Lazarev to Face Undefeated Foe

Igor Lazarev is scheduled to fight undefeated prospect Dominik "Harwan" Harwankowski on March 19 at the Sports and Entertainment Hall in Stężycy, Poland. If it happens, this will be an interesting match between two guys with good records.

Lazarev (8-2, 3 KOs), a 35 year old residing in Israel, lost his last fight against undefeated prospect Greg McGuinness on November 27. McGuinness was an aggressive fighter, the antithesis of Igor's next opponent. Against McGuinness, Igor lost by referee's decision, 59-55, which was a reasonable score. Had the fight been in Lazarev's home of Ashdod though, it might have been ruled a draw. Lazarev showed some impressive no-look boxing skills in the fight, but ultimately had trouble with McGuinness's pressure.

Against Harwankowski , a 21 year old from Poland, Lazarev will need to be the one pressuring. The man with the copy-and-paste last name prefers to maintain distance.  BoxRec lists Harwankowski at 5'9" with a 67" reach, but on film he looks taller and his arms look longer.

Harwankowski is 7-0 with two KOs. Sometimes a low KO ratio can indicate a lack of power, and sometimes it can indicate tougher-than-usual opposition. In Harwankowski's case, it might be a bit of both. His punch technique is not the tightest and at times he slaps with his shots, but he has already faced some tough veterans. He scored his two KOs in his first three fights against relative novices. He beat 3-0 southpaw Michal Bulik in his fourth fight by decision and has faced grizzled veterans in his last three bouts.

Against Georgian Giorgi Gachechiladze in July, Harwankowski let his hands go often. He also switched stances. The young Pole, who almost has more letters in his name than years on this Earth, was much better as a righty. As a southpaw, his technique fell apart. He often threw his left from a low position in that stance. He got away with it because Gachechiladze didn't mount much offense, but against a more ambitious foe, the low left could be a liability. While Harwankowski is not a finished product, he is a legit prospect. Of the 27 pro rounds he has boxed, he's only lost three of them.

Lazarev's strategy should be to stay on the inside and attack Harwankowski's long lean body. Fortunately, that happens to be Lazarev's strength. Harwankowski has fought as many as six rounds only twice while the Israeli has gone six rounds five times including an eight-rounder, so a sustained body assault should wear down the youngster. A grueling match favors Igor, because he is incredibly resilient in the ring, even for a boxer. But if he can't get inside, Harwankowski will pick him apart.

This bout is scheduled for six rounds.