Do fundamentals actually matter

All the Greats started with fundamentals and later developed their own techniques and styles. But the not-so-elite boxers remained with their fundamentals and did not transcend beyond it (e.g. Mikey, Paulie, etc.) Dela Hoya, Pacquiao, Mayweather were all basic fighters when they were teenagers. You could still see clips of them as teenagers. You could see the evolution of their styles as they grow.

Not sure about the 'genetic freaks' thing, of course some had/have a lot of natural talent if that can be called freaky. There are a total of 8(?) punches to learn to deliver and to defend against which you will learn in, what, 12 months? The rest is all about practice, practice, practice which of course includes developing your style, learning combinations and all the bits and pieces that go together to develop a skilled boxer.

Aight got it thanks all was just a bit confused but makes sense :)

Listen to your trainer. Before you attempt musical improvisation, you gotta practice a lot of scales. That was pretty good

Yes they matter very much or they would not bother teaching them. Just because a few great fighters don't follow them doesn't mean you should ignore them and do what ever you please.

Most def! Investment in mastering fundamental skills provides great returns. Once a fighter can appreciate them as a base on which he can rely anytime, then he's truly able to determine whether specific individual techniques make him a more effective athlete. The analogy in fashion is a designer who first studies classic styles to know why they are timeless, then choosing to break "rules" consciously to further his art. Without that grounding in fundamental fashion, he's just a hack.

You can’t do unorthodox things till you understand the basics, I dare you to try to be Roy Jones against someone using just fundamentals see what happens.

Hi, I’m new to boxing but I loved watching boxing, and I was wondering if the whole basic stuff my coach and many others teach is not very good. Im taught to always keep my hands up, never over commit and unbalance myself never cross my feet and don’t have a squared stance, keep my punches tight etc but many videos I see of Elite boxers don’t follow these. Many boxers do tend to walk around opponents and cross their feet all the time. The likes of Ali, Joe Walcott and Roy Jones JR seem to always have their hands down. Seeing Ali hit the heavy bag it’s like his hands are always down by his hips, and same with Floyd. Ruddock drops his hand so much to load his punch, which Is a huge tell and a giant no-no according to most trainers. Mike Tyson has a very squared stance which shouldn’t work because it gives more area to be hit, and Pacquiao literally jumps into his right cross, like technically he should’ve been way off balance but always seems to land it? Deontay wilder swings like he’s in a street fight and George foreman always seem to not have very clean punches, and I see many people commenting how they both lacked skill and fundamentals but they win anyways. Inoue puts his opposite hand down when throwing hard hooks, but you’re supposed to keep it up to block counters. Are these people just genetic freaks or are basic techniques not very useful? Once you’ve mastered footwork, range/ distance and blocks, parries and head movement, you can break the rules with where you hold your hands - providing you’re good enough and get away with it. Nothing annoys me more than seeing boxers who insist on fighting with low hands, but can’t pull it off and still get hit a lot. It’s whatever works for you - but footwork, balance and distance control are the fundamentals that everyone needs, regardless of style. A good jab is also something every boxer should have in their arsenal.

A lot of the time that I see guys losing, it is because they are ignoring the fundamentals. Even in the pro ranks, a lot of people forget about these things - and they almost always pay the price for it. For every fighter who ignores the fundamentals and gets away with it, there will be fifty who ignore the fundamentals and lose.

Gotta crawl before you walk man

Never mimic pros. They are genetic freaks and seasoned with a ton of experience. They can get away with things you can't. Do yourself a favor and get your fundamentals mastered. You will find what qualities are special to you and what things you can get away with. thats it... right there ^^

some good posts in this thread...

Never mimic pros. They are genetic freaks and seasoned with a ton of experience. They can get away with things you can't. Do yourself a favor and get your fundamentals mastered. You will find what qualities are special to you and what things you can get away with.

Nassem Hamed learned the hard way that they do matter. Barrera fought a sound technical fight and beat him up.

Hi, I’m new to boxing but I loved watching boxing, and I was wondering if the whole basic stuff my coach and many others teach is not very good. Im taught to always keep my hands up, never over commit and unbalance myself never cross my feet and don’t have a squared stance, keep my punches tight etc but many videos I see of Elite boxers don’t follow these. Many boxers do tend to walk around opponents and cross their feet all the time. The likes of Ali, Joe Walcott and Roy Jones JR seem to always have their hands down. Seeing Ali hit the heavy bag it’s like his hands are always down by his hips, and same with Floyd. Ruddock drops his hand so much to load his punch, which Is a huge tell and a giant no-no according to most trainers. Mike Tyson has a very squared stance which shouldn’t work because it gives more area to be hit, and Pacquiao literally jumps into his right cross, like technically he should’ve been way off balance but always seems to land it? Deontay wilder swings like he’s in a street fight and George foreman always seem to not have very clean punches, and I see many people commenting how they both lacked skill and fundamentals but they win anyways. Inoue puts his opposite hand down when throwing hard hooks, but you’re supposed to keep it up to block counters. Are these people just genetic freaks or are basic techniques not very useful? fundamentals are absolutely vital stop comparing yourself to professional superstars they mastered the fundamentals, and then they refined their game... tailoring their approach to their style, to maximize what works well for them fundamentals are EVERYTHING you can decide what to adjust... once you have mastered it, not before

For guys like Ward, Hopkins, and Mikey Garcia for example, fundamentals are everything. Gifted guys like Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr, Pernell Whitaker were exceptions. Since Mayweather was more fundamentally sound then the other two, he lasted longer. So, yes they matter. Skills will take you far, but fundamentals will extend you and get you through the tough times. Notice how those who are fundamentally sound, also seem to be more disciplined in and out of the ring. It's a mindset thing as well.

Hi, I’m new to boxing but I loved watching boxing, and I was wondering if the whole basic stuff my coach and many others teach is not very good. Im taught to always keep my hands up, never over commit and unbalance myself never cross my feet and don’t have a squared stance, keep my punches tight etc but many videos I see of Elite boxers don’t follow these. Many boxers do tend to walk around opponents and cross their feet all the time. The likes of Ali, Joe Walcott and Roy Jones JR seem to always have their hands down. Seeing Ali hit the heavy bag it’s like his hands are always down by his hips, and same with Floyd. Ruddock drops his hand so much to load his punch, which Is a huge tell and a giant no-no according to most trainers. Mike Tyson has a very squared stance which shouldn’t work because it gives more area to be hit, and Pacquiao literally jumps into his right cross, like technically he should’ve been way off balance but always seems to land it? Deontay wilder swings like he’s in a street fight and George foreman always seem to not have very clean punches, and I see many people commenting how they both lacked skill and fundamentals but they win anyways. Inoue puts his opposite hand down when throwing hard hooks, but you’re supposed to keep it up to block counters. Are these people just genetic freaks or are basic techniques not very useful? Fundamentals count a lot, but talent can often take over.

Learn the basics first, then if you're special you can develop your own game. The likes of Ali and RJJ would have learned the basics first. Learn to walk before you can run. For the hands down style you need incredible reflexes and composure to master it, it's not something just anyone can do, you have to realise how good these top pros are.

Listen to your trainer. Before you attempt musical improvisation, you gotta practice a lot of scales.

Everybody is new to boxing int the training section