Ievgen Khytrov

Thanks for the update. I have big hopes for Khytrov. However I could not help notice your two posts are only 1 minute apart. Surely you knew the result before you made your initial post. :yep

Always good to have an insider contribute!:good

 

Can't wait to see Khytrov fight..................

 

500 amateur fights is too much man...brain damage before you even go pro.

 

Do you know and speak with Khytrov personally?

I've seen a lot of Khytrov's fights and studied him a lot, he has room for improvement but is a top fighter. Khytrov is one of my favourite fighters! :happy

 

He is Khytrov's manager I believe.

 

So far Khytrov has been managed well, he's been fighting in front of decent audiences, making visible improvements, and us fans have the access to follow his career as it develops.
When talking about his amateur background, there really are some good features that sell him well to audiences i.e in press conferences, commentary in fights:

1. World Amateur Champion in 2011, having knocked out 3 of his 6 opponents there which is a very high number for the elite amateur level, and beating a good prospect in Ryota Murata, Top Rank's Olympic Gold medalist, having landed knockdowns on Murata.

2. Liken him to Golovkin. He actually displayed greater punching power than Gennady Golovkin in the amateurs, thats a fact.

3. The amateur record of 500 wins, 400 KO's (I don't know where that figure came from)

4. Lost a very controversial decision in the Olympics, and was favourite to win the tournament as he was widely regarded as the best middleweight.

5. Exciting style, he would take a punch to land three and you're guaranteed to see a lot of action and grit from him.

- He's exactly what fans look for. Add to the fact that he seems very enthusiastic, yet is very disciplined in training, that's a good charisma.

I love the fact that Khytrov is not just being that dangerous puncher but he's also being a boxer too. He's a very good boxer and it will also allow him to conserve energy and pace himself better especially if he's punched himself out somewhat he can return to boxing behind a jab, and be a tool to discover how his opponent operates, so Evhen can use the knowledge gained here to attack his opponent.

There's no real rush for Khytrov just yet, working on some of the things I mentioned and obviously working on any aspect that Khytrov's trainer can see, will be a very good learning experience for Khytrov.

 

These are some notes that I made to myself about Khytrov in his fights:

- When Khytrov has his opponent against the ropes, he can focus a little too much on landing shots to the head. When he is throwing a combination, he may have to sacrifice throwing one shot to the head, so instead he can use that time to adjust hit feet to get himself into a position to land a strong body shot.

- I have seen on few occasions, opponents throw combinations from a distance and Khytrov hasn't moved. He won't be able to get away with that as much in the pros because pro judges are not as accurate as amateur judges when it comes to shots landed.

- He should throw punches that wont necessarily land, but it will get his opponent into a position where he can land a big shot - this is a good strategy Lomachenko used in the amateurs. In the pros, it will also help him win points where 'aggression' is concerned.

- When Khytrov commits to throwing a left hand, he can often forget to keep his right hand up OR he can forget head movement, thus allowing his opponent to land a left hook, or a counter left. Ramon Barber and Jason Quigley were particularly successful here. Julius Kennedy the orthodox guy did land left hands a little too easily. When Kennedy tried to left hand to the head of Khytrov and missed, Khytrov made him pay as Kennedy was out of position for a while.
The left hand can further be avoided during in-fighting exchanges if Khytrov moves closer to his opponent to land combinations.

- Khytrov against Murata showed a slight vulnerability to the right hand to the head which is how Murata won the majority of the points he scored on Khytrov.

- When Khytrov is throwing a combination of punches, with his opponent having his guard up, the opponent will drop one hand and get ready to throw that and pivot during the follow through to get out of the ropes.

- Khytrov forcing his fighters on the back foot will lead to them trying to counter and move away, Khytrov has to momentarily keep his guard up as they turn Khytrov.

- Khytrov has a lot of body strength, when the fighter is trying to clinch, Khytrov can slowly tire them out by resting his body weight on them

- When Khytrov is back against the ropes, he should not stay there for too long relying on just his lateral movement or else his opponent will continue to throw and potentially land the majority of punches in that exchange. Footwork is important here.

- When Khytrov gets too eager to throw a combination, his opponent can take a step back and land a counter.
Some of these are reasons why Quigley beat Khytrov although Khytrov definitely deserved the decision. I personally felt Khytrov was robbed here.

 

Khytrov is a beast, no doubt. Hope he moves fast in rankings.

 

Thanks, I don't want to come across as undermining Khytrov's trainer at all, but it may be useful to forward the notes I made on Khytrov to the trainer, because other than the points I made there, I don't see any other real fault in his game.

Even with those faults, he has still been a killer in the amateurs, demolishing world amateur champion 2013 Alimkhanuly, IMO beating Quigley 3-0, and the list goes on..

The amount this man can progress in say 2.5 years is astronomical if he plays his cards right. It would be good for him to find the right balance of brawling and boxing so that he can last 12 rounds. Lomachenko's team were far too cautious in regards to pacing. When fights become wars, you have to put your money on Khytrov.