Super heavyweight Bakhodyr Jalolov turns pro.

Hrgovic might be getting abit to much hype... he did not look great vs tom little... joyce looked better vs Lewiston to be fair...

 

There are so many Eastern European fighters coming up the ladder that it's difficult to keep up, one of them is 6 feet 10 inches tall, some are 6 feet 6 inches tall, other 6' 5", 6' 8", 6' 3", you name it, but they all have lots of potential..............

 

Houmzz,

Hrgovic is about as well rounded as they come for 3-0 fighters.

Exactly what vulnerabilities did he show? He was in there vs. a 10-3 guy, who happened to have shell defense and combined with quick hands, and cornering ability. Good countering ability is uncommon at heavyweight, but his opponent ( Tom Little ) could do it. Little who landed some punches won maybe one ten second segment in the entire fight, losing all four rounds exposed nothing that can't be corrected. I think Hrgovic can learn from this mistakes and perhaps tried a bit too hard to impress.

His style is to attack, and he can afford to take risks because he's got a rock for a chin. As for his power, it's very good. He took his opponents legs out from under him. IMO, if the same punch landed on Joshua, he's going down too. See his 2nd pro fight. That guy was OUT.

But this is a Jarolov thread. Potential I think Jarolov has, but I think his will to mix it, and how he reacts/changes things up when hit are flaws in his game. The power is A+ for Jarolov, but his heart for combat, and chin I think are just above average to good vs the better men he faced in the amateurs.

In the past, usually there were only one or two super heavyweights with skills out there on the horizon, so it was easy to predict how far he could go. These days it seems like there is a factory for them! I see a few young pros that are better in terms of potential than say, Parker, and Wilder and several with the power to Ko'd Joshua. We shall see who is #1 by 2021. My guess is it won't be Joshua.

 

Jalolov Or Hrgovic?

I'll open by saying Jarolov impressed me in the Olympics, but disappointed vs. Joyce, gassing a bit and not fighting back to win. But he was 22 vs. a 30+-year-old man, so there is some unfilled upside. Hrgovic ( who I think was age 23 at the time ) by contrast was robbed vs. Yoka and should have won the gold medal.
But who has the edge? Here's how I see it in ten areas:

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Who will be the greater pro, I say Hrgovic, but I'll hedge a little by saying Jarlov is only 23 now, and Hrgovic himself improved a lot from 23-25. I just think the thunderous punching Jarolov has more built-in flaws in his game that have limited room for improvement. If Jarolov suddenly becomes more tough-minded and works on defense, he too can go far, maybe even further. Until then I'll go Hrgovic's versatility, intangibles/heart, durability, and speed over raw power.

 

From what I've seen from him in many matches, I disagree.

Little was forced to the ropes and covered up ( which he did well ), and often ran.

Hrgovic had no issues catching him or landing, and had him pinned where he wanted.

Issues with cutting off the ring means you can't catch up to your opponent and land or get him on the ropes or in corners as the other guy escapes to the middle or to find more room. That did not happen in the Tom Little fight.

I don't want to make it seem like I'm down on Jalolov. He's a grade A prospect and a very young one too. I rate him 3rd overall of the young guns behind Hrgovic and Dychko but ahead of Joyce, Yoka, Dubois, and Teslenko.

Dychko however doesn't have as much potential as Jarolov.