The USA may not be the home of the Heavyweight division any more though that doesn't mean the US can't have it's own emerging Heavyweight prospects. With this in mind it seems a fitting time to look at young American Heavyweight Alexander Flores (9-0, 7).
The good looking 22 year old Flores from California first came to the sport as a chubby kid looking to lose weight though swiftly made an impact in the local amateur scene as claimed the Southern California Golden Gloves title.
Following his amateur success, and short career in the unpaid ranks (where he went 14-2) Flores turned professional and debuted in March 2010. On debut Flores managed to stop Antonio Robertson (also making debut) in the 2nd round. Just months after his debut Flores was again in the ring, this time with Richard Hale. Hale, like Robertson, managed to make his way into the second round but was stopped before the end of the round. Flores would end the year 3-0 (2) after adding Cornell Davis to his record and securing his first decision victory.
After a successful 2010, Flores continued to improve and scored 4 more wins the following year, including out pointing the once promising Quadtrine Hill and stopping Ukrainian Serhiy Karpenko, two very good tests for a novice like Flores. By the end of 2011 Flores was starting to receive some hype and whilst it was only a whispers of his potential some hard started to take attention to the tall (6'4"), well conditioned and good looking fighter who had not only the skills to go a long way but also the looks that boxing promoters kill for. The boxing world was waking up to Flores and as a result he was able to spar with a number of highly rated opponents, including former world title contender Chris Arreola.
So far in 2012 Flores has managed to again takes steps in the right direction and claimed his first title, the WBC Youth Heavyweight title as he stopped the previously unbeaten Joey Montoya. In his next fight Flores will face the much more experienced Henry Namauu (10-4, 5), an opponent who's last stoppage loss came in 2008 to the hard hitting Seth Mitchell.
If Flores can continue to improve under the radar there really is no limit to just how far the youngster can go. He may well become one of America's top hopes for a Heavyweight world champion in a post Klitschko era.
Showing posts with label boxing prospect. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boxing prospect. Show all posts
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Dillian White
Heavyweight boxing might be dominated by two very skilled super heavyweights who use skills, size and their intelligence to control fights, though lets be honest we often prefer to just watch a wild tear-up with two men slugging it out. Yes sure brawls can be ungainly and relatively ugly affairs but they can also be really good fun as both men throw everything they have at each other and make up for a lack of finesse with pure drive and determination, it's this determination that makes British heavyweight prospect Dillian "The Villain" White (4-0, 1) so fun to watch.
White has come to boxing without a great amateur background though has been involved in other fighting sports and is a genuinely tough man who comes to the ring with a fighters mentality. As a result of his background White isn't a well rounded boxer, he doesn't have the piston like jab of the Klitschko's or the intelligent ability to out think opponents though what he does have is the mind of a fighter and the mind to adapt as well as the fact that he's not thinking too far ahead. White knows he's currently a fighter in training and with just 4 fights he isn't yet looking even at British titles though he is slowly but surely making himself a more rounded fighter who is using his experience to mold himself into a better boxer.
Based in London and under the tutelage of former Commonwealth Cruiserweight champion Chris Okoh the 26 year old White made his debut in May 2011 when he out pointed tough Bulgarian Tayar Mehmed. After defeating Mehmed over 4 rounds White was given a hard time in the gym and managed to improve his fitness before returning to take on journeyman Remigijus Ziausys. White would again be forced to go the distance with Ziausys who managed to steal a share of a single round. While White wasn't blowing opponents away he was learning a lot in the ring with 2 crafty and tough European journeymen who would almost certainly have helped White advance his skills more than confidence building blow outs over people there merely to collect a pay check.
To end 2011 White scored his stoppage win as he defeated Toni Visic in the 3rd round of a scheduled 4 round affair. Although it was a stoppage victory it didn't little in all honesty to forward White's career against a relative novice who did little to test the promising Brit. It wasn't long however until White would be given another solid work out, this time against British based Zimbabwe born veteran Hastings Rasani. Rasani against forced White to go the full schedule of 4 rounds and whilst White was generally impressive with bullish strength and determination he was shown to still have a number of technical flaws that hopefully will be smoothed off over his coming few fights.
This weekend White is penciled in to face Kristian Kirilov (2-0-1), on paper this is a bout that White should win with out too many issues and hopefully by stoppage just to instill more confidence in the emerging British fighter who adds his name to the growing list of Heavyweight Hopefuls from the UK.
White has come to boxing without a great amateur background though has been involved in other fighting sports and is a genuinely tough man who comes to the ring with a fighters mentality. As a result of his background White isn't a well rounded boxer, he doesn't have the piston like jab of the Klitschko's or the intelligent ability to out think opponents though what he does have is the mind of a fighter and the mind to adapt as well as the fact that he's not thinking too far ahead. White knows he's currently a fighter in training and with just 4 fights he isn't yet looking even at British titles though he is slowly but surely making himself a more rounded fighter who is using his experience to mold himself into a better boxer.
Based in London and under the tutelage of former Commonwealth Cruiserweight champion Chris Okoh the 26 year old White made his debut in May 2011 when he out pointed tough Bulgarian Tayar Mehmed. After defeating Mehmed over 4 rounds White was given a hard time in the gym and managed to improve his fitness before returning to take on journeyman Remigijus Ziausys. White would again be forced to go the distance with Ziausys who managed to steal a share of a single round. While White wasn't blowing opponents away he was learning a lot in the ring with 2 crafty and tough European journeymen who would almost certainly have helped White advance his skills more than confidence building blow outs over people there merely to collect a pay check.
To end 2011 White scored his stoppage win as he defeated Toni Visic in the 3rd round of a scheduled 4 round affair. Although it was a stoppage victory it didn't little in all honesty to forward White's career against a relative novice who did little to test the promising Brit. It wasn't long however until White would be given another solid work out, this time against British based Zimbabwe born veteran Hastings Rasani. Rasani against forced White to go the full schedule of 4 rounds and whilst White was generally impressive with bullish strength and determination he was shown to still have a number of technical flaws that hopefully will be smoothed off over his coming few fights.
This weekend White is penciled in to face Kristian Kirilov (2-0-1), on paper this is a bout that White should win with out too many issues and hopefully by stoppage just to instill more confidence in the emerging British fighter who adds his name to the growing list of Heavyweight Hopefuls from the UK.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Deontay Wilder
Since this blog was started I've had to pick and choose which heavyweights to write about and I've also had to use some form of "editors discretion" over who to write about and who to "ignore", with unbeaten American heavyweight Deontay Wilder (20-0, 20) being one that I've chosen to ignore so far. Though it's now time to give "The Bronze Bomber" his dues and admit that he is slowly but surely heading in the right direction after 20 fights and over 3 years treading water as a professional.
Wilder burst on to the amateur scene back in 2007 when he won two national titles (the 2007 US Nationals and the 2007 Golden Gloves) after having only a handful of fights behind him. The following year he made a name for himself winning a bronze medal at the Olympic games losing to experienced Italian Clemente Russo. Wilder seemed like a natural and with his impressive size (6'7" and 84" wingspan) he seemed to be perfect for the growing trend of super tall athletic heavyweights (much like the Klitschko's and David Price).
Following his amateur success Wilder signed a professional deal with American promotional outfit Golden Boy Promotions and it seemed as if he would be the big USA heavyweight hopeful. Despite the high expectations many had for Wilder, he progressed slowly with his management team taking an ultra cautious approach to his career. After debuting with a 2nd round KO over Ethan Cox in November 2008 Wilder would run up 8 straight opening round victories over novices their for a pay day as opposed to winning real fights.
Through Wilder's first 10 fights his opponents combined records stood at a measly 30-37-10 (as they entered against him) averaging a little over 7.5 fights a piece (with opponent Charles Brown accounting for 22 of the 77 combined fights). Some boxing fans we're being incredibly patient with Wilder, though many had become tired of him, the over-protective matchmaking had annoyed many to the point of not caring about him and blanking him from their mind. Just a few fights later boxing fans then wrote Wilder off completely as he was decked and seemed out on his feet against Harold Sconiers before stopping Sconiers in the 4th round.
Sconiers had scared the living daylights out of Wilder's team and they decided to take their fighter back down a level as Wilder faced Cruiserweight journeyman Dan Sheehan (who had been stopped in 4 of his previous 5). Wilder stopped Sheehan impressively inside a round though doubts about Wilder's chin were still being asked following the Sconiers fight and he was now 14 fights into his career with out facing anyone expected to put up much of a fight.
Though a busy 2011 Wilder fought 6 times and took significant steps up in opponents facing the likes of former world title challenger Damon Reed (who Wilder stopped inside 2 rounds) and 39 year old David Long (who Wilder stopped inside a round). Though neither Reed or Long are great opponents they both represented a step up in class and now with a record of 20-0 (20) Wilder will be looking to build towards a world ranking come the end of 2012. To start the new year Wilder will be facing the hard punching Chris Koval (25-8, 18). Sadly Koval is another step backwards for Wilder and has been stopped in 5 of his last 8 contests, though if Wilder steps up through out the year he may well begin to live up to the promise his short but impressive amateur career suggested he had.
Wilder burst on to the amateur scene back in 2007 when he won two national titles (the 2007 US Nationals and the 2007 Golden Gloves) after having only a handful of fights behind him. The following year he made a name for himself winning a bronze medal at the Olympic games losing to experienced Italian Clemente Russo. Wilder seemed like a natural and with his impressive size (6'7" and 84" wingspan) he seemed to be perfect for the growing trend of super tall athletic heavyweights (much like the Klitschko's and David Price).
Following his amateur success Wilder signed a professional deal with American promotional outfit Golden Boy Promotions and it seemed as if he would be the big USA heavyweight hopeful. Despite the high expectations many had for Wilder, he progressed slowly with his management team taking an ultra cautious approach to his career. After debuting with a 2nd round KO over Ethan Cox in November 2008 Wilder would run up 8 straight opening round victories over novices their for a pay day as opposed to winning real fights.
Through Wilder's first 10 fights his opponents combined records stood at a measly 30-37-10 (as they entered against him) averaging a little over 7.5 fights a piece (with opponent Charles Brown accounting for 22 of the 77 combined fights). Some boxing fans we're being incredibly patient with Wilder, though many had become tired of him, the over-protective matchmaking had annoyed many to the point of not caring about him and blanking him from their mind. Just a few fights later boxing fans then wrote Wilder off completely as he was decked and seemed out on his feet against Harold Sconiers before stopping Sconiers in the 4th round.
Sconiers had scared the living daylights out of Wilder's team and they decided to take their fighter back down a level as Wilder faced Cruiserweight journeyman Dan Sheehan (who had been stopped in 4 of his previous 5). Wilder stopped Sheehan impressively inside a round though doubts about Wilder's chin were still being asked following the Sconiers fight and he was now 14 fights into his career with out facing anyone expected to put up much of a fight.
Though a busy 2011 Wilder fought 6 times and took significant steps up in opponents facing the likes of former world title challenger Damon Reed (who Wilder stopped inside 2 rounds) and 39 year old David Long (who Wilder stopped inside a round). Though neither Reed or Long are great opponents they both represented a step up in class and now with a record of 20-0 (20) Wilder will be looking to build towards a world ranking come the end of 2012. To start the new year Wilder will be facing the hard punching Chris Koval (25-8, 18). Sadly Koval is another step backwards for Wilder and has been stopped in 5 of his last 8 contests, though if Wilder steps up through out the year he may well begin to live up to the promise his short but impressive amateur career suggested he had.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Joe Hanks
I've often found it really hard to find many worth while American Heavyweight Prospects to talk about on this blog and as a result it often seems I've spent more time talking about rising European fighters, however in Joe Hanks (18-0, 12) the USA does have a promising fighter.
Hanks, from New Jersey, was a solid amateur who often seemed to be described as having a style that better suited the professional game than the amateur side of the sport and in 2007 he put those comments to the test as he turned over. In his debut in December 2007 he stopped the huge 280lbs Joseph Rabotte in 2 rounds and then took 4 months to hone his craft somewhat before returning to the ring and beating Corey Winfield in a clear 4 round decision. Hanks would later add 2 more wins (both by stoppage) during 2008 before starting 2009 with a 4-0 (3) record, though he had yet to fight anyone who was really worthy of talking about, in fact it wasn't until August 2009 that Hanks faced his first real test.
After running up a perfect record of 8-0 (6) Hanks would face fellow unbeaten fighter Ashanti Jordan who was 10-0 (7). This was the first real test either man had faced though Jordan was favoured to win having been signed to Golden Boy Promotions and having had a very strong amateur background. Hanks hadn't read the script and clearly beat Jordan just dropping a single round on 1 of the 3 score cards. Jordan's hopes had been shattered and at the time of writing he hasn't returned to the ring (and is unlikely to ever do so).
6 months after beating Jordan we would see Hanks in his second test as he faced experienced journeyman Cliff Couser. Whilst Couser took an unflattering record of 26-20-2 to the ring he had once been a very good fighter and held wins over the likes of James "Quick" Tillis and Monte Barrett, and certainly knew his way around the ring. It took the still green Hanks just 142 seconds to dispatch his veteran opponent in what was a genuinely impressive result.
After picking up 2 more easy wins to take Hanks' record to 13-0 (8) he would face Johnnie White (who was 22-2, 18 himself). White was around the same age and size as Hanks and certainly still had belief in himself having only lost to Dominick Guinn and Seth Mitchell the difference however was that Hanks was simply to good. White's power was neutralised by the ability Hanks had and Hanks would take a wide decision.
Since beating White we haven't really seen Hanks step up a great deal, in fact his best win since facing White was against Alfredo Escalera Jr, a fighter who spent vast swathes of his career fighting as a Cruiserweight. Hanks did however pick up the IBA Americas heavyweight title a title that he defends this coming weekend against Cuban Rafael Pedro (21-9-1, 15). Whilst hanks is expected to deal with the veteran Cuban with out too many problems, it would be nice to see Hanks taking a step up in class again soon. Maybe facing a former champion (such as Hasim Rahman) would be a step too far but someone like Nicolai Firtha, Tye Fields or even Ray Austin could be good scalps to try and get, just to help Hanks get his name out there a bit more.
The video below is thanks to defymagonline
Hanks, from New Jersey, was a solid amateur who often seemed to be described as having a style that better suited the professional game than the amateur side of the sport and in 2007 he put those comments to the test as he turned over. In his debut in December 2007 he stopped the huge 280lbs Joseph Rabotte in 2 rounds and then took 4 months to hone his craft somewhat before returning to the ring and beating Corey Winfield in a clear 4 round decision. Hanks would later add 2 more wins (both by stoppage) during 2008 before starting 2009 with a 4-0 (3) record, though he had yet to fight anyone who was really worthy of talking about, in fact it wasn't until August 2009 that Hanks faced his first real test.
After running up a perfect record of 8-0 (6) Hanks would face fellow unbeaten fighter Ashanti Jordan who was 10-0 (7). This was the first real test either man had faced though Jordan was favoured to win having been signed to Golden Boy Promotions and having had a very strong amateur background. Hanks hadn't read the script and clearly beat Jordan just dropping a single round on 1 of the 3 score cards. Jordan's hopes had been shattered and at the time of writing he hasn't returned to the ring (and is unlikely to ever do so).
6 months after beating Jordan we would see Hanks in his second test as he faced experienced journeyman Cliff Couser. Whilst Couser took an unflattering record of 26-20-2 to the ring he had once been a very good fighter and held wins over the likes of James "Quick" Tillis and Monte Barrett, and certainly knew his way around the ring. It took the still green Hanks just 142 seconds to dispatch his veteran opponent in what was a genuinely impressive result.
After picking up 2 more easy wins to take Hanks' record to 13-0 (8) he would face Johnnie White (who was 22-2, 18 himself). White was around the same age and size as Hanks and certainly still had belief in himself having only lost to Dominick Guinn and Seth Mitchell the difference however was that Hanks was simply to good. White's power was neutralised by the ability Hanks had and Hanks would take a wide decision.
Since beating White we haven't really seen Hanks step up a great deal, in fact his best win since facing White was against Alfredo Escalera Jr, a fighter who spent vast swathes of his career fighting as a Cruiserweight. Hanks did however pick up the IBA Americas heavyweight title a title that he defends this coming weekend against Cuban Rafael Pedro (21-9-1, 15). Whilst hanks is expected to deal with the veteran Cuban with out too many problems, it would be nice to see Hanks taking a step up in class again soon. Maybe facing a former champion (such as Hasim Rahman) would be a step too far but someone like Nicolai Firtha, Tye Fields or even Ray Austin could be good scalps to try and get, just to help Hanks get his name out there a bit more.
The video below is thanks to defymagonline
Monday, 28 November 2011
Edmund Gerber
This coming weekend is a boxing fans dreams with a huge number of notable fights. Seriously just look at this list of great fights:
Robert Helenius v Dereck Chisora
Alexander Povetkin v Cedric Boswell
Jhonny Gonzalez v Roinet Caballero
Prince Aaron v Brian Rose
Abner Mares v Joseph Agbeko II
Anselmo Moreno v Vic Darchinyan
Pawel Wolak v Delvin Rodriguez II
Brandon Rios v John Murray
Mike Jones v Sebastian Andres Lujan
and of course Miguel Angel Cotto v Antonio Margarito II
Though if you were just thinking it was just a night of big high profile title fights, you'd be wrong, a number of emerging prospects fight on the same night, the most interesting (in regards to the heavyweight division) is quite possibly Edmund Gerber (17-0, 11). Gerber is one of the younger prospects in the division at just 23 years old though is also one who, outside of Germany, hasn't really received much hype despite being a 4 year pro.
Gerber turned professional way back in 2007 and has slowly been improving and racking up victories. Sadly he has a number of things going against him, most notably his style which isn't the most fun to watch, in fact at times he can appear downright lazy. Although he may seem dull he does possess solid skills and genuine 1 punch KO power which he showed in fantastic fashion in his last fight as he sparked Yohan Banks.
When it comes to Gerber's potential he's incredibly young and it's perhaps going to be a while to see him become the complete article, though what we have seen has been a real mixed bag. He's scored a solid stoppage over Rene Dettweiler and shut out Zack Page as well taking on a variety of British journeymen (such as Lee Swaby, Carl Baker, Colin Kenna and Paul Butler) though has yet to really mix it with any solid European level guys. Whilst he does have time on his side it would be nice to see him step in with someone like Yaroslav Zavorotnyi who will come to win and could act as a marking stick somewhat.
Gerber's next fight takes place on the card in Helsinki (which also plays host to Helenius v Chisora and Povetkin v Boswell) and will hopefully be featured on Box Nation in the UK. Although Gerber faces the veteran Marcus McGee (23-18-0-1, 7KO's) it does give us a chance to compare Gerber to David Rodriguez (who was taken the distance by McGee) and hopefully marks the start of Gerber's progression through the levels of opponents.
An updated piece on Edmund Gerber can be found on boxingprospects.info, click here for that.
Video below courtesy of deebak777
Robert Helenius v Dereck Chisora
Alexander Povetkin v Cedric Boswell
Jhonny Gonzalez v Roinet Caballero
Prince Aaron v Brian Rose
Abner Mares v Joseph Agbeko II
Anselmo Moreno v Vic Darchinyan
Pawel Wolak v Delvin Rodriguez II
Brandon Rios v John Murray
Mike Jones v Sebastian Andres Lujan
and of course Miguel Angel Cotto v Antonio Margarito II
Though if you were just thinking it was just a night of big high profile title fights, you'd be wrong, a number of emerging prospects fight on the same night, the most interesting (in regards to the heavyweight division) is quite possibly Edmund Gerber (17-0, 11). Gerber is one of the younger prospects in the division at just 23 years old though is also one who, outside of Germany, hasn't really received much hype despite being a 4 year pro.
Gerber turned professional way back in 2007 and has slowly been improving and racking up victories. Sadly he has a number of things going against him, most notably his style which isn't the most fun to watch, in fact at times he can appear downright lazy. Although he may seem dull he does possess solid skills and genuine 1 punch KO power which he showed in fantastic fashion in his last fight as he sparked Yohan Banks.
When it comes to Gerber's potential he's incredibly young and it's perhaps going to be a while to see him become the complete article, though what we have seen has been a real mixed bag. He's scored a solid stoppage over Rene Dettweiler and shut out Zack Page as well taking on a variety of British journeymen (such as Lee Swaby, Carl Baker, Colin Kenna and Paul Butler) though has yet to really mix it with any solid European level guys. Whilst he does have time on his side it would be nice to see him step in with someone like Yaroslav Zavorotnyi who will come to win and could act as a marking stick somewhat.
Gerber's next fight takes place on the card in Helsinki (which also plays host to Helenius v Chisora and Povetkin v Boswell) and will hopefully be featured on Box Nation in the UK. Although Gerber faces the veteran Marcus McGee (23-18-0-1, 7KO's) it does give us a chance to compare Gerber to David Rodriguez (who was taken the distance by McGee) and hopefully marks the start of Gerber's progression through the levels of opponents.
An updated piece on Edmund Gerber can be found on boxingprospects.info, click here for that.
Video below courtesy of deebak777
Friday, 18 November 2011
Magomed Abdusalamov
Although on the older side at 30 years old the Russian born Southpaw has managed to (just) get himself mentioned on this blog due to the way his career is progressing more than anything else. Stood at 6'2" the southpaw was born in Makhachkala, Russia though is now fighting out of Oxnard, California where he is promoted by Seminole Warriors Boxing (who actually have him being younger than Boxrec).
Magomed was a solid amateur fighter having been a 2-time Russian amateur champion at Super Heavyweight (2005 and 2006) though his amateur credentials do seem to lack somewhat on the world stage mainly due to being Russia's #2 behind Islam Timurziev. Being the second choice behind Timurziev however shouldn't make boxing fans worry too much about Magomed's potential as Timurziev was the 2006 European champion and 2007 World Bronze medal winner.
After missing out on an Olympic place Magomed would turn professional and debut in September 2008. His debut was short lived as he took out Epiphanie Pipi in just 130 seconds on a card in Russia. Despite it being a brief fight it's still one of the longest of his career as he's paved a path of destruction in an 11 fight career that has seen ever opponent taken out before the final bell. In fact Magomed's first 8 fights failed to even last a round as he showed impressive power. Although many of his early wins were against relative nobodies who were their to pad his record and help him earn a reputation as a banger he did impressively take out the experienced Raymond Ochieng in 95 seconds, probably his most impressive win to date.
Now with a record of 11 wins all by KO (and only Jerry Butler having survived a round) Magomed is preparing for his toughest fight to date when he takes on Rich "Super" Power on November 20th. Power comes to the ring with a very respectable record of 15-1 (11) with his only loss coming on points to Tyson Fury last year. A stoppage win over Power would lay down the marker and give the first real comparison between Magomed and the gigantic Englishman who was recently dropped by Neven Pajkic.
With explosive power in both hands and a real killer instinct it's going to be fun to see just how far Magomed can go in the sport, though if nothing else it's nice to see that he is taking the sport seriously having lost around 30lbs since his debut. Whilst he may appear crude at times he is likely just overly confident of taking his early opponents out and has no fear which could make him one of the most fun heavyweights to watch that we've seen since Tyson.
Magomed was a solid amateur fighter having been a 2-time Russian amateur champion at Super Heavyweight (2005 and 2006) though his amateur credentials do seem to lack somewhat on the world stage mainly due to being Russia's #2 behind Islam Timurziev. Being the second choice behind Timurziev however shouldn't make boxing fans worry too much about Magomed's potential as Timurziev was the 2006 European champion and 2007 World Bronze medal winner.
After missing out on an Olympic place Magomed would turn professional and debut in September 2008. His debut was short lived as he took out Epiphanie Pipi in just 130 seconds on a card in Russia. Despite it being a brief fight it's still one of the longest of his career as he's paved a path of destruction in an 11 fight career that has seen ever opponent taken out before the final bell. In fact Magomed's first 8 fights failed to even last a round as he showed impressive power. Although many of his early wins were against relative nobodies who were their to pad his record and help him earn a reputation as a banger he did impressively take out the experienced Raymond Ochieng in 95 seconds, probably his most impressive win to date.
Now with a record of 11 wins all by KO (and only Jerry Butler having survived a round) Magomed is preparing for his toughest fight to date when he takes on Rich "Super" Power on November 20th. Power comes to the ring with a very respectable record of 15-1 (11) with his only loss coming on points to Tyson Fury last year. A stoppage win over Power would lay down the marker and give the first real comparison between Magomed and the gigantic Englishman who was recently dropped by Neven Pajkic.
With explosive power in both hands and a real killer instinct it's going to be fun to see just how far Magomed can go in the sport, though if nothing else it's nice to see that he is taking the sport seriously having lost around 30lbs since his debut. Whilst he may appear crude at times he is likely just overly confident of taking his early opponents out and has no fear which could make him one of the most fun heavyweights to watch that we've seen since Tyson.
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Oscar Rivas
When it comes to Colombian fighters a common feature is power and and this is one feature of Oscar Rivas, a man nicknamed "Kaboom" due to his power. Rivas was born in 1987 in Valle del Cauca, Colombia (though is now based in Quebec, Canada) and it was whilst competing for Colombia as an amateur that Rivas first came to the attention of the boxing world. As an amateur Rivas would win a number of medals, most impressively was a gold medal at the 2008 Pan Am games. Amongst those he beat as an amateur were Kubrat Pulev, Robert Alfonso and Mike Wilson, 3 impressive names to have on his ledger. In fact the win over Pulev came in the 2008 Olympics, the biggest stage of all.
Since turning professional in Canada back in August 2009 Rivas has largely gone under the radar though been compiling impressive wins for such a novice. Whilst he's not being fast tracked he's already beaten a number of experienced fighters including Stephane Tessier and Ramon Hayes and gained the hard needed seasoning that many young heavyweight prospects lack until later on in their career.
Although Rivas has struggled in one of his early fights (winning "just" a majority decision over David Whittom) he is developing into a better and more complete fighter as shown by his swift stoppage victory over the previous unbeaten Zsolt Zathureczky inside a round that helped moved his record to 6-0 (3). Rivas will be taking part in his 7th professional contest when he faces the very experienced Edgars Kalnars of Latvia. It'd be a huge shock if Rivas doesn't stop the aging Latvian though the fight will help get Rivas some much needed "big scene" experience with the fight taking place on the undercard of Lucien Bute v Glen Johnson.
The videos below are for Rivas' full professional debut against Joe Stofle and are thanks to 14caratboxing
UPDATE-Rivas will fight on December 10th against Matthew Greer in Canada. Also on the card is fellow top Colombian prospect Eleider Alvarez.
Since turning professional in Canada back in August 2009 Rivas has largely gone under the radar though been compiling impressive wins for such a novice. Whilst he's not being fast tracked he's already beaten a number of experienced fighters including Stephane Tessier and Ramon Hayes and gained the hard needed seasoning that many young heavyweight prospects lack until later on in their career.
Although Rivas has struggled in one of his early fights (winning "just" a majority decision over David Whittom) he is developing into a better and more complete fighter as shown by his swift stoppage victory over the previous unbeaten Zsolt Zathureczky inside a round that helped moved his record to 6-0 (3). Rivas will be taking part in his 7th professional contest when he faces the very experienced Edgars Kalnars of Latvia. It'd be a huge shock if Rivas doesn't stop the aging Latvian though the fight will help get Rivas some much needed "big scene" experience with the fight taking place on the undercard of Lucien Bute v Glen Johnson.
The videos below are for Rivas' full professional debut against Joe Stofle and are thanks to 14caratboxing
UPDATE-Rivas will fight on December 10th against Matthew Greer in Canada. Also on the card is fellow top Colombian prospect Eleider Alvarez.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Artur Szpilka
If you frequent some of the biggest boxing forums one name seems to keep appearing when people are talking about heavyweight prospects and that's the name of 22 year old Polish fighter Artur Szpilka. Stood at 6'4" and fighting out of a crouched southpaw stance Szpilka has swiftly shown the early signs of a talented fighter despite several out of the ring mishaps which have perhaps been the most notable feature of his career so far.
Born in Wieliczka back in 1989 it's fair to say the Szpilka is still a young heavyweight and whilst he has shown both foolish youthfulness and inexperience he has also been swiftly improving and turning his life around. As a youth Szpilka got involved in illegal fights outside of football grounds and got caught in at least 2 fights between fans of Wisła Kraków and Cracovia, the second of those fights saw Szpilka locked away for almost 2 years.
Although the young fighter had been boxing professionall before his jail term it was whilst in prison that Szpilka realised what boxing really meant to him. The prison time gave Szpilka not only time to reflect on his actions but also time to dedicate himself to bulking up his body. For Szpilka's final fight before prison he weighed just 200lbs, the cruiserweight limit and on his return to the ring 23 months later he was a much more muscular fighter weighing weighing over 240lbs.
Prior to prison Szpilka had managed to run up a 5 fight record winning 3 of those by stoppage and had shown impressive power and explosiveness which had seen him dropping almost all of his early opponents. Since leaving prison Szpilka has added 2 swift wins. The first of those wins was a lightning quick (33 seconds) blow out of Ramiz Hadziaganovic (who entered 8-0) and that was followed by an opening round KO of David Williams. Of the two victories it was the one over Ramiz Hadziaganovic that really got fans excited as Szpilka landed a shot that send his opponent face first to the canvas for the full count.
With a record of 7-0 (5) Szpilka has so far shown fantastic power, great head movement, swift hands and a fun to watch style, despite this the shaven headed and tattooed fighter still has a number of questions surrounding him. The big questions is can Szpilka stay out of trouble? Can his stamina hold up over the distance? Will his power carry up to the next level? Whats his chin like? If Szpilka can indeed stay out of trouble and if he can show his power, stamina and chin hold up he could be "the new Tyson".
Szpilka is expected to fight again in a few weeks, with names such as Robert Hawkins and Larry Donald being thrown out there though the opponent hasn't been officially named as yet.
Video thanks to zakir371
Born in Wieliczka back in 1989 it's fair to say the Szpilka is still a young heavyweight and whilst he has shown both foolish youthfulness and inexperience he has also been swiftly improving and turning his life around. As a youth Szpilka got involved in illegal fights outside of football grounds and got caught in at least 2 fights between fans of Wisła Kraków and Cracovia, the second of those fights saw Szpilka locked away for almost 2 years.
Although the young fighter had been boxing professionall before his jail term it was whilst in prison that Szpilka realised what boxing really meant to him. The prison time gave Szpilka not only time to reflect on his actions but also time to dedicate himself to bulking up his body. For Szpilka's final fight before prison he weighed just 200lbs, the cruiserweight limit and on his return to the ring 23 months later he was a much more muscular fighter weighing weighing over 240lbs.
Prior to prison Szpilka had managed to run up a 5 fight record winning 3 of those by stoppage and had shown impressive power and explosiveness which had seen him dropping almost all of his early opponents. Since leaving prison Szpilka has added 2 swift wins. The first of those wins was a lightning quick (33 seconds) blow out of Ramiz Hadziaganovic (who entered 8-0) and that was followed by an opening round KO of David Williams. Of the two victories it was the one over Ramiz Hadziaganovic that really got fans excited as Szpilka landed a shot that send his opponent face first to the canvas for the full count.
With a record of 7-0 (5) Szpilka has so far shown fantastic power, great head movement, swift hands and a fun to watch style, despite this the shaven headed and tattooed fighter still has a number of questions surrounding him. The big questions is can Szpilka stay out of trouble? Can his stamina hold up over the distance? Will his power carry up to the next level? Whats his chin like? If Szpilka can indeed stay out of trouble and if he can show his power, stamina and chin hold up he could be "the new Tyson".
Szpilka is expected to fight again in a few weeks, with names such as Robert Hawkins and Larry Donald being thrown out there though the opponent hasn't been officially named as yet.
Video thanks to zakir371
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Michael Wallisch
Germany has become the base for most European fighters over the past few years but have rarely provided their own top fighters (with a few exceptions aside). In giant heavyweight prospect Michael "Der Germane" Wallisch (7-0, 4) they may have found a fighter to call their own and one who fights in with the growing "super heavyweight" movement.
Born in 1985 in Chemnitz, Sachsen (though now based in Halle, Sachsen-Anhalt) the 6'5" Wallisch is slowly forging his name in the heavyweight division. Trained by renowned former fighter Otkay Urkal we know that Wallisch won't be allowed to do things "the easy way" and he's been pushed well since debuting back in 2010.
Wallisch made his debut against Taras Varva back in March '10 and scored a 3rd round TKO before adding 3 more easy wins to move to 4-0 (3) within just a few months of becoming a professional. In Wallisch's first fight against a "known" opponent he faced veteran Turkish fighter Serdar Uysal and scored a 2nd round TKO. Since then however Wallisch has "exposed" the then 27-0 Yakup Saglam winning a clear 10 round decision over Saglam to claim the German International Heavyweight title.
Wallisch's amateur credentials aren't the best (with around just 30 fights) but with his improving opponents, his natural size and his youth he could be a real one to watch. For now we've not really seen a lot of him and whilst his style is a little bit robotic he's improving continually under the tutelage of Urkal. We should be seeing Wallisch out next later this year against an as yet unnamed opponent on what seems like it could be a very interesting night for us heavyweight fans with Glazkov, Charr and Hammer all fighting on the same night.
Video thanks toeastsidefighter1
Born in 1985 in Chemnitz, Sachsen (though now based in Halle, Sachsen-Anhalt) the 6'5" Wallisch is slowly forging his name in the heavyweight division. Trained by renowned former fighter Otkay Urkal we know that Wallisch won't be allowed to do things "the easy way" and he's been pushed well since debuting back in 2010.
Wallisch made his debut against Taras Varva back in March '10 and scored a 3rd round TKO before adding 3 more easy wins to move to 4-0 (3) within just a few months of becoming a professional. In Wallisch's first fight against a "known" opponent he faced veteran Turkish fighter Serdar Uysal and scored a 2nd round TKO. Since then however Wallisch has "exposed" the then 27-0 Yakup Saglam winning a clear 10 round decision over Saglam to claim the German International Heavyweight title.
Wallisch's amateur credentials aren't the best (with around just 30 fights) but with his improving opponents, his natural size and his youth he could be a real one to watch. For now we've not really seen a lot of him and whilst his style is a little bit robotic he's improving continually under the tutelage of Urkal. We should be seeing Wallisch out next later this year against an as yet unnamed opponent on what seems like it could be a very interesting night for us heavyweight fans with Glazkov, Charr and Hammer all fighting on the same night.
Video thanks toeastsidefighter1
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Vyacheslav Glazkov
Heavyweight boxing at the moment is dominated by Ukrainians with Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko holding all the major titles and Alexander Dimitrenko currently holding the European title though it seems like they may well have one of the divisions next stars as well. Vyacheslav Glazkov is one of the fighters who is emerging, quickly as a real one to watch in the division and has the amateur credentials to back up the hype behind him.
Born in Lugansk in late 1986 Glazkov emerged as a top amateur in his late teens having won the World University Boxing Championship in 2004 as a Heavyweight before moving into the Super Heavyweight division the following year. Although he was unlucky in 2005 to run into the excellent Odlanier Solis at the World Amateur Championships he showed enough, as a teenager for some insiders to start to take notice of him.
If 2005 was the year for him to announce himself, 2006 was the year to show the real promise he had by stopping giant Englishman David Price. Despite Price having a considerable size advantage over Glazkov the Ukrainian merely proved that size doesn't count for everything. In the biggest tournament of the year, the European Amateur Champions, Glazkov ran into top Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev who widely out pointed Glazkov, again showing that Glazkov wasn't the finished article.
It wasn't until 2007 that Glazkov managed to medal at a major competition, thanks to a Silver medal at the 2007 World Amateur Championships. Sadly for Glazkov he ran into the exceptional Roberto Cammarelle of Italy in the final and lost a wide decision on point. Despite the loss in the final Glazkov had made his mark and proven he could compete with the best in the world. The following year, at the Beijing Olympics Glazkov started well but suffered an injury on his elbow that saw him pull out of a fight with Chinese fighter Zhang Zhilei (the eventual Silver medal winner).
After the Olympic heartbreak Glazkov turned professional and made his debut in late 2009. Glazkov's debut was against Turkish heavyweight Oezcan Cetinkaya who, at the time, had a record of 15-5-1. Glazkov would box a clear decision win over his experienced opponent and set the tone for his career so far, which has seen him face very credible opponents fight after fight, rather than pad his record as fellow Olympian Deontay Wilder has done.
Since his debut Glazkov has faced several real tests such as Alexey Varakin (who was 28-16-3), Ramon Hayes (15-29-1), Mark Brown (15-3) and most recently the dangerous Denis Bakhtov (33-5) as the Ukrainian prospect has forged to a 9-0 (6) record. Impressively Glazkov hasn't just been fighting a stiff level of opposition but beating them with relative ease and racking up valuable experience with 31 rounds and an 8 round bout already under his belt.
Glazkov is next expected to fight in October on a show in the Dominican Republic against an as yet unknown opponent. Going by his record so far we can only expect to see Glazkov in a bout that will act as a real test and hopefully help make him into a more promising young fighter. To date however he's shown excellent skills, fantastic hand speed and the ability to box whilst keeping up a solid work rate. Although he has question marks over his power it's likely he'll grow his real punching power of the coming years, and what is obvious from watching him is he can land clean accurate shots time and time again. If the 6'3" fighter can keep his weight in the 220's he could well be a contender that the world can be proud of, for now however he's "just" one of the elite heavyweight boxing prospects.
Thanks to LoopingRightHand for the video below.
Born in Lugansk in late 1986 Glazkov emerged as a top amateur in his late teens having won the World University Boxing Championship in 2004 as a Heavyweight before moving into the Super Heavyweight division the following year. Although he was unlucky in 2005 to run into the excellent Odlanier Solis at the World Amateur Championships he showed enough, as a teenager for some insiders to start to take notice of him.
If 2005 was the year for him to announce himself, 2006 was the year to show the real promise he had by stopping giant Englishman David Price. Despite Price having a considerable size advantage over Glazkov the Ukrainian merely proved that size doesn't count for everything. In the biggest tournament of the year, the European Amateur Champions, Glazkov ran into top Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev who widely out pointed Glazkov, again showing that Glazkov wasn't the finished article.
It wasn't until 2007 that Glazkov managed to medal at a major competition, thanks to a Silver medal at the 2007 World Amateur Championships. Sadly for Glazkov he ran into the exceptional Roberto Cammarelle of Italy in the final and lost a wide decision on point. Despite the loss in the final Glazkov had made his mark and proven he could compete with the best in the world. The following year, at the Beijing Olympics Glazkov started well but suffered an injury on his elbow that saw him pull out of a fight with Chinese fighter Zhang Zhilei (the eventual Silver medal winner).
After the Olympic heartbreak Glazkov turned professional and made his debut in late 2009. Glazkov's debut was against Turkish heavyweight Oezcan Cetinkaya who, at the time, had a record of 15-5-1. Glazkov would box a clear decision win over his experienced opponent and set the tone for his career so far, which has seen him face very credible opponents fight after fight, rather than pad his record as fellow Olympian Deontay Wilder has done.
Since his debut Glazkov has faced several real tests such as Alexey Varakin (who was 28-16-3), Ramon Hayes (15-29-1), Mark Brown (15-3) and most recently the dangerous Denis Bakhtov (33-5) as the Ukrainian prospect has forged to a 9-0 (6) record. Impressively Glazkov hasn't just been fighting a stiff level of opposition but beating them with relative ease and racking up valuable experience with 31 rounds and an 8 round bout already under his belt.
Glazkov is next expected to fight in October on a show in the Dominican Republic against an as yet unknown opponent. Going by his record so far we can only expect to see Glazkov in a bout that will act as a real test and hopefully help make him into a more promising young fighter. To date however he's shown excellent skills, fantastic hand speed and the ability to box whilst keeping up a solid work rate. Although he has question marks over his power it's likely he'll grow his real punching power of the coming years, and what is obvious from watching him is he can land clean accurate shots time and time again. If the 6'3" fighter can keep his weight in the 220's he could well be a contender that the world can be proud of, for now however he's "just" one of the elite heavyweight boxing prospects.
Thanks to LoopingRightHand for the video below.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Matteo Modugno
When we look at heavyweight boxing one country seems to be forgotten about. Despite having had 2 "world champions" in the heavyweight division Italy seems to have been no where near that standard in recent years, in fact their top recent heavyweight, Paolo Vidoz has become a European journeyman of sorts. One man however does give Italy a serious chance at making a mark on the heavyweight division once again. Matteo "Grissino" Modugno, (9-0, 4) appears to have all the tools a young upcoming heavyweight could ever want and seems determined as well as talented.
Born in Piacenza in 1987 the 24 year old, who is now fighting out of Langhirano, is a man mammoth who stands at 6'6" and although early footage of him does show him carrying some extra weight he has started to tone up a bit more recently. What is surprising about the big man however is that he not only incredibly well for such a huge guy be he has a really good boxing IQ for someone so inexperienced. He has shown an ability to go to both the head and body, mix up his shots and land a crisp clean jab.
Since his debut in May 2010 after having had an excellent time in the amateurs we've seen Modugno not only develop well but also step up his competition in the right sort of manner. He first started with the inexperienced Alex Szekely (TKO1) and has since fought experienced fighters like of Ferenc Zsalek (pts 6), Tomas Mrazek (pts 6) and most recently Lazlo Toth (KO3).
Although far from being the finished article he has begun to develop into a very promising heavyweight prospect who has shown power and skill to get to where he is. Although their was hope, before he turned pro, that he would compete in the 2012 London games, it seems the allure of the professional ring (and the fact Roberto Cammarelle will likely compete as Italy's super heavyweight) has seen him turn over earlier than expected. Hopefully he'll put this extra time to good use in the ring and be on the verges of a European title shot by the time of the Olympics.
Video thanks to sportdacombattimento
Born in Piacenza in 1987 the 24 year old, who is now fighting out of Langhirano, is a man mammoth who stands at 6'6" and although early footage of him does show him carrying some extra weight he has started to tone up a bit more recently. What is surprising about the big man however is that he not only incredibly well for such a huge guy be he has a really good boxing IQ for someone so inexperienced. He has shown an ability to go to both the head and body, mix up his shots and land a crisp clean jab.
Since his debut in May 2010 after having had an excellent time in the amateurs we've seen Modugno not only develop well but also step up his competition in the right sort of manner. He first started with the inexperienced Alex Szekely (TKO1) and has since fought experienced fighters like of Ferenc Zsalek (pts 6), Tomas Mrazek (pts 6) and most recently Lazlo Toth (KO3).
Although far from being the finished article he has begun to develop into a very promising heavyweight prospect who has shown power and skill to get to where he is. Although their was hope, before he turned pro, that he would compete in the 2012 London games, it seems the allure of the professional ring (and the fact Roberto Cammarelle will likely compete as Italy's super heavyweight) has seen him turn over earlier than expected. Hopefully he'll put this extra time to good use in the ring and be on the verges of a European title shot by the time of the Olympics.
Video thanks to sportdacombattimento
Petero Qica
Heavyweight Boxing Prospects can be found literally all over the world as Petero "Lauan Torpedo" Qica Jr of Fiji proves. Although little is really know about Fijian Heavyweight Champion there is enough to really be excited about him.
Qica Jr has become a well known name in his homeland having been trained by national icon Sunia Cama Senior, the former Light Heavyweight champion of Fiji who became a major trainer in his homeland until his death in 2010. Though the talk of one of Cama's former students was to take Qica over to Canada where Qica's talent could be shown to the world.
Despite only having very limited amateur experience (6-0, 5) Qica has impressed as a professional by running up a 4-0 (3) record against some stiff competition sing his debut back in August 2008. In his debut Qica would stop the experienced Fatu Tuimanono in the 3rd round, this victory was followed up months later by an opening round stoppage over Alifereti Qiolele. Though it was Qica's 3rd professional fight that made headlines back in his homeland as he defeated the hard hitting veteran Mosese Kavika. Kavika had notched up in excess of 30 fights in a career that went back to the 1980's and showed that experience against Qica though the youngster would snatch a close decision win to claim the heavyweight title of Fiji by majority decision. The two men would meet again in July 2011 this time with Qica stopping his veteran opponent.
Petero Qica Jr was last reported to be training under his father who took over the job of training the young 22 year old southpaw after the death of Cama who trained Qica Jr at the Arara-ta/YMCA Boxing Club in Suva. For the stinging southpaw we can only guess what the future holds, though it's safe to assume that not many 22 year old heavyweights have made so many newspaper headlines back home as Qica, who with 27 rounds under his belt already (including a full 12 round fight and an 11 rounder) is picking up plenty of experience at a vital learning stage in his career.
Qica Jr has become a well known name in his homeland having been trained by national icon Sunia Cama Senior, the former Light Heavyweight champion of Fiji who became a major trainer in his homeland until his death in 2010. Though the talk of one of Cama's former students was to take Qica over to Canada where Qica's talent could be shown to the world.
Despite only having very limited amateur experience (6-0, 5) Qica has impressed as a professional by running up a 4-0 (3) record against some stiff competition sing his debut back in August 2008. In his debut Qica would stop the experienced Fatu Tuimanono in the 3rd round, this victory was followed up months later by an opening round stoppage over Alifereti Qiolele. Though it was Qica's 3rd professional fight that made headlines back in his homeland as he defeated the hard hitting veteran Mosese Kavika. Kavika had notched up in excess of 30 fights in a career that went back to the 1980's and showed that experience against Qica though the youngster would snatch a close decision win to claim the heavyweight title of Fiji by majority decision. The two men would meet again in July 2011 this time with Qica stopping his veteran opponent.
Petero Qica Jr was last reported to be training under his father who took over the job of training the young 22 year old southpaw after the death of Cama who trained Qica Jr at the Arara-ta/YMCA Boxing Club in Suva. For the stinging southpaw we can only guess what the future holds, though it's safe to assume that not many 22 year old heavyweights have made so many newspaper headlines back home as Qica, who with 27 rounds under his belt already (including a full 12 round fight and an 11 rounder) is picking up plenty of experience at a vital learning stage in his career.
Bogdan Dinu
If Denis Boytsov is the prospect nearest to being the complete article and the most experienced heavyweight boxing prospect out there then Bogdan Dinu (7-0, 4) is the fighter who is still in his proverbial boxing nappies. The 25 year old from Bucharest, Romania has had a very stop start career which has seen him amass only 7 fights since his debut way back in April 2008, though he had remained a name that the hardcore fans have known about for a while.
Dinu, like so many others made his name as an amateur where he competed for his native Romania with varying degrees of success. Dinu's real success as an amateur came in the early years of competing as he won the U17 World Cadet Championships in 2003 and a bronze medal at the U17 European Champions the same year. He later added the silver medal from the European Junior Championships in 2005 before his amateur career seemed to stall somewhat. His amateur days were ended in disgrace however after being thrown out of the World Amateur Championships in 2007 as he, along team mates Ronald Gavril and Gabriel Julian Stan were thrown out of the competition and banned for life for shop lifting.
In 2008 Dinu made his professional debut and defeated the durable Stephane Tessier by 4 round decision and by the end of the year he had added the names of Shawn McLean (UD4) and James Pratt (KO1) to his record. All three of those fights were on notable cards held in Romania and headlined by pretty well known Romanian fighters (Such as Jo Jo Dan and Adrian Diaconu). Though much to the disappointment of the boxing world Dinu's career somewhat stalled with only a single fight in both 2009 and 2010.
Sadly for those who were excited about Dinu's early days they've had little in 2011 to get extra excited by, he's again only fought once, though the actual performance was incredibly impressive and has shown that he is developing well even if it has been away from the eyes of fans. In that fight Dinu swiftly stopped Awadh Tamim inside a round on the undercard of Lucien Bute's IBF Super Middleweight title defence against Jean Paul Mendy. It was that fight that really caught the eyes of fans, as the 6'5" Dinu showed fantastic movement, blinding handspeed and more than impressive shot selection which saw some dub him a future Klitschko conqueror.
Whilst I doubt Dinu and either Klitschko will ever share a ring together it's hard not to be impressed from the videos available of Dinu. For a 7 fight (7-0, 4) novice he's showing all the right things inside the ring even if his activity has been lacking. Dinu may well be the best kept secret in heavyweight boxing, but he's also one of the more notable heavyweight boxing prospects in regards to raw talent.
Dinu will look to improve to 8-0 this coming weekend when he faces Canadian Eric Martel Bahoeli (7-2, 4) on the undercard of Lucian Bute v Denis Grachev.
Video thanks to LionAssociation
Dinu, like so many others made his name as an amateur where he competed for his native Romania with varying degrees of success. Dinu's real success as an amateur came in the early years of competing as he won the U17 World Cadet Championships in 2003 and a bronze medal at the U17 European Champions the same year. He later added the silver medal from the European Junior Championships in 2005 before his amateur career seemed to stall somewhat. His amateur days were ended in disgrace however after being thrown out of the World Amateur Championships in 2007 as he, along team mates Ronald Gavril and Gabriel Julian Stan were thrown out of the competition and banned for life for shop lifting.
In 2008 Dinu made his professional debut and defeated the durable Stephane Tessier by 4 round decision and by the end of the year he had added the names of Shawn McLean (UD4) and James Pratt (KO1) to his record. All three of those fights were on notable cards held in Romania and headlined by pretty well known Romanian fighters (Such as Jo Jo Dan and Adrian Diaconu). Though much to the disappointment of the boxing world Dinu's career somewhat stalled with only a single fight in both 2009 and 2010.
Sadly for those who were excited about Dinu's early days they've had little in 2011 to get extra excited by, he's again only fought once, though the actual performance was incredibly impressive and has shown that he is developing well even if it has been away from the eyes of fans. In that fight Dinu swiftly stopped Awadh Tamim inside a round on the undercard of Lucien Bute's IBF Super Middleweight title defence against Jean Paul Mendy. It was that fight that really caught the eyes of fans, as the 6'5" Dinu showed fantastic movement, blinding handspeed and more than impressive shot selection which saw some dub him a future Klitschko conqueror.
Whilst I doubt Dinu and either Klitschko will ever share a ring together it's hard not to be impressed from the videos available of Dinu. For a 7 fight (7-0, 4) novice he's showing all the right things inside the ring even if his activity has been lacking. Dinu may well be the best kept secret in heavyweight boxing, but he's also one of the more notable heavyweight boxing prospects in regards to raw talent.
Dinu will look to improve to 8-0 this coming weekend when he faces Canadian Eric Martel Bahoeli (7-2, 4) on the undercard of Lucian Bute v Denis Grachev.
Video thanks to LionAssociation
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