Boris Skripko: Usyk is not guaranteed to win the Super Series

Well-known commentator Boris Skripko summed up the quarterfinals of the World Boxing Super Series in the first heavyweight. Articles | Boris Skripko: Bivol and Kovalev should easily win title fights

- Tournament favorite - Usyk?
- I would not call Usyk the sole leader of my weight class. Yunier Dorticos and Murat Gassiev are guys with a kick. Usyk's Super Series win is not guaranteed. Usyk is a very technical boxer. People who like good boxing, and not just a fight, are able to appreciate it. At the same time, I would not call him a clear leader.

Let's see how the semi-finals turned out for Gassiev and Dorticos. Then it will be possible to understand the alignment of forces. The second semi-final does not represent such an intrigue. The favorite in it is obvious.

- I considered Dorticos the favorite in the duel with Dmitry Kudryashov, but the Cuban surpassed my expectations. And your?
- Yes, definitely. We knew perfectly well that he was plastic and technical. In addition, we realized that he is still tough and brave. We heard about his powerful punch. He also confirmed these rumors. And clearly proved that he is a good tactician. He very quickly figured out Kudryashov.

Was Kudryashov's defeat expected? Did you understand that after all he is the eighth in this company?
- Eighth I wouldn't call him. There were still Marco Hook and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. Maybe not the eighth, but the fifth. It's hard to say what exactly I expected, but there was a feeling of anxiety. Even those two fights with Olanrewaju Durodoloi did not dot all the i's. Questions remained even on the second fight. Mistakes that Dmitry made in the first meeting have not disappeared anywhere.

In no case do I advise Dima to be sad and end his career. He needs to get together and change something in his worldview. You need to analyze your entire path with some very serious specialist, and most importantly, Kudryashov needs to understand how to prepare for serious fights.

Now it seems that the correct conclusions have not been drawn from the mistakes that are made, but they are necessary.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that Kudryashov's main problem lies in his legs. He got them into the ring. On the one hand, this gives him a cannon punch. On the other hand, it makes them an easy target. As a result, his strong quality makes him vulnerable at the same time.
- Quite right. That's what I meant when I said that he needs to rethink his boxing worldview.

- It turns out, cardinal changes are necessary?
- Yes. Exactly. Much needs to be reviewed and changed. If he is mentally ready, it can be done. But you still need to find a person who will sort it all out for him. I am sure that inside Dmitry understands all this, but we need a guru who will come and explain in an accessible language how to change. In practice, Kudryashov is an unprocessed material that can be honed for a long time.

The duel between Mairis Briedis and Mike Perez is the only one that frankly did not catch on. Why good boxers did not show spectacular boxing?
- They are good boxers. But both are not very spectacular. Many Briedis fights were shown in Russia. He would always be like this. This is his style: viscous, on the verge of a foul. Everyone has their own path to victory. And I have no doubt that Briedis will try to do the same in the semi-finals with Usyk. Will it work? Usyk is so good on his feet that Briedis could be in serious trouble.

Boris Skripko: Bivol and Kovalev should easily win title fights

Tournament favorite - Usyk? - I would not call Usyk the sole leader of his weight category. Yunier Dorticos and Murat Gassiev are guys with a kick. Usyk's Super Series win is not guaranteed. Usyk is a very technical boxer. People who like good boxing and not just fighting can appreciate that. At the same time, I would not call him a clear leader.

Let's see how the semi-finals turned out for Gassiev and Dorticos. Then it will be possible to understand the alignment of forces. The second semi-final does not represent such an intrigue. The favorite in it is obvious.

I considered Dorticos the favorite in the duel with Dmitry Kudryashov, but the Cuban exceeded my expectations. And your? - Yes, definitely. We knew perfectly well that he was plastic and technical. In addition, we realized that he is still tough and brave. We heard about his powerful punch. He also confirmed these rumors. And clearly proved that he is a good tactician. He very quickly figured out Kudryashov.

Was Kudryashov's defeat expected? Did you understand that after all he is the eighth in this company? - Eighth I wouldn't call him. There were still Marco Hook and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. Maybe not the eighth, but the fifth. It's hard to say what exactly I expected, but there was a feeling of anxiety. Even those two fights with Olanrewaju Durodola didn't dot the i's. Questions remained even on the second fight. Mistakes that Dmitry made in the first meeting have not disappeared anywhere.

In no case do I advise Dima to be sad and end his career. He needs to get together and change something in his worldview. You need to analyze your entire path with some very serious specialist, and most importantly, Kudryashov needs to understand how to prepare for serious fights.

Now it seems that the correct conclusions have not been drawn from the mistakes that are made, but they are necessary.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that Kudryashov's main problem lies in his legs. He got them into the ring. On the one hand, this gives him a cannon punch. On the other hand, it makes them an easy target. As a result, his strong quality makes him vulnerable at the same time. - Quite right. That's what I meant when I said that he needs to rethink his boxing worldview.

Does that mean drastic changes are needed? - Yes. Exactly. Much needs to be reviewed and changed. If he is mentally ready, it can be done. But you still need to find a person who will sort it all out for him. I am sure that inside Dmitry understands all this, but we need a guru who will come and explain in an accessible language how to change. In practice, Kudryashov is an unprocessed material that can be honed for a long time.

The duel between Mairis Briedis and Mike Perez is the only one that frankly did not catch on. Why didn't good boxers show spectacular boxing? - They are good boxers. But both are not very spectacular. Many Briedis fights were shown in Russia. He would always be like this. This is his style: viscous, on the verge of a foul. Everyone has their own path to victory. And I have no doubt that Briedis will try to do the same in the semi-finals with Usyk. Will it work? Usyk is so good on his feet that Briedis could be in serious trouble.

Vladimir Gendlin: Title fight? Did Kudryashov actually deserve something?

Will Briedis' style be comfortable for Usyk? - Certainly. But there is a nuance. I expected such a fight from Briedis, although not so boring and more open. But Perez is also not a gift. And this is the first fight - the quarterfinals. You have to go through this step. All means are good. Everything will depend on how he prepares for Usyk. Alexander's task is easier.

Did Gassiev improve compared to the fight with Denis Lebedev? Did you see anything new in him? - Especially not. The main thing Murat added was that he became mentally stronger. He felt like a real champion. When he went to fight with Denis, he was considered a condender who showed great promise. Gassiev was not sure of his victory. And if the result had been different, Murat would have accepted it. He said it himself. Now he felt like a champion and this quarter-final gave him a lot. His character is tempered. And this is an important factor.

Nevertheless, the chances of Gassiev and Dorticos are 50/50. A completely unpredictable fight. The most interesting duel of the beginning of next year.

Recall that Bivol will fight for the WBA title against 29-year-old Australian Trent Broadhurst on November 4, Beterbiev will challenge the IBF championship belt with German Enrico Kelling on November 11, and Kovalev will fight with Ukrainian Vyacheslav Shabransky on November 25. The WBO title will be at stake.

Previously, all three championship belts belonged to Andre Ward, who retired.

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I do not see any special problems with Dmitry. The Bivol of Broadhurst will come through and do it quite easily. I expect a confident and bright victory from Dmitry. He must confirm his status as world champion, which he has already been awarded. Of this trio of Russian boxers, I consider him the most promising. He is young, he had no injuries, he good school. He has an amazing sense of distance.

Why didn't he compete? Sullivan Barrera? He is a crafty guy. Barrera is not easy. He wants to be not too stressed, and at the same time paid a lot. I am sure that first of all the Cuban himself is to blame for not being able to agree on a duel.

Unlike Kovalev and Beterbiev, Bivol was lucky to have found his coach. Gennady Mashyanov has practically been with him since the beginning of his career. They have come a long way since the amateur ring. He had all the data to become Olympic champion, but I do not want to discuss the topic of selection in the Russian team.

With Arthur the most difficult situation. He has a lot of downtime. He very rarely fights. And Beterbiev is so far away from us that we do not see and do not feel what state he is in. You won't talk to him.

Arthur himself is good and strong boxer in the literal sense of the word. This should help him. But it is still difficult to assess its real possibilities. We do not know how he was trained, what condition he is in.

If you push off your opponent. Beterbiev must pass it. I sincerely wish him victory in this fight. And I am sure that he himself was waiting for the opportunity to win the title.

"I am pleased with the attitude of Kovalev to training." Interview with new coach Sergey

Initially, there were fears for Sergei. I don't know Shabransky well, but my good friends closely followed his career. And they say that he is not a rival for Kovalev. I don't know if this is true, but I trust these acquaintances.

I do not think that Kovalev will have problems. He is "hungry". He wants to return. God bless everyone with his character. Motivation is overwhelming. It is important that he enters the ring without the desire to immediately "smear" the opponent. You just need to do your job well.

What should Kovalev add? He had problems with "physics". And the first wake-up call sounded during his fight with Isaac Chilemba In Ekaterinburg. Then I attributed this state to the fact that Kovalev took on too much in terms of organizing a boxing evening. He literally distributed the seats in the hall himself.

But then there was the first fight with Ward. Problem still exists. In the second half of the fight, Sergei looked worse than his opponent. The second fight showed that no work on the bugs had been done. And if the referee had not stopped the fight, how long would Kovalev have lasted?

In general, we know Kovalev as a boxer very high level. He has everything. And he must regain the title of world champion.

Outcome

I expect that three of our boxers will win their fights and then this three-headed Serpent Gorynych will reach Adonis Stevenson. Where should he go?