Just watched two Miguel Canto videos and this guy was smooth! His shoulder roll and defense was clean and crisp. Why haven't more Mexicans followed in his foot steps? I'm sure there are plenty more that I haven't seen but as of now I haven't seen another Mexican with the shoulder roll and smooth defense of Miguel Canto.
Simply put.....We like to throw down and be in the kinds of fights that we would like to see as a spectator. Although I do think its also just something in the blood. I mean the majority of us are mestizos which means half white from the Spanish side and half Native American Indian from the original people who lived there before the Europeans came over and if you think about it. I just think that having the blood and being descendants of conquerors who had the balls to venture out into and unknown world not knowing what the f uck they were gonna run into and also on the flipside having the blood of a war based Aztec culture who as a holiday would go out and wage war just to kill and capture others might have something to do with it.
It's why you always hear Mexican boxers say shi t like "I'm willing to die in the ring" or "I'm an Aztec warrior" even if its clear that they have no Aztec ancestry. Even the white Mexicans in Mexico consider themselves warriors. In the Aztec culture warriors were very highly revered. They were the elite and to kill others or be killed on the process of trying to kill was honorable and worthy of admiration.
Could we have a lot more slick boxers? Sure we could. They would just simply have to train the way that the cantos, the finitos, the Marquez's, they early version of Montiel and so on but we like offense a bit more than we like defense. We understand that they are equally important but we like to see destruction and brutality in the ring, it's just in our blood.
Julio Cesar Chavez SR had a lot to do with it. The perfect left hook to the liver is a Mexican thing, to kill the body and the head falls off is a Mexican thing, to out will and just flat out intimidate and walk down your opponent while cutting the ring off and that relentless pressure is what we like doing. We like to test your will, your chin, your abdominal area, and most importantly your heart. Our ancestors would (and really think about this) would literally start a war as a holiday and go and engage in warfare and kill others and capture them just to bring them back to rip their hearts out and sacrifice them for the pleasure of the masses.
We like to take boxers hearts for the masses. Things don't change.
lots of mexican fighters turn pro young and fight for the money. they generally have very little amateur experience. they learn to box in a traditional mexican pro style, which generally uses more head movement than foot movement, and foot movement can be considered "running" at times, and scored accordingly.
also, look closely at some of the best of the best mexican fighters. they aren't as easy to hit as they might appear, at least not flush. lots of them roll right hands, and take steam off of left hand to the liver. that's stuff you learn in the pro game. "slickness" is best learned in the gym when you're young, wearing big gloves and headgear and, nobody is punching that hard to begin with.
and finally, offensive styles are what get you on TV, and make you an endearing figure to mexican fight fans. they don't want miguel vasquez. they don't want early period marquez, who would use the ring . they want late period marquez, who went to war in fights like katsidis, and diaz 1.
Cant give you anymore green K. Excellent break down and understanding of the Mexican pro style. Which by the way sells tickets and makes for great fights.
It's the reason Mexican fighter are so successful in the pro game.
lots of mexican fighters turn pro young and fight for the money. they generally have very little amateur experience. they learn to box in a traditional mexican pro style, which generally uses more head movement than foot movement, and foot movement can be considered "running" at times, and scored accordingly.
also, look closely at some of the best of the best mexican fighters. they aren't as easy to hit as they might appear, at least not flush. lots of them roll right hands, and take steam off of left hand to the liver. that's stuff you learn in the pro game. "slickness" is best learned in the gym when you're young, wearing big gloves and headgear and, nobody is punching that hard to begin with.
and finally, offensive styles are what get you on TV, and make you an endearing figure to mexican fight fans. they don't want miguel vasquez. they don't want early period marquez, who would use the ring . they want late period marquez, who went to war in fights like katsidis, and diaz 1.
Great post, a good antidote to some of the vague psychobabble about culture in the rest of the thread.
Mexicans are thumpers. Been that way for years. Won't ever change either. That's the only way to get respect as a Mexican fighter. Look at Alvarado, Mexicans are saying he ran from Rios. He didn't stand there let Rios hit him but in their eyes, he ran.
What about Sugar Antonio Margarito?
hahaha
Sweet Pea Brandon Rios
I think this goes back to what a poster says earlier, they turn pro in their teens, and it's more or less a street fight for these young guys only with gloves and Marquis of Queensbury rules. Most don't have Olympic-calibur trainers who work on finesse and craft, maybe just a dad or an uncle who did it for a living also. And they start off fighting other mexicans who fight in an identical fashion, so you fight in the style you're accustomed to seeing I suppose.
no dude. relax. ever hear of finito lopez, how about juan manuel marquez? those are slick dudes with power. nothing to do with a masculine culture and everything to do with the guy who trains you, as in the above mentioned case, nacho. you have a plethora of people vying for a selected # of opportunities to make it in the fight game and so its understandable that they'd want to bang in there if not properly equipped with a genius like nacho by their side, in order to get a following. its all about wins and losses, that's it.
and like most latinos ... there was just that thing about ODLH that always bothered us ... i prayed for a vargas win that day, oh man he let me down so bad. vargas was simply a guy that the masses identified with more than odlh.
did you eat that "i'll die in the ring" crap from margarito??
No, just the small Mexican heavyweights I've beat on myself that wouldn't go Down.
I didn't say there weren't any "slick" Mexican fighters, just that they are the exception, not the rule.
Mexicans have a masculine macho culture. They want to slug it out, not win boring decisions. Everyone knows they are all guts and balls. This is coming from a non-Mexican, non Hispanic. The ones who aren't cut from that cloth get no love from the Mexican people. Perfect example is their favoring Fernando Vargas over de la Hoya .
no dude. relax. ever hear of finito lopez, how about juan manuel marquez? those are slick dudes with power. nothing to do with a masculine culture and everything to do with the guy who trains you, as in the above mentioned case, nacho. you have a plethora of people vying for a selected # of opportunities to make it in the fight game and so its understandable that they'd want to bang in there if not properly equipped with a genius like nacho by their side, in order to get a following. its all about wins and losses, that's it.
and like most latinos ... there was just that thing about ODLH that always bothered us ... i prayed for a vargas win that day, oh man he let me down so bad. vargas was simply a guy that the masses identified with more than odlh.
did you eat that "i'll die in the ring" crap from margarito??
Mexicans have a masculine macho culture. They want to slug it out, not win boring decisions. Everyone knows they are all guts and balls. This is coming from a non-Mexican, non Hispanic. The ones who aren't cut from that cloth get no love from the Mexican people. Perfect example is their favoring Fernando Vargas over de la Hoya .
Green K.
Their styles definitely reflects their culture, I know because I'm Mexican. You get nothing but tough love growing up, they treat and talk to you like adults even at a young age. It's a very proud culture that refuses to give up no matter how hard the task is, you've got to prove you are more macho than the other guy, losing isn't an option.
That pride fuels these fighters, guys that say they'd rather die in the ring than give up, that can take these vicious beatings like Alvarado, JCC Sr. N Jr., Rios, Margarito, Marquez, etc.
Mexicans have a masculine macho culture. They want to slug it out, not win boring decisions. Everyone knows they are all guts and balls. This is coming from a non-Mexican, non Hispanic. The ones who aren't cut from that cloth get no love from the Mexican people. Perfect example is their favoring Fernando Vargas over de la Hoya .
lots of mexican fighters turn pro young and fight for the money. they generally have very little amateur experience. they learn to box in a traditional mexican pro style, which generally uses more head movement than foot movement, and foot movement can be considered "running" at times, and scored accordingly.
also, look closely at some of the best of the best mexican fighters. they aren't as easy to hit as they might appear, at least not flush. lots of them roll right hands, and take steam off of left hand to the liver. that's stuff you learn in the pro game. "slickness" is best learned in the gym when you're young, wearing big gloves and headgear and, nobody is punching that hard to begin with.
and finally, offensive styles are what get you on TV, and make you an endearing figure to mexican fight fans. they don't want miguel vasquez. they don't want early period marquez, who would use the ring . they want late period marquez, who went to war in fights like katsidis, and diaz 1.