Denis Shafikov looking like Jake LaMotta. He has a short squat style avoiding incoming shots from the taller opponent and when getting in bombing him.
He's been underrated for years, and this isn't the first time he's been a globe trotting underdog who upset the apple cart. :deal
Linking up with Abel was definitely not a dumb move. I think he would've been a stylistic nightmare for Herring no matter who there was in his corner, but he is tweaking some things (and late in the game, at that) subtly in a promising way. He could still make some noise if he gets the right match-ups.
Certainly not as good as ESPN was claiming he, but Shafikov was a 2 - 1 underdog!!! He wasn't supposed to win!!!
Was there any excuses for he's performance and is the fight worth watching? I never rated herring at all to be far so i don't see this as any more than a solid win for shafikov