Yuri Arbachakov

[ferocity]

When i first started watching boxing years later i heard Yuri name here and there thought i seen him fight Paulie Ayala, at least i think that was Yuri, all i remember is it was one crazy punch fest that Yuri won and Ayala was upset in that the decicion didn't go his way.

But i've since watch two of Yuris fights and this guy had some really nice boxing skills, great technique. I don't think he hit that hard but seems like he was always in condition and he was surprior in the skills department then his opponets.

[Sweet Pete]

Aside from Ricardo Lopez, probably the best technician I've ever seen at the lower weights. Yuri was one of the most poised, controlled fighters I've seen in the ring. Great variety of punches, good footwork, good defense, and was a great finisher when he had you hurt. He was a very patient boxer, who'd box casually, putting on the pressure, until you were within striking distance or made a move first, where he'd counter or time you.

One thing about him is that he never seemed to make mistakes in the ring. If there was a chance that a certain play could lead to him paying for it, he would simply wait for the right moment. Whenever an opponent was the aggressor, my favorite part of his game was how calm he was under fire. He'd slip punches, all the while completely cool and collected, while waiting for his own opportunities to strike, and strike he would. Very accurate with his punches in close. Against fellow boxer punchers and full on punchers, I'm not sure I'd favor any over him.

That being said, the slick, moving type seemed to be the kind to give him trouble because of his calm style. He'd wait for the opponent to open up, or for himself to be within range to attack, and with the slicker types, often they wouldn't allow that to happen, which lead to a complacent fight overall. But he usually always found his way at some point in the match. He was run very close by Chatchai Sasakul(a fighter of similar style to this) in his prime, and his lone loss at the end of his career came to the same fighter.

I'd pick guys like Canto and perhaps Zapata to beat him.