This should be an entertaining fight for however long it lasts. Ali Izmailov is an up and coming prospect who’s moving quickly in the Light heavyweight division. Israel Duffus is a gatekeeper who has been a pro for ten years.
Ali Izmailov can fight both on the front and back foot though when fighting on the back foot doesn’t move around a lot. He’s a strong fighter with clubbing power which he uses to full effect when throwing left and right hooks to the body of his opponents. He has a low left hand and 90% of his defence consists of a shoulder roll which so far has been effective though may lead him vulnerable at world level. One of his favorite punches is a counter overhand right, a jab to the body and then a left hook to the head is something hes also fond of throwing. He’s very relaxed in the ring especially considering he only has six fights. I don’t think he’ll become a marquee name but I think he’ll challenge for a world title at Light heavyweight as long as he can make the weight without any issues. He hasn’t yet made championship weight for Light heavyweight which is a bit of a worry.
Israel Duffus has respectable power but doesn’t quite have the technical skills of Izmailov. A large amount of his hooks are wide and he loads up on them enough that outside of lower level competition his opponents see them coming. His upper body movement and defence in general are quite impressive especially considering the shaky start he had to his career. The biggest issue he has is that he doesn’t throw nearly enough punches and seems to have a sparring partner mentality at times as if he just let his hands go he could do a lot better. He has the power and the skill to set the punches up without much risk due to his good defence but for some reason he’ll happily not punch for minutes at a time.
I think Ali Izmailov will establish his jab to the body and head early on with the fight progressively becoming more one sided in his favor due to him out-working Duffus. Izmailov’s consistent body punching will also slow Duffus down who even while not tired doesn’t throw many punches.
Boxing Fulcrum 