[Gong||Jau]

Originally Posted by The BadBoy

I'm just gonna shoot in on the guy and GnP him next time.

I've done that before in sparring at various schools. Eventually I get bored of stand up and just take him down... gets some strange looks when i do it

[kranker66]

- 'Umy', I have a question about weight classes in pro-boxing.

Most weight class seem to be separated by about 8 lbs. or so. Does that extra weight give an advantage to the heavier boxer, just look at Roy Jones Jr. vs. Ruiz
he beat him and that was a big difference in weight. Any thoughts about weight class?

Cheers bro.

[The BadBoy]

Bottom line, if you've got two guys who match up quite evenly in skill then the bigger stronger guy is most like gonna win. He has better physical attributes that will make him more dominant in both punching power and strength.

[kranker66]

'BadBoy'
-Yes that's true. All things being equal the larger fighter will probably win because he has stronger abilities.

Just how much of a difference does it make for some skilled fighter to go up in weight class though?
Weight really comes into play in a fight when the difference is 10 lbs. and up.
If you have two fighters that are about 5-7 lbs. difference that's not going to be much variance to who has the edge in weight. IMHO

Cheers

[The BadBoy]

Boxers that have moved up in weight class have not suddenly decided one day that they are gonna move up in wieght. They have done it over years of hard training where their bodies have slowly developed and matured.

The usual reason is that the boxer has developed too much for the weight class he was in and is stuggling making weight for the class he was in. the natural progression is to move up in weight.

[Umy]

Ive always had the speed over guys who have been heavier than me but they are often stronger and hit a lot harder.

Again I think it depends on the individual you find yourself facing, also their style of fighting.

When you move up or down your always sacrificing something and gaining in something else, you have to learn to adapt to that new weight.

A lot have fighters have moved from the lower divisions to higher divisions and vice versa, roy jones jr is one example, he had the speed of some fighters in lower classes but many didnt know whether or not he would be able to take punches from heavyweights.

On a more personal note ive often beaten larger and often stronger opponents simply by speed and beating them to the punch.

What ive learnt from my 100+ fight collection is that as you move up in weight generally the punches thrown decrease in number (man im smart )

[Umy]

Great points as always badboy, one person who comes to mind and who made his weight naturally is evander holyfield.

Just a bit off topic but roy jones jr confessed to the use of steroids in order to move up weight .

[straydog]

umy, how can a skinny guy like diego corrales (6'1", 134 lbs) throw such powerful inside (short) punches? i'm a great believer in the development of explosive trunk rotation power, but corrales amazes me. he's a skinny guy, but he frequently sent guys to the mat with short inside punches. how does he do it?

[Umy]

Its all about correct technique, my coach used to tell me it will only take you 3 inches to knock a guy out, what he meant by 3 inches was the quick short movement of the hips in a strike, the quicker the twist, the quicker the knockout

Also another thing we have to remember is practice, if you see how hard these guys train you wouldnt wonder why they are so powerful, to quote Jack Dempsey 'punchers are made, not born'.

I have personally been on the recieving end of blows from lads 6'3 196 lbs and laughed and have been stunned by 5'5 112 lbs kids with good hip movement, in boxing, it's all in the hips.

Another thing that adds to the punch is speed, like they say its the punch you dont see coming that knocks you out, sometimes its the shock that adds to the knockout more than the power itself.

[Umy]

I decided to write a very short article on different typed of boxers and how you deal with each.

I classify boxers into 3 main categories: Boxers, Fighters and Counter punchers . I will briefly cover each type of fighter and give some ways of dealing with each style.

Boxers

Boxers are fighters who put the sweet in the sweet science, boxers stick to the textbook and sometimes bend the rules in order to win fights. Tell tale signs of boxers are often a good jab, good rythm and fighters who think a lot as opposed to running in. Examples of boxers at the moment will be fighters like Roy Jones Jr, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Some of my favourite boxers were sugar ray robinson, sugar ray leonard and Ali.

Fighters

Fighters, or punchers as they are often called are boxers who are often aggressive and like to bully and push their way into a fight, some enjoy controlling the fights (Mike Tyson for example) and others sometimes looks for that big punch (David Tua now and then). The problem you have with fighting a puncher is because they specialise in power punching and are KO artists they can come out of no where with a bomb of a shot and put you on canvas. Out boxing a fighter (Lewis vs Tyson) is often a good strategy, as they used to say fight a boxer, box a fighter.

Counter punchers

Counter punchers are the hardest fighter to deal with, they throw few punches and would rather wait for you to slip and make a mistake and nail you with a shot. Counter punchers will often take 3 or 4 punches from you just to throw 1, but when it lands you will find that the accuracy will help increase the pain, an example of counter punchers are chris byrd, eamon magee . I think the key to beating a counter puncher is to make them open up by using your jab, also opening up their guard with feints (legs and hands )

Any questions on strategy please ask....