Chilemba vs. Lepikhin Scouting Report

Chilemba vs. Lepikhin Scouting Report:

Technical Fighter vs. Boxer/Puncher

Montreal, Quebec, Canada: In the opening bout of the HBO World Championship Boxing® triple header on March 14, Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (23-2-2, 10 KOs), the #2 light heavyweight in the world, will face undefeated Russian prospect, Vasily “The Professor” Lepikhin (17-0-0, 9 KOs) for 12 rounds of non-stop action. Chilemba is technical fighter whereas Lepikhin is a boxer/puncher. Below is the scouting report for this match-up:

Isaac “The Golden Boy” Chilemba

Category

Age : 27

Record : 23-2-2 (10 KOs)

Strength : Chilemba is a skilled technical fighter with incredible endurance and good defense. He utilizes his jab well and has good accuracy with his punches.
Vasily is a boxer/puncher who possesses powerful combinations and a good chin. He fights with confidence and is willing to stand and trade with anybody.

Weakness : “The Golden Boy” does not possess adequate punching power in either hand; he has only recorded one knockout victory since 2011.

Experience : Chilemba has faced top opposition throughout his career, which includes a pair of bouts with former title challenger Tony Bellew and a win over former title contender Edison Miranda.

Power : Chilemba will be at a disadvantage here; he recorded only one knockout since 2011 in his most recent bout again the tough and gritty Cory Cummings.

Speed: Chilemba is very quick on his feet, which makes him difficult to hit at times.

Endurance : Chilemba has excellent endurance, as he has gone 12 rounds eight times in his career.

Accuracy: Chilemba is a very accurate puncher; he picks his shots wisely and times his punches well.

Defense : Chilemba will be at an advantage here. He possesses good foot work and moves around the ring very well. He is also an effective counter-puncher, which stems from his defensive skills.

Chin : Chilemba has never been stopped, and was able to get off the canvas to earn a win over previously undefeated Maxim Vlasov after being knocked down twice.

Style : Isaac is a technical fighter with good counter-boxing skills and a good defense.

Intangible : Chilemba is sitting comfortably in his division as the WBC #2 contender, and instead of protecting that ranking he has decided to continue fighting the best in the world. He is challenging himself against the highly regarded and ranked Lepikhin. Since 2009, Chilemba has faced opposition with a combined record of 249-46-5.

Crowd Support : Chilemba may have a slight advantage here, he has been in bigger fights throughout his career and may be more known to the true boxing fans in attendance

Vasily “The Professor” Lepikhin

Category

Age : 29

Record : 17-0-0 (9 KOs)

Strength : Vasily is a boxer/puncher who possesses powerful combinations and a good chin. He fights with confidence and is willing to stand and trade with anybody.

Weakness : Lepikhin tends to not utilize his size and reach, which was on display in his previous bout against the hard-hitting Jackson Junior. He took shots that he did not have to take which could prove costly when facing a boxer as accurate as Isaac Chilemba.

Experience : “The Professor” will be at a disadvantage here, because he has not yet faced any top-level opposition.

Power : Vasily will have the advantage here. He throws vicious body shots and three of his last four knockouts have come in the first round including one against the hard-hitting and longtime ranked light heavyweight contender, Robert “The Butcher” Berridge.

Speed : Lepikhin’s speed is on full display during his combinations.

Endurance : Vasily has good endurance. He has proven this by going a full 10 rounds on three different occasions, including his most recent bout.

Accuracy : Lepikhin has solid accuracy, which can be seen during his work to the body.

Defense : Vasily will be at a disadvantage here. Vasily is a big man that likes to fight the fight of a smaller man. He likes to stand toe-to-toe and will take shots in order to give them right back.

Chin :Lepikhin has a solid chin and showed he can overcome an onslaught from a big puncher in his most recent bout with Jackson Junior.

Style :Vasily is a boxer/puncher who likes to engage with his opponents and utilize his vicious body attack.

Intangible : After knocking off two consecutive power punchers in Robert Berridge and Jackson Junior, “The Professor” has decided to challenge himself and show the world that he can compete against a technical boxer who is also ranked #2 in the world.

Crowd Support : Vasily may be at a disadvantage here, but his in-your-face style just might win him some crowd support by the end of the night and by signing a co-promotional agreement with Interbox he may have the Canadian fans on his side.

The Match-up

1. Will Chilemba use his footwork to make this an easy fight for him and a hard fight for Lepikhin?
2. Will Chilemba be able to take Lepikhin’s power?
3. Will Lepikhin be able to break through Chilemba’s defense?
4. Will Lepikhin be able to cut off the ring and have Chilemba in the place he needs him to be?

According to Jolene Mizzone, Main Events’ matchmaker, “This is a very important fight because this is a very important division right now. The winner of this fight would put himself right in the mix with any of the light heavyweight champions.”

About Kovalev vs. Pascal

Kovalev vs. Pascal is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The fight will be televised as part of a live triple header on HBO World Championship Boxing® Saturday, March 14 from the Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tickets are on sale now at the Centre Bell ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion 514-376-0980. This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

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