IBF middleweight world champion Daniel Geale is setting up a juicy unification tussle with undefeated WBO middleweight world champion Dmitry Pirog in the US in August.
According to today’s Daily Telegraph the talented Tassie fighter will face Pirog on either the 18th or 25th of August this year in Washington DC.
Pirog is no slouch. The 31-year old Russian has never lost a pro fight, and has a record of 19 wins (15 knockouts) and no losses.
He is known as an unorthodox fighter, a tall boxer who is used to fighting in his home country of Russia. Like Geale, he wants to make a name for himself worldwide and a battle in the US for both fighters would be a neutral venue and potentially a game-changer.
Pirog would have decent height advantage of 7cm on Geale, but the Australian has the 2cm longer reach. He is an attacking fighter, someone who stalks his opponents, and a match-up with Geale would be an entertaining fight.
Pirog has had a fast and successful rise in boxing since turning pro in 2005. Now 31 years of age, the former chess player had a long amateur career of more than 200 fights and his style has been compared to that of Welsh champion Joe Calzaghe. Pirog has strong defensive skills and can exhibit a mixture of boxing styles, making him a tough opponent for Geale.
Of course, adding the WBO belt to his IBF crown would be a massive coup for Geale and also for Australian boxing. It would make the whole boxing world, not to mention Australia, sit up and take notice.
But it will be a risky fight. Geale will have to be at his best to defeat the undefeated Russian.
Pirog claimed his WBO world title with a clinical five round dismantling of Danie, Jacobs in 2010 in Las Vegas, See it here:
That’s a lovely right hand (check from around the 1:50s mark to see the KO).
In 2011 he defended his title for the first time with win over Javier Francisco Maciel. See it here:
This wasn’t Pirog’s best performance, one some have put down to ring rust. He gave a much better display in his second successful defence, against fellow Ruskie Gennady Martirosyan, in September 2011.
Pirog’s undefeated record and his status at the WBO champion demands respect. Daniel Geale wants the big fights, and he’s got a beauty here.
I, for one, can’t wait.
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