If you were a boxing trainer and you had your students study certain fighters for beginners which fighter would you use as an example for Boxing 101? What fighters would you have your students watch videos of to study their form and technique?
Joe Louis. I always start there, if the boxer has an interest in watching old fights and fighters. His footwork is so precise and purposeful, his punching technique is textbook. And he is a heavyweight so he is slow enough, and purposeful enough, that you can see it. Alexis Arguello is good, too, but his height advantage kind of distorts things.
Ali and Roy Jones. I would tell them to emulate everything they did. j/k The names that have already been mentioned were the first to come to mind. Other than them i suppose Bernard Hopkins deserves a mention.
other fuckers already mention them... Juan Manuel Marquez....perfect stance, every punch is thrown perfectly, simple effective defense, doesn't waste punches or energy. Bernard Hopkins. for his control of fights and using every trick available...switch it up...you don't brawl with everyone or try out boxing everyone. Tactically know when to low blow, clinch, fake an injury. He would bore the fcuk out of the fans and not give a fuck as long as he won. Also his boxing skills...he knows every punch, when to throw them, how to block them, block and counter everything....
Depends on the Fighter’s Bodytype. Other Than for Sheer ENJOYMENT, a Fundora Built Fighter Won’t Glean Much from Watching Tyson or Qawi, for Example… REED
Certain fighters shouldn’t be studied unless you have certain gifts (Roy Jones and Muhammad Ali, for instance). Hopkins is a good example, for his fundamentals. Joe Frazier for head movement and perpetual motion in how he got inside the taller guys. Joe Louis for his technique and the leverage he got on his punches.
There’s 3 Types of Ways to WATCH Fights, in REED’s Opinion… 1. Scoring the Fight - Particularly in a Round by Round Debate of a Bout… 2. As a FAN - This is How REED Watches Every Fight, Initially…Often, You Have a CLEAR Idea of Who’s Winning, But When There’s Legit SUSPENSE, REED Just Enjoys What’s Playing Out In Front of Him, vs. Worrying About the SCORE of Each Round in Real Time… REED’ll Rewatch and Actually Score it Later, if/when Warranted… 3. Film Study - Getting Back to Your Chavez-Fundora Comparison, You’re RIGHT, Fundora Doesn’t Need to Watch Chavez for the Purpose of Picking Up Pointers and Applying Them… Maybe a Particular Punch/Punching Angle Here or There, But Based Solely on BODYTYPE, Fundora is Wasting His Time if He’s STUDYING Chavez Stylistically… REED
I've never seen a guy with that much height and reach advantage that prefers fighting on the inside and digging to the body.
Trinidad was one of my favorite fighters. Broke my heart when Hopkins knocked Tito out. When Hopkins threw the PR flag on the ground I was hoping Tito would knock him out for the Puerto Rican people. The way Trinidad was looking dismantling Joppy made me believe he would do the same to Hopkins.
agREED… Fundora’s a Broke Man’s Diego “Chico” Corrales w/LESS Power, Stylistically…Corrales NEGLECTED His Height/Reach Habitually, But He Could Also END Fights w/Short, Tight, Pocket Shots… Corrales was a Looong, Lanky Dude Who DIDN’T Need Space to Be Effective, Necessarily, Which ISN’T Common… REED
Good call for a lanky frame Corrales had a short crisp powerfull hook. The same hook he used to beat Castillo. A thing of beauty.
He's a great example, because he wasn't physically gifted. Just excellent technical skills. The average beginner ain't gonna have the natural talent of Duran, or the natural power of Louis. So Davila is an excellent choice.
Harold Johnson is another fighter that deserves a watch, very study worthy. Good basic textbook boxing.
Yup. Johnson is even better, as he was several levels above Davila. Another good one would be Brian Mitchell. Once again, not physically talented, but technically extremely sound/skilled.
If you're teaching an attacking fighter, I would have them study the subtle yet brilliant footwork of Napoles.
Depends on the tendancies of the fighter. If they're naturally an aggressive southpaw, but struggles with consistently using head-movement - so, essentially me for the best part of a decade - I'd have them watch a guy like Winky Wright. I mean, that's what my coach had me do back in 2017 and I improved from it. If they're an aggressive orthodox fighter, I'd have absolutely zero reservation in recommending Chavez. Near perfect form at his best and unbelievably consistent with it - there's literally zero case where a guy can't learn something from Chavez. Especially in terms of offence - and I do mean that, even a guy like Duran could improve in some areas if he had more of a 'Chavez-ism'. Even if that is just consistently using what he already knew. However, a beginner should be able to learn a lot from any clip from any fight. As mentioned, guys like Johnson, Jersey Joe, Mitchell, etc are all brilliant mentions for taller guys who naturally tend to keep their distance. Another guy I'd mention, is actually an older Hopkins. Sure, Hopkins was an unbelievably talented individual but in his older days, most of that athleticism had gone. It was his unbelievable timing, technique and positioning that made him such a great boxer at such an advanced age. And let's be honest, every dirty trick Hopkins used, is a dirty trick you can get away with in amateur boxing. In fact, as a rule, watching highly skilled guys near the end of their career is probably a good bet anyway. Once their athleticism is gone and their skill is what's left, it's probably best to watch them then. Guys like Harada or Jofre near the end of the road show all of their accumulated skill, but they're not relying on their well above world level talent as well as it. I suppose the exceptions would be guys like Gomez, Tyson, etc who got away from their skill and naturally wound up declining quicker because of it.
