View Full Version : Sparring a heavyweight
AJ_7_FAN 10-07-2008, 09:30 PM Things are slow at the gym with gas prices and what not so not very mant people show up. So the only people I can sparr with are two heavyweights. One is 6'6" 245 and one id 6'4" 235, and I am 6' 185. So it sux.
The one that is 6'5" is slower so I can get in on him quick and bang the body, but the other has such a huge reach and is quick I can hardly do ****. Any one else deal with this, if so what advice do you have? Thanx
KostyaTszyu44 10-07-2008, 09:45 PM i spar with bigger guys so i might be able to help
dont back off to much and let them get leverage on their shots, move side to side on your toes its called moving laterally and it works with big guys
pump your jab out, stay busy always moving side to side, twitch your shoulders and head keep him guessing all the time, slip under their shots to get inside and be wary of uppercuts as your move in...or step outside their shots and counter
if you find yourself in a corner or the ropes, cover up and move out quickly then attack again......dont let him dictate
AJ_7_FAN 10-07-2008, 09:49 PM yeah the first round I stood to much in front of him, the second I threw alot of jabs and kept moving like you said, and it was a better round for me, but if I let him back me up with a jab I ate alot of heavy right hands
punchDrUnK MONK 10-07-2008, 09:59 PM who cares its just sparring, u get some u give some..
just practice different things.. on the slower guy work on ur speed.. footwork. try out combinations, just try different things... and with the better guy just really practice on ur focus and mental composure to stay positive n keep workin, keep thinking.. keep trying..
just have fun
jcoleman7 10-07-2008, 11:03 PM I'm 5'6 and 145 lbs. I have to spar with heavyweights all the time usually. One was 6'2 280(slow, but strong as hell with a huge reach, one of my best friends)
The other is about 5'5 and not sure how much he weighs but he is either a heavyweight or the class just below HW. He is a damn good boxer because he's been boxing for close to 2 or 3 years and he eats my lunch everytime, but he takes it easy on me thank god.
There are others but it's mainly those that I spar with.
When you are a lighter weight like me and get used to getting hit hard with those strong ass heavyweights, it helps in the fight. Your opponent, if your a lighter weight, feels like he's not hitting you near as hard as you got hit in practice and it helps a lot.
Just stay relaxed and keep moving and go to the body.
KostyaTszyu44 10-08-2008, 07:09 AM .
When you are a lighter weight like me and get used to getting hit hard with those strong ass heavyweights, it helps in the fight. Your opponent, if your a lighter weight, feels like he's not hitting you near as hard as you got hit in practice and it helps a lot..
it helps so much in a fight
im 14, 5''4 and 100 lbs
i spar with a guy whos 5''8 and 147 lbs..hes same age as me but yeah much bigger
i spar with another guy whos 15 and about 5''10 and 170 lbs
and those guys cant really hurt me heaps with their shots, so in a fight i can walk through the other guys shots and hardly blink
in my last fight my trainer in my corner told me to stop walking through his shots and start boxing, i didnt even realise he was hitting me lol (i ended up winning luckily)
it really toughens you up and when you have to clinch or get physical on the inside in a fight its so easy, guy in my last fight tried to clinch after i landed a good shot and i swung him around and kept whacking him its so easy
and it helps the big guy too, when he fights his opponents they will seem much easier to hit and less mobile
you will feel the benefits when you fight
KostyaTszyu44 10-08-2008, 07:13 AM yeah the first round I stood to much in front of him, the second I threw alot of jabs and kept moving like you said, and it was a better round for me, but if I let him back me up with a jab I ate alot of heavy right hands
yeah just tight guard and constant foot movement and also head movement
dont back straight away from his jab, take it on your gloves, parry it, slip it step outside it or whatever
as soon as you feel him land a good jab or whatever and he starts to get on a roll and follow up dont back off just shell up and move a step back then fade out to the side
try to move away from his power hand as much as you can but occasioanlly you will have to move towards his power hand so be extra wary when you do
EDIT: ohh sorry for the long post but i just remembered somthing that works really well, move rapidly around him to the side, just out of his punching range and make him shift his feet and body around to face you, then when he kinda halfway through moving around to face you, jump on him with a flurry, it works so well as he doesnt have the speed to react properly and hes not expecting it plus hes off balance too, then get the hell out of there
Alexis Vastine 10-08-2008, 09:42 AM As a cruiserweight you should be Ok hanging in with them. 6' is not exactly midget but why would it 'suck' even if the guy has a reach advantage over you. it's the same as someone in your division having a reach advantage, you bob and weave and try to get in to land some left hooks and right uppercuts. i would recomment going for head, then body head combos. You can still effectively use the jab too.
i'm 178lbs and occasionaly spar with a 6'4'' 269lb Polish dude who looks like he murdered someone back home. He is good so I smother his shots, get inside by slipping, hit him on nose with a right hand, try to get as many hooks in then just hold on. that's another tactic thats a bit dirty.
AJ_7_FAN 10-08-2008, 12:47 PM Thanks for the posts. I think I was just getting frustrated from not landing anything, and I forgot what I was doing.
itwasluck 10-08-2008, 12:51 PM Thanks for the posts. I think I was just getting frustrated from not landing anything, and I forgot what I was doing.
That's what happends in a fight. You forget everything once you start fighting. It's like Mike Tyson said, Everyone has a plan until they get hit.
AJ_7_FAN 10-08-2008, 01:00 PM Couldn't be more true it's more fun when you are doing the hitting. I had myself beat mentally before I even stepped in the ring.
Landon S 10-08-2008, 02:55 PM Most of the time I have to spar with heavyweights. Now is the time to work on your defense! I usually try to work on my parry's and slips since they're a bit slower and you can see it coming a little easier if were sparring easy.
If your sparring hard start learning to fight on the inside, body shots are fun on the big guys since they have a harder time with you on the inside, when theyre hands drop throw an overhand right. Of course thats just one of many options
Equilibrium 10-10-2008, 05:16 AM Just don't listen to Alexis Vastine. That "Throw a hook to a body, then 2 uppercut to the end, then slip his punch and hit him on the nose with a right hand" **** doesn't apply. This isn't super punch out or another video game, it's boxing and everybody fights differently, there is no way to tell how a certain fighter will react to something, or how he is vunerable to certain punch unless you have seen him fight or sparred him.
I'm a heavyweight myself. I'll keep it simple, one thing most heavyweights aren't used to is movement, atleast not the kind of movement smaller guys can bring. So use that to your advantage and don't just stand in front of them, use a lot of lateral movement. Fight smart and don't exchange too much with them. When you get out, do not back up in a straight line, if they have a big range advantage over you, you'll get hit when you think you are safe.
Good luck, and don't let it get to you if they rough you up a bit. But beleive me, if you do good agaisnt a heavyweight he will be pissed. :headbang:
Darkstranger 10-10-2008, 07:59 AM As a Super Heavyweight myself I'd say to you like others have said, move and move alot. You have to really increase your workrate and use lateral movement. Not all heavyweights have slow hands, but alot are slow on their feet, so use it to your advantage.
Sparring smaller guys with good movement can be like trying to swat a fly for heavyweights!
AJ_7_FAN 10-10-2008, 08:44 AM Yeah I need to stay busy and keep throwing punches. My conditioning is better than there's.
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