Nikolay Valuev, not only remained an important prospect in heavyweight boxing rather he made himself a valuable asset. This is largely due to the victory over former world champion Sergi Lyakhovich. The fight which took place in Nuremberg, Germany was clearly dominated by Valuev.
The 7ft tall boxer made good use of his height advantage. He ensured that Lyakhovich struggled through out the fight. Both men came into that fight looking great and in form, but it was obvious that Valuev had received a tremendous training lesson from his trainer, Alexander Zimin. He was faster, stronger and made good use of his left jab. When I studied the fight closely, it appeared to me that Sergi Lyakhovich did not consider the size of Valuev during training. It was clear that, Valuev won using the size advantage.
Lyakhovich, tried to ward off the attack of Valuev but it was only momentarily as valuev came forward most times to deliver some deadly punch. Although Lyakhovich was not hurt throughout the fight, he took some punches that dried the sweat off his face. He tried to move in between Valuev, to enable him land some shots but was kept at bay by Valuev’s left jabs.
After watching the fight, I picked two rounds as my best rounds. The fourth and tenth round. In the fourth round, Lyakhovich started aggressively, he landed a shot on Valuev’s head. He dogged most of Valuev’s punches after Valuev pushed him to the ropes. Valuev reacted with some aggressive shots but was immediately countered by Lyakhovich’s sharp left jabs and a left hook to the head of the giant.
The tenth round was evenly matched. Both men were beginning to slow down.Valuev continues to score effectively with his jabs but misses some shots with Lyakhovich moving his head. Valuev landed a right hand on Lyakhovich, the best throughout the fight, Lyakhovich responded with a series of quick left jabs to the head but really did not rock the giant, it was an even round.
Valuev won a majority decision; the judges scored the fight 120-108,120-108 and 120-107. The ring side commentator stated Nikolay Valuev threw four hundred punches to come out tops. By this victory Nikolay Valuev is now the mandatory challenger to the WBA heavyweight title currently held Ruslan Chagaev. In my view, Niklolay is a key contender to the various heavyweight titles and more importantly Sergi Lyakhovic remains relevant, he should just pick up the pieces and move on.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
JUDGEMENT DAY POSTPONED
The much expected fight between Oleg Maskaev and Samuel Peter of Nigeria has been postponed. The fight was originally scheduled for February 2, 2008 at Madison Square Garden. The WBC heavyweight contest will now take place in Cancun Mexico on March 8th 2008.
This will be the first time such fight is taking place in that part of the world. The president of the WBC, Jose Sulaiman, said the choice of the venue is to spread the sport round the world. He however, acknowledged that Las Vegas Nevada is an important center for boxing.
Given this situation, the question that must be answered is who do the odds favour?
My response will follow this order;
Oleg Maskaev: The Russian just came out of injury. It’s obvious he requires some time to really put himself together, that time he now has. Having watched the Samuel Peter and Jameel McCline encounter, he came out to declare his readiness to fight. A move that, apparently proves that he may have noticed some weakness in Samuel Peter. But it also appears that, the call came a bit early and as such the February date may not favour Maskaev.
The last time I watched Maskaev, the Russian showed great calmness a posture that will scare any opponent. Another aspect that must be considered is the choice of the venue. Frantically, the venue seems neutral and does provide a level playing field for both boxers.
However, Maskaev stands a huge chance of retaining his title. He will be doing every thing possible to ensure the fight goes beyond the fifth round. He usually hit harder when opponent play along with his tactics; he is a master of late round surprise.
Samuel Peter: Before his fight against Jameel McCline, he was a clear favourite for the title. But it is clear that Samuel Peter has a questionable chin. However, the jabbing tactics of the Nigerian Nightmare is near perfect. It is the best, I have seen in recent times. Another major plus for Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter is his resolute determination to win. That passion to win was the driving force in his fight with the “Big Time” McCline.
Furthermore, another fact that must be put in focus is that Samuel Peter will be looking to score an early Knock out. He should strive to avoid been pushed into late rounds because that is where Maskaev becomes massive and reckless with punches.
Cognizance must be taken on the age difference. Maskaev is aging and his ring rusty but has got lots of experience. Peter on the other side of the coin, is inform, with great strength. The Nigerian punches harder, is younger and looked too dangerous for the ageing Maskaev. Unshaken determination, focus and relying on his skills are three key abilities that should floor Oleg Maskaev.
Having said that, recall also that peter has more time to stay in shape. He showed class against James “Light out” Toney, after six weeks of training. Now he has twelve weeks to prepare and it is my firm belief that he will be in tip top shape. The fight can actually go either way but on judgment day, the nightmare will scare the title out of Maskaev.
This will be the first time such fight is taking place in that part of the world. The president of the WBC, Jose Sulaiman, said the choice of the venue is to spread the sport round the world. He however, acknowledged that Las Vegas Nevada is an important center for boxing.
Given this situation, the question that must be answered is who do the odds favour?
My response will follow this order;
Oleg Maskaev: The Russian just came out of injury. It’s obvious he requires some time to really put himself together, that time he now has. Having watched the Samuel Peter and Jameel McCline encounter, he came out to declare his readiness to fight. A move that, apparently proves that he may have noticed some weakness in Samuel Peter. But it also appears that, the call came a bit early and as such the February date may not favour Maskaev.
The last time I watched Maskaev, the Russian showed great calmness a posture that will scare any opponent. Another aspect that must be considered is the choice of the venue. Frantically, the venue seems neutral and does provide a level playing field for both boxers.
However, Maskaev stands a huge chance of retaining his title. He will be doing every thing possible to ensure the fight goes beyond the fifth round. He usually hit harder when opponent play along with his tactics; he is a master of late round surprise.
Samuel Peter: Before his fight against Jameel McCline, he was a clear favourite for the title. But it is clear that Samuel Peter has a questionable chin. However, the jabbing tactics of the Nigerian Nightmare is near perfect. It is the best, I have seen in recent times. Another major plus for Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter is his resolute determination to win. That passion to win was the driving force in his fight with the “Big Time” McCline.
Furthermore, another fact that must be put in focus is that Samuel Peter will be looking to score an early Knock out. He should strive to avoid been pushed into late rounds because that is where Maskaev becomes massive and reckless with punches.
Cognizance must be taken on the age difference. Maskaev is aging and his ring rusty but has got lots of experience. Peter on the other side of the coin, is inform, with great strength. The Nigerian punches harder, is younger and looked too dangerous for the ageing Maskaev. Unshaken determination, focus and relying on his skills are three key abilities that should floor Oleg Maskaev.
Having said that, recall also that peter has more time to stay in shape. He showed class against James “Light out” Toney, after six weeks of training. Now he has twelve weeks to prepare and it is my firm belief that he will be in tip top shape. The fight can actually go either way but on judgment day, the nightmare will scare the title out of Maskaev.
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