Maksim Sergeyevich "The Kill" Vlasov

Lerena has to get by Kucher, and that's no certainty. Kucher is on a roughly equivalent level as Nielsen and Kalenga (whom Lerena fought on more or less even terms and nudged past with a majority and split decision respectively) - close enough that "styles make fights" comes into play...

 

I mean, a win over even a grizzled, weight-boomeranged, forty-something USS Cunningham is still pretty nice to have. But that + Keith Tapia are not > Sillakh/Chakh/Durodola. They're more comparable with Daley and Meroro tbh.

 

No kinks in the armor to give Kucher a chance at dismissing the judges (bought or no) & cracking his chin, then?

 

Hmm, sounds like you're right then, Vlasov ought to not go anywhere near SA. Not worth risking all this momentum unraveled with a robbery.

 

Interesting. There are rumblings of Vlasov and Masternak being pointed at each other. Sauerland actually wanted THAT match-up on the Usyk vs. Briedis undercard, but Masternak balked and told his own promoter "no", flat-out refusing to face Vlasov unless it was on his terms (I believe he wanted a longer training camp to prep for him and/or better $$)...hence the Durodola match being made for the next show a week later.

If they put the screws on him and force it, how would it play out?

I actually think it would be a really good, competitive fight - but one I can't see Vlasov losing.

 

Also whispers of Kudryashov being in the works...

 

32 goddamn pounds south of where he belonged. How do you like that for an ugly duckling story?

Just picture, say, Julius Indongo spending the first 3/4 of his career @ light fly!!

...although I guess Andrzej Fonfara did technically start out at welter, that is a similar climb. But he didn't linger in the ill-fitting small weights for long. By his third year pro he was at super middle and by his fourth he was at his naturally inclined 175 to stay.

 

Ooh, him versus Masternak would be choice!

Or have a whole all-Pole round-robin with them, Diablo, Głowacki, Balski and Cieślak.