By Jason Kim: WBO middleweight champion Dmitry Pirog (19-0, 15 KO’s) has been a disappointing champion in the eyes of some boxing fans since he won the vacant WBO title against Daniel Jacobs in July 2010. It was thought then that Pirog would go after the biggest names or at the very least defend the title against recognizable and well respected opposition.

However, Pirog has fallen short of that mark, defending his title twice against fringe contender Javier Francisco Maciel and Gennady Martirosyan. Pirog will now continue that trend by defending his title against #9 WBO Nobuhiro Ishida (24-7-2, 9 KO’s) on May 1st at the Sport Complex in Krylastskoe, Moscow, Russia. Ishida was just BADLY beaten in his last fight in February by Paul Williams in a 12 round unanimous decision. Why Pirog is Ishida instead of a better fighter is the real question.

Pirog would have done better had he selected the #15 WBO bottom contender Peter Quillin or the #13 WBO Matt Karobov to fight. At least those two fighters are winning and have knockout power. Of course, they don’t really fit in well with the guys that Pirog has been fighting lately, because they have some talent and would have a pretty good chance of beating Pirog. I’m not sure if they would but they would at least have a chance. Ishida has no chance. He has no power and his biggest win of his career, a 1st round TKO of an out of shape and rusty James Kirkland, was more of a fluke thing that any kind of indication of Ishida’s real power.

Pirog will beat Ishida without any problems. Hopefully then Pirog will start fighting quality opposition. There’s talk of him fighting a unification bout with IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale later on in 2012. I’m not holding my breath waiting for that to happen. I doubt it will. Pirog’s top two contender are Osumanu Adama, who was just beaten last month by Geale in a failed title shot, and 38-year-old Sam Soliman. I can see Pirog fighting him. Soliman hasn’t fought a quality opponent since losing to Anthony Mundine four years ago in 2008, and yet he’s ranked #2 by the WBO.