:? WTF happened??? Diablo was already 20-0 (16) as of this first pro defeat, and had already vanquished at least one legitimate foe, namely Ismail "Cool" Abdoul. Of course, Melkomyan was a 13-0 (7) prospect himself, but his competition was a joke. Of thirteen men faced, twelve had losing records. Wlodarczyk had to have been a massive favorite - rightfully so. That would have been based both on paper and on anyone watching footage of either of them. When the bell rang, however, Melkomyan bossed the Pole around. :blood He led on all three cards as of the stoppage, and had scored a knockdown - WITH A JAB, no less - and opened cuts on Wlodarczyk. Styles make fights and everything, but HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? It just does my head in that Wlodarczyk has a loss to Melkomyan - let alone legitimately (although some controversy does surround what caused Melk's cut, on which it was stopped and sent to a TD) - given the competition that Diablo would fave over the next dozen years. He went 29-2-1 (19) against mostly world class or at the very least European level guys, while Melk subsequently lost in every step up and disappeared. Hell, that early win over Cool Abdoul on Wlodarczyk's resume - his 10th or so best, ultimately, as of now - outranks any win of Melkomyan's if you subtract this one fight. Even if you dismiss the cut on Melkomyan as having been caused in truth by a Wlodarczyk punch and not a headbutt - still, wtf was Diablo doing being in that deep a hole after 4 to a guy that should've on paper been a few classes below him? Just a truly insane outcome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FhAmoWUhoY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le1u_HGvKTE
I mean, all of Melkomyan's punches were affecting Wlodarczyk, from early on. Even the jabs, snapping his neck sharply. A guy who finished with just eight stoppages in 23 bouts, was hammering down on a future world class operator with a notoriously good chin. :? Like, you can't blame it on Diablo being green. He was more experienced than Melk and had faced better competition. Styles make fights, sure, but that ought to only stretch out so far? Isn't class supposed to still tell?
That was a legit KD, too. Stiff powerful jab, flush. Don't give me "off balance". Wlodarczyk's feet were perfectly set.
How do you beat Steve Cunningham, Rakhim Chakhkiev, Francisco Palacios x2, Danny Green, Giacobbe Fragomeni x2, Ruediger May, Imamu Mayfield, and Ismail Abdoul, with your only blemishes a MD loss to Cunningham, draw with Fragomeni, and, in your career twilight, 14 years into your campaign, a UD loss to Grigory Drozd - and have lost your zero to a greener Melkomyan!??!? Just reading off the names of those who've defeated Wlod is surreal. You have prime Drozd, prime Cunningham...and Pavel Melkomyan, in very strangely unlike company. :blood
Professionally, that is. Floyd and Gennady have what, a handful of amateur losses between them? Numerable on just two hands ( maybe a foot, with leftover toes) between them? Wlodarczyk has actually had many off nights - Palacios I, for instance - but to have lost to someone like Melk while holding every conceivable advantage over him bar perhaps styles (power, experience, LOC) is baffling.
Wlodarczyk is known to be heavy-handed. That is demonstrable, proven against world class opposition. He couldn't make a dent on Melk, though he did get blows in. ...that is even though Melk would be stopped in two of his subsequent three steps up in class. :blood Wlodarczyk is known to have a hell of a beard. Again, that is demonstrable, proven against world class opposition. Melk buzzed him, repeatedly, starting early & often, and even dropped him fair & square with a goddamn JAB. ...that is even though Melk has a feather-fist's record, with just eight of 23 bouts finished, and having never stopped anyone meaningful. :blood
oh, I'm not comparing Wlod to Floyd or GGG, by any stretch all I'm saying, everyone has that one guy, who, despite the ridiculous odds, gives them trouble and even hands them a loss, whether it's because: he's their boogeyman, the better guy had a bad camp, night off, or his opponent just gave the highlight fight of his career, it's just two of those situations meeting at the right moment, and that's what probably happened when Wlod and Melkomyan fought :good
True, true, true. I hear what you're saying. Generally cases like this actually thrill me, because they prove anything can happen in boxing. I don't know why this one bothers me so much. I mean, I like Diablo but am not a super-fan or anything. I don't know why it bothers me so much that he lost to Melkomyan. :yep I think maybe the question marks hanging around it? Like, had a rematch been ordered because of the ambiguity over whether a punch or headbutt caused Melk's cut - how would it have gone??? Would the loss have been avenged or was this just a case of an inferior fighter having a superior one's number, as we do see at times? Like, if they fought another nine times would it be 10-0 for Melk, or even a majority? If the cut had not occurred and they fought past four rounds, would the slow-starting Wlodarczyk have dug his way out from that early hole? Or was Melk just his Kryptonite?
AND WHY DIDN'T HE EVER CHASE A REMATCH?? Melk remained active for three years after this, with his last match coming a month after Wlodarczyk captured the IBF world title in Cunningham I. That's plenty of time for Wlodarczyk to have looked to avenge it.
