I'm not putting Pirog on any pedestal **** breath. Let's be real, who did Barker beat that has you rating him over Pirog? Macklin, I suppose had a case with his psuedo-defeat of Sturm, but who was on Macklin's resume previously that you hold in such high regards. Don't worry, I'll wait.
Fight did a bigger gate in terms of both revenue and attendance than any Pirog fight. It's not enough to become a superstar but it's a damn sure better strategy than taking on a relative unknown who can't speak English in a fight the general public can't even see.
Show me how the Macklin fight provided long term growth potential for a 37 year old fighter. You tell me why Martinez would drain himself down to 150, to fight pacquiao or mayweather if it's not for the money? :nut Yea, he's so loaded from investments, that he would zombie-fy himself just to get that check.
So now you magically know what the gate and attendance would've been if Pirog fought Martinez in Russia. Your opinion.
And of course you're just gonna believe what you want. STFU Pirog is a NOBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He beat one cancer ridden propect and has done nothing since but lose his belt that belongs to Martinez anyway.
He fought in front of his biggest live crowd to date on an HBO fight that did his biggest TV rating since the second Williams fight. It's not like they're not also the biggest names in the sport or anything like that.
20-0 no blueprint But seriously, you come out of no where and project yourself as a simple cheerleader. Be easy man.
Pirog lost 3 of the first 4 rounds to Jacobs. He did nothing in rounds 1, 3 and 4 and besides landing one decent punch to Jacobs glass chin in the 2nd and 5th he just stood there and let Jacobs outwork him.
It's a valid inference given the fact that Pirog has been fighting in what largely resemble high school gymnasiums and was trying to have his fight against fellow Russian Martirosyan take place in China. Devastating retort. The same thing certainly couldn't be said for anything you've spouted for the past 5 pages. Your strategy of "maximize income contextual factors be damned and no matter how it impacts your overall career (and taking either of those things into account can only be ducking)" I'm sure is equally sound.