Oleksandr Khyzhniak: The Pulverizer Of Poltava-The Young Raging Bull Of The Ukraine

I was very surprised he didn't qualify for the Olympics. Will he turn pro now do you think?

 

Some decent skills and quick hands, but still too stiff (especially his footwork). Somewhat on the smaller side for a LHW and not a match for the current crop. Should consider SMW as a pro, not LHW.

 

Khyzhniak just won the european championship

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Ukraine has a lot of upcoming talent...........................

 

His fight against Carlos Mina was a brawl.

 

Still too much of a brawler (and not a top one) for my taste. Bit flat footed, too much straight lines. Needs to learn how to jab. Seems to have decent chin, good ring generalship, fast hands and a good snap to his punches. Needs a new trainer. Has to learn to use angles, quicker feet and more varied upper body movement. Did I mention JAB? Still, although raw, he's young, has talent and could be exciting to watch. Good, but no cigar....At least for now.

 

I don't see anything special, but he must hit like a train

The guy he boxed in world finals looked terrified to be in there

Good footwork movement and using range, suddenly his main threat is gone and it's just the pressure you got to handle. Only issue is if he lands it could change the whole fight

 

Needs to tone down abit for the pros

 

I saw the semi fight and by the end of it, I just felt bad for Isley. That blend of heavy hands and workrate is zero fun to fight against, and it showed in OK's opponents' body language.

With the right trainer and mindset in the pros, he's got the tools to be a titlist. Too soon to tell if that's the case right now, but it'll be fun to see where he goes from here regardless.

 

I know it's fast becoming a cliche to take a fighter like that and say "send him to Abel Sanchez", but I'm not gonna lie- the first thing that came to my mind is "send him to Abel Sanchez" lol.

Even if it's not Abel though, he's got to seek out someone who can school him on the finer points of the style, maintain an emphasis on a killer body attack, and do it before he racks up too much amateur mileage.

Khytrov is the perfect example of what NOT to do for OK. He had too many amateur fights. Took too much wear and tear, locked in bad habits, then turned pro with a trainer that's good (he also trains Danny Jacobs) but wasn't the right fit for him. Another cautionary tale is Chakhkiev, who had tremendous tools to work with, but fell in love with his ability to just overwhelm his opponent physically and left gaping holes that tough fighters could exploit. Power punchers and ass kickers are apt to fall victim to their own pride. It's a common trap to fall in to, so he's got to be humble enough to avoid that pitfall moving forward.