I finally just saw the Abdusalamov/Bisbal fight this afternoon after coming home from work. The fight was originally shown here in Toronto at 1AM local time Friday Night/ Saturday Morning, and I was very tired that day and just couldn't stay awake! So Ive finally watched it today on a re-airing.
Abdusalamov looked his typical self in the fight; slow starter who needs a couple rounds to get going, stalking hard punching guy, can take a punch, and can KO his opponent when he gets in trouble with good finishing skills. Victor Bisbal deserves credit for giving a great effort, he took some huge punches in round 4 and 5 and kept standing, that was very gutsy of him.
- The Positives of Abdu: Hits hard and can knock anyone out, keeps stalking and moving forward that kind of pressure causes a lot of guys to collapse, has good ring intelligence that comes from a developed amateur background.
- The Drawbacks of Abdu: A bit slow on his feet I find could potentially be out-pointed by a faster moving boxer (think someone with speed of movement like Wlad Klitschko, Tyson Fury, or the retired Sultan Ibragimov), gets hit a bit too much.
Wladimir Klitschko VS Abdu would be a very interesting fight, Abdu would constantly keep stalking and moving forward, and Wlad has that enormous jab and powerful right hand which would do damage. On the one hand I could see Wlad being cautious and jabbing and on the other hand I could see Wlad standing his ground and landing his right hand at will due to superior speed and technique. That right hand is enormous and has knocked out many guys (Brock, Byrd, Mormeck, Chagaev, Thompson), and its also made guys literally quit (Chagaev). Abdu's lack of defense and constantly coming forward I think would cause him to take too many right hands from Wlad. It would be very interesting and
I would probably like Wlad by decision or late round stoppage. In some ways I think the fight would be similar to his second fight with Sam Peter, or even the Chagaev fight, where you had pressure fighters being knocked out by Wlad.
I'd love to see Abdu fight any of the following guys:
Mariusz Wach (two tough guys would each move forward at each other, I'd say Abdu hits harder, I like
Abdu by KO in this one)
Tyson Fury (Tyson is faster and would outthrow Abdu, Tyson is also very tough and takes just as good as he gets, I like
Fury by Decision in this one)
David Haye (Haye hits hard and is faster than Abdu, but Abdu hits just as hard and I think his intelligent pressure would bother Haye, Haye was knocked out in the pro's exactly from a pressure fighter Carl Thompson
50-50 fight)
Dereck Chisora (Chisora is tough and usually takes a good shot I'll give him that, but I think Abdu is tougher and will hit him as hard as anyone he's faced!
Abdu by KO)
Chris Arreola (Tough fight, would be an all action brawl, Arreola is a big puncher himself and doesn't quit, I'd call it
50-50 fight)
Malik Scott (Scott is a decent boxer and for the most part was able to negate Glazkov's offense, but in my opinion, Abdu is more rough and physical than Glazkov so I don't think Scott will get away with that I like
Abdu by KO, Scott might be able to maneuver in the first few rounds but Mago would close that distance and Scott won't be able to keep him off)
Alex Povetkin (Povetkin is a strange case, Ive seen him looking amazing in fights like when he knocked out Negroes Chris Byrd or Cedric Boswell, but Ive also seen him look "off" and "flat" in some fights such as the recent fight with Marco Huck, Abdu hits very hard and will keep coming, ultimately, I do think Povetkin would draw on his amateur background, offensive skills, and be able to hold his ground,
Povetkin by Decision)
Another great fight for Abdu would have been fighting say a 2003-2009 version of Vitali Klitschko, that would have been an amazing brawl and no doubt Vitali would have won by TKO, but it would have been a great fight I think!
Very cool and great to see him returning on an HBO undercard! Also great to see him staying active!
