rounds stoppage.
Cunningham might well be a little too slick for a fighter like Lebedev. He dealt with Huck pretty impressively. Cunningham was unlucky to lose to Adamek, these guys are likely operating on another level to the rest of the cruisers. But I can see DL being right in there with a chance against the rest. ****ing hell where is Guillermo Jones? atsch
Afolabi was definitely the more shocking defeat at the time and I get the feeling that was one Enzo shouldn't have lost if he used a bit of common sense. He went for the KO too much instead of boxing for a decision. He didn't evaluate the situation particularly well. He was well in control but spent too much energy and made crucial errors. If he'd have put on a Braithwaite performance he'd have won at a canter. Lebedev likely would have troubled him at any time though. Lebedev is not so easy to outwork and outbox, he always comes forward throwing heavy shots and he walks through your punches to get off his own. That's always going to be tricky for a less than durable fellow like Enzo.
The guys a very basic fighter but he would put up a decent fight against most. He strikes me as a complete battler but would be beaten by slicksters.....Scott Harrison esc????
Yeah thats fair, thats why I think Cunningham would beat him with his movement and ring smarts. But the rest of the cruiser landscape is Euro dominated except for G.Jones who seems to have retired despite scoring his best win in 2008. None of them are particularly slick and Denis is well in with a shout. I notice he's in at #8 on the Rings cruiserweight rankings. I'd like to see him against any of the Euros above him. They are Wlodarczyk, Fragomeni, Erdei and Huck, I don't see him as less than 50/50 against any of them. Then there is Troy Ross who seems to get a high ranking just for being on the contender and Danny Green who gets a high ranking for being popular.
When you think about it,if the top guys started fighting each other there could be some very decent match ups as most would be very competitive. I'd probably as well as Cunningham pick BJ Flores to defeat him
I agree, I think Lebedev would have beaten the Enzo of the Braithwaite fight let alone the guy after Olafabi ko'd him. I remember Lebedev landing a crushing straight right to Enzo's mid section in round 1 of that fight completely taking away Enzo's legs which is a big reason imo for the battering Enzo takes while standing still on the ropes in round 3, he just could not move. It was'nt just Enzo being gun shy although it was clearly a factor
Cruiserweight should be by far and away the most exiting division in boxing ala the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. Big guys with big power only unlike the heavy's they have speed and mobilty, perfect combo plus they are forced into being disciplined due to making weight so you wont get the lazy fat ****ers like the Heavy's have. I hate the fact so many cruisers end up chasing the cash at heavy. Haye, Bell, Mormeck, Maccarinelli, Huck, Thompson, Braithwaite pisses all over the heavyweights of the last 10 years for entertainment.
Cruisers just never get fanfare for some reason. It's always been a problem. It's never quite got out of the shadows of the heavies, its mainly just seen as a potential breeding ground for them. Maybe a big problem is the lack of characters in the division. It's also never had huge depth at the elite level even in the days of Holy. It's probably hurt by the fact a lot of small tubby heavyweights that should be cruiserweights like Chambers aren't.
