Rewatching some Pacquiao fights recently, it struck me how odd it is that Pacquiao simply can't or doesn't fight on the inside at all. I mean, I already knew that, but took it for granted I guess. It seems like pretty much all elite fighters have some ability to fight on the inside, and most of them are very good at it - like Floyd, despite Floyd being primarily an outside fighter. Pacquiao is a unique mid range fighter, who has no inside game at all. Somehow it's never hurt him, his incredible footwork and control of distance has enabled him to always manage to evade being overwhelmed on the inside. And I suppose the reluctance of his foes to actually get inside plays a part too, even though they could potentially have success there, being aggressive against Pacquiao and getting past his lethal mid range is easier said than done. So can you think of any other proper elite fighters with no infighting at all? I mean, even Hearns could fight inside.
wald pussy can fight on the inside, but just chooses to evade confrontation at all costs. I recall a younger, braver wald pussy being adept enough at infighting.
Thing about inside fighting is it takes two to tango. If one guy is adament he does not want to fight inside, he is not going to.
Yeah Tszyu wasn't really a good infighter per se, but he was a decent grappler/mauler/rabbit puncher, elbower etc. Used a lot of non-punching tricks inside, often on the limit of the rules.
Really? That's a weird one. I always considered Tyson an excellent infighter. When he got inside and let rip with furious flurries of hard and fast hooks and uppercuts, to me that's Tyson at his best.
I completely disagree. It takes two to go to war on the inside, it only takes one to get inside and maul the other guy, like Duran.
Good call I forgot about Thurms. At the moment, the best examples are probably Kovalev, Khan, and Thurman.
he was definitely capable of dramatic wee bursts if space presented itself but 90% of the time he'd just stick his head on the other guys chest and wait for the ref to break
The older Tyson was a shitty infighter. As soon as his opponent clinched he would stop throwing. I think it was a combination of lack of desire and diminished stamina.
I basically agree but I think it is primarily a function of his opponents almost always tying him up on the inside. If he couldn't land on the way in, he was getting tied up.
Sure but you could say the same for Joe Frazier but Frazier was great at continuing to attack even as they tried to hold him
I guess that's a fair point, Tyson was very easy to tie up and manipulate on the inside. Especially later Tyson. I just have very clear memories of a young Tyson brutalising people on the inside.
Exactly, it is. It's those vicious uppercuts he'd land with his opponent often pinned on the ropes, which at a glance at least, appears to be infighting.
