Styles makes fights: Let's weigh in on this with our expertize.

I read an EXCELLENT piece in Ring magazine a few years ago about the way styles matchup together. In the article it listed and detailed the following styles:

Boxer - Has the mentality and skills to win a decision and focuses on hitting and not getting hit.
Puncher - Has dynamite in his fists and is always looking to manoeuvre an opponent into a position to land a bomb and knock him the fuck out
Slugger - Has the mentality to go to war and just trade and win fights on toughness and attrition
Swarmer - overwhelms opponents with activity and endless stamina
Pressure fighter - Relatively low punch output, but always applying pressure and looking to break opponent down slowly with well placed shots

Then the hybrids:

Boxer than can punch
Puncher than can box


Examples that fit into the categories are as follows:

Puncher - Tyson, Foreman, Jackson, Benn, McLellan, Louis
Boxer - Ali, Holmes, Whitaker, Mayweather
Slugger - Gatti, Marciano
Swarmer - Duran, Pryor, Frazier
Pressure Fighter - Chavez, GGG
Boxer that can punch - Wlad Klitschko, Roy Jones
Puncher that can box - Hearns, Eubank Snr

The Rock/Paper/Scissors

Puncher invariably fucks up the slugger/Swarmer - Hearns vs Duran, Foreman vs Frazier
Slugger/Swarmer is the Achilles heel of the boxer - Frazier vs Ali, Duran vs Leonard

There are more...but I've run out of time...please continue

Share your thoughts on how these styles clash based on examples from history. Use this insight to predict future battles....

 

My thoughts are Marciano's rolling in his grave being grouped in with that bum Gatti.

Marciano was a puncher/pressure fighter.

 

Wait. So Frazier is NOT a pressure fighter? I always struggle with the swarmer/ pressure fighter distinction. Not clear to me at all.

 

You don't have to go by my categorization. He may be a pressure fighter and I could have categorized him incorrectly

 

Swarmers usually do well against boxers, especially when the boxer doesn't have one punch KO power. If they are a big puncher it's often just a matter of time before something big lands to end it.

One exception would be Hatton-Tszyu. Even with all the ugly mauling tactics i would have figured at some point Kostya would find a home for that straight right and it would be party over.

 

Jones wasnt a boxer nor a puncher. His style was total improv.

Frazier is the pure definition of a pressure fighter.

 

If it was a prime Tszyu it would have been party over for Hatton.

 

Tyson and Duran are unique. They were actually aggressive counterpunchers if you wanna get real technical. People never think of Tyson as a counterpuncher, but he was one of the best counter punchers ever.

 

Yep true, although maybe not that unique. Golovkin is a counter-puncher too, for example.

 

Every top fighter is a counter puncher to some degree. What Xplosive said isn't that insightful. Fact is...that Tyson is best categorized as a puncher and not as a counter puncher.

 

Anyone care to explain the difference between a swarmer and a pressure fighter? And who has the advantage in a matchup between them? And how about some examples of such matchups?

 

Chavez - Taylor could arguably be seen as a swarmer vs Pressure fighter....with taylor being the swarmer. Now Taylor had a cutsy style of fighting and so people tend to see him as a boxer I presume. Fact is though that Taylor was more about overwhelming opponents with activity (blazing fast flurries) that he was about hitting and not being hit.

 

For me a swarmer is a pressure fighter that not only likes to get up close but is very physical beyond just punching. I wouldn't count guys Chavez or Golovkin as swarmers they rarely used physical strength and holding on the inside. Ruiz and Hatton were swarmers.

 

I'm not insightful, but Gatti/Marciano are in the same style category?

 

Agreed.

 

So you wouldn't categorize Marciano as a slugger? Being in the same category doesn't mean they are on the same level or have exactly the same style of fighting.

 

WTF is a slugger?? Honestly, sounds like something outta Rocky. "Watch out Rock, this guy'll moider ya! He's a real sluggah!"

No... I categorize Marciano as a puncher and also a pressure fighter. P4P one of the most devastating punchers ever.

I'd categorize Gatti as a punching bag.

 

So a swarmer is basically a grappler? Ugh. The very worst kind of fighter there is. Based on your definition, I hate swarmers. Although I guess Porter must be considered one, who I consistently root for. Swarmers basically win by breaking the rules. My guess is they are the least talented bunch and probably the stupidest ones too. If I were still buying boxing dvds, I'd ask my guy for a compilation of swarmers getting knocked out cold.

My favorite type is definitely the pressure fighter.

 

Let's pretend that Tszyu wasn't coming off the best performance of his career

 

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Graziano is a slugger. Echols? It's a guy with less talent who goes to war is how I interpret it.

 

Well not always. A guy liked Hopkins did his share of grappling but i wouldn't consider him a swarmer. For me the swarmer is a guy doing most of his work going forward and will use more physicality and strength in their approach than those who realy mainly on punches and footwork.

 

Vitali Klitschko- Pressure fighter. Made you do what he wanted you to do, or was always trying to do that. Was a pressure fighter whether walking backwards against Arreola or walking forwards vs Sanders, for example, sometimes doing both in either fight.

Ricky Hatton- Swarmer, relied on getting close and throwing lots. Declined in effectiveness as his ability to get close and throw lots effectively. Hatton never won or looked good backing up.

 

I consider Vitali more of a puncher-boxer rather than a true pressure fighter like a Chavez or Frazier.

 

if youre gonna make a topic like this then where the fuck is the hunter category???

 

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Yes but is a pressure fighter a guy who is always trying to close the gap.........or is a pressure fighter a guy who is always pressure his opponent.....into doing something, for example....pressure his opponent into coming forward, pressure his opponent into leading, pressure his opponent into the ropes etc.

 

Ah, mastered his accent too.

- always you're at it. :crafty: ...

 

No it wasn't. Tszyu was faded and beat an opponent who was faded as well.

 

Haider. Haider Ali.

 

Puncher-Boxer - Edwin Rosario