I've been training just over a year and a half, (due to injury, back, hand etc) and I've been told I have a great boxing mind, and have natural talent, speed, power, generalship blah blah blah.

My trainer's have been saying I'm ready for a fight since before Christmas, thought I am yet to have my first, due to injury. Now I have to wait till after the summer (end of the season) before I can truly put my skills to the test. I will still be trainin hard as normal.

Now all my favourite fighters are quick, elusive, intelligent, slick and for the most part, counterpunchers!

here comes my problem (I think) I'm 6ft tall, 152lbs and have a 73 inch reach! It seems all my favourite fighters such as mayweather have a ridiculously long reach for their height, mayweathers is 72 inches and he's 5 ft 8! James Toney's is 72 inches and is 5ft 10 and Roy Jones's is 74 and he's 5ft 11!

Bernard Hopkins has a 75 inch reach and is more or less my height too.

Ali is only 3 inches taller than me and has 9 inches in reach on me!!!

I have been told I have an excellent jab as well as very good power and have been told I should be fighting in a 1,1,2, style, Wladimir Klitscko, standing my ground in the centre of the ring as I will be bigger than my opponent etc.

However, I don't want to be this kinda fighter. I'd like to fight mayweather, a masterful counterpuncher but the problem is that I do not feel I have the physique for this style as we both would be fighting at welterweight, with him having nearly as long arms as me and being a lot shorter! How can I pick my opponent off with long range shots, lead rights etc with an inferior reach???



Am I just dreaming or are there any fighters who do fight like mayweather, ali, jones etc with below average reach??

sorry for the long post, it's almost developed into an obsession. I'm constantly comparing my arm length to others and literally studying photos of boxers and their arm length!

Am I kidding myself???

thanks

P.S. Oh and i'm a white guy lol, i know we generally have shorter arms to black fighters and all my fave fighters are black lol.

anyone???
:boxing:

At least you don't have Hugmans Dinosaur arms...

They could be an inch or so longer but if your that good it wouldn't matter.

- good luck

At least you don't have Hugmans Dinosaur arms...

They could be an inch or so longer but if your that good it wouldn't matter.

- good luck

thanks for the reply, when i spoke about my talent skills etc, it's more my trainers telling me i have great potential and have shown in glimpses great general ship etc, i'm certainly not a prodigy...yet! lol

keep them coming please!

Well, to help with your problem. Your favorite fighters have relatively small reach and height for their weight class.

Your 152 and im guessing want to fight in the 154 division. You shouldn't have a problem with anyone in that division since you have a 73" reach. Until/If you reach the top of the weight class and start fighting people like Pavilk and Williams who have freakishly long arms.

If you plan on fighting lower weights. You wont have a problem at all. Most guys will be smaller than you in height and reach.

but from a style point of view? As a guy who idolizes mayweather's STYLE would you think my reach is adequate?

but from a style point of view? As a guy who idolizes mayweather's STYLE would you think my reach is adequate?

Well, I believe your reach is adequate. Its about average for the 154 division and considered long for anything lower.

I would suggest looking at Tommy Hearns instead of Mayweather though. Because he is more like your height and used a similar style. That way you can see how a taller person(inch taller than yourself), picks opponents off with long range shots, lead rights etc.

lol Tommy Hearns fought at 147lbs, I can get down to 147lbs, He's 6ft 1, I'm 6ft, I have a 73 inch reach, he has a 78inch reach!!!!!! lol

bastard! lol nah i love tommy :boxing:

lol, I suggested him because he is just as tall as you are and picks people off from a distance and did it very well.

Thing is, in 154 division your taller than most and have a longer reach than most. For instance, Verno Phillips(5'7") has a 69" reach and you have a 73" reach. Winky(5'10") has a 72" reach and you have a 73" reach. Cintron(6ft) has a 1" reach advantage on you, which isn't much if you plan on being a counter pucher. lol

I think your set. Just keep working counters and timing if you plan on using a style like Mayweather's. Dont use the shoulder roll unless your in the pocket, its not useful anywhere else. No matter how pretty it looks. :boxing:

haha thanks, not to mention, half of cintron's reach is his shoulder's haha.

I'd counter punch that guy's head off!............in ten years or so :boxing:

lol

You haven't even had an amateur fight so there's no sense even thinking about professional boxing.

Skill and preparation is what will win you fights, not the length of your arms in relation to your height.

Besides, if you go pro (assuming you stay the same weight as you are now) you wouldn't be fighting at 154. Weigh ins 24 hours before fights mean you can dehydrate yourself down to 147 or even 140.

I've been told I have a great boxing mind, and have natural talent, speed, power, generalship

lolololol!!!!:feedback:

dont try to copy styles, box how you box, your not mayweather, you are you.

but from a style point of view? As a guy who idolizes mayweather's STYLE would you think my reach is adequate?

As a trainer myself I can tell you that it's ok to look up to certain fighters but don't try an copy their style. Especially someone as incredibly natural talented and Mayweather. Not saying you don't have natural talent but a good trainer, trains his fighters to their strengths and hides their weaknesses.

Lear what YOU are good at and practice on that. Don't try and be like someone else because you like thieir style. It could lead you down the wrong path style wise and will keep you away from finding out what type of fighter you truly are.

lolololol!!!!:feedback:
I followed with blah blah blah, I was exaggerrating as I know you've all read it before, and I said in a later post, what I really meant, you idiot.

You haven't even had an amateur fight so there's no sense even thinking about professional boxing.

Skill and preparation is what will win you fights, not the length of your arms in relation to your height.

Besides, if you go pro (assuming you stay the same weight as you are now) you wouldn't be fighting at 154. Weigh ins 24 hours before fights mean you can dehydrate yourself down to 147 or even 140.
Thanks, I'm not seriously thinking about professional boxing now. If I ever did turn pro I'd want to have at least 40 or so amateur fights, so no earlier than 4 years or something.

I was just talking about professional fighters and weights as their height, weight and reach is pretty well documented, from a comparison point.

As a trainer myself I can tell you that it's ok to look up to certain fighters but don't try an copy their style. Especially someone as incredibly natural talented and Mayweather. Not saying you don't have natural talent but a good trainer, trains his fighters to their strengths and hides their weaknesses.

Lear what YOU are good at and practice on that. Don't try and be like someone else because you like thieir style. It could lead you down the wrong path style wise and will keep you away from finding out what type of fighter you truly are.

Thanks for the reply, yeah I've come to realize that unless my physique, temperment, personality etc is identical to floyd mayweather's then I can never be identical.

I'm gonna concentrate on studying a variety of fighters and trying to incorporate their individual skills and techniques like studying how Quartey throws his jab, mayweathers upper body movement and footwork, how hearns throws his right, how cotto throws his body shots etc.

That way I can develop my own style?

Also I believe and have been told I have natural talent but it is more in the mind, I pick things up easily and try to box very intelligently, I certainly don't have razor sharp reflexes like mayweather so I guess I should stay away from studying his style lol

thanks for the replies

I followed with blah blah blah, I was exaggerrating as I know you've all read it before, and I said in a later post, what I really meant, you idiot.

:haha::haha::haha: