JALOLOV.....

First thing I noticed about Jalolov after tuning in as the fourth round was starting was that he was already tired and trying to catch his breath. Got deducted a point for excessive holding and this is against an unremarkable 35 year old nobody fighter. Hate to say it but Jalolov may be good enough to pick up a belt but he is not the future of the heavyweight division nor is he going to leave a ATG legacy.

But.... you never know, the already poor heavyweight division may get even weaker once the current top fighters retire. I haven't seen many names that I pick to takeover once Fury, Joshua & Wilder retire.

 

He's got the basics in spades but it's going to take more than light feet and a banger left hand to achieve at the top level. He needs a right hook, knowing how to sustain an attack to get his opponent in a deficit and to use his jab as a weapon, not just a range finder.

Physically, he's got all the goods you could want. Stylistically he doesn't seem to have developed beyond the minimum that works for him against opponents on this low level.

 

Oh, you mean Usyk. He will retire alongside them. I meant for the following generation.

 

Not impressed with Jalolov either. There’s just too many elements to his game that are missing. I think he tops out as a top 10-15 kind of guy who gets knocked out before ever getting to a title shot.

 

He is good. He is still young so can use refining. If he has a chin he will go far mark my words

 

Give the guy some time. He will get better no doubt.

 

Usyk needs his speed, endurance, and balance to underpin his game and those traits tend to fade earlier than raw power. It's the sluggers that stick around. He's had a long career already and training for fights wears one down.

The Pandemic and Russia/Ukraine messes have really thrown wrenches in fight-making, but I'd be suprised if Usyk hasn't call it quits by his 37th birthday.

 

I, too, see some current limits in his repertoire.

But I'm betting the line of fighters queueing up to fight him in even his current state of development will be short.

 

Never heard of him, I've heard of jalapeno though.

 

There were times in the fight where he could have stopped his opponent earlier - and there are going to be fights where he will pay for not doing that - but he's probably only had 3 useful pro fights in his career (Mulowayi & Soklolowski were recent - and then Tyrell Wright from a few years ago). So I don't feel like red-flagging Jalolov quite yet. Particularly as he's stopped everybody he faced - and the last two opponents were not chinny.

Here's a pre-fight quote from Jalolov at the presser:

"If the knockout comes it comes but I’m not chasing it. I never chased it in the amateurs or the pros. It’s just when I land on people they get hurt. If I wanted to, I could drop anyone with a punch, a straight right, left, a body shot, in sparring people go down from jabs, body shots. I’m not looking for it, but if the punch lands clean, it doesn’t matter what punch it is. I’m 250 pounds and whatever I touch it will be painful."

That describes the fight he actually fought.

More than anything, I think he needs to improve his punch variety and we need to see him in with a fighter whose got a very good jab to work off of. Frank Sanchez, Otto Wallin - even Tony Yoka - if they want the work would be good fits there.