Completely agreed. Yuri didn't have the reflexes to impose his fight. Jiro's hand speed lets him take over.
Just thinking more about this, and I tend to think this would actually get really one sided in the late rounds. Arbachakov was a wicked technician with a very aesthetically pleasing style, but he could be quite basic and 'one-note'. Very little variety once he'd shown his bag of tricks. Jiro was an extremely diverse and talented, multi-faceted offense force. He threw razor sharp combos and had rapid hands, and knee exactly how to open up a guard and set up his favourite combo; a right hook to the body then cross upstairs. He wore people down with them, and Yuri's reflexes really weren't good enough to avoid getting broken down by them IMO. I thought he had an awesome chin, so I'll give it him that he goes the distance, but I don't think it's pretty over the final five.
Agreed. I think there would be a rather big gap in class shown in the later rounds. I don't think I would take Yuri over any of the super fly greats. Maybe Tapia, but I kind of feel like Johnny outboxes him.
