I saw him fight Kendall Holt live and have to say he was very good but not great. No hate to him just my personal evaluation. A bit sloppy and lacked the sharpness that you see at elite levels. His conditioning though was out of this world.
He got three gift decisions in a row. First, Manny beat him 9-3. Then Provodnikov beat him by a point. And last, he should have drawn with Marquez.
If he lost to Ruslan by a point and got the nod, it wasn't really a gift. If he drew with Marquez and got the nod, it wasn't really a gift. I had him edging Ruslan and beating Marquez quite clearly.
Excellent pro who melded a good set of boxing skills to considerable athleticism and backed it up with toughness and Saad-like levels of fighting heart and will. Seemed to be quite underestimated for much of his career. Appears to be a high-quality individual outside of the ring. I'd hoped to see him finish on a W, but it really doesn't matter, his defeats came to a great fighter in competitive fights. He was a step behind a Manny or a Floyd, but only a step. This is certainly a justifiable thread. If all fighters around today had his attitude, we'd have a sport.