Lets be realistic reach is everything

[boxa_ali]

When ever i wana compare to opponents first thing i look at is reach
if theres a significant difference i already know whos gana win.
Iwant a cotto vs mayweather matchup and klitkos to fight HAYE because the reach are alote closer. size might be an advantage but reach can make up for it.

[Steak]

tell that to Dwight Muhammad Qawi, who was 5'5 1/2 and beat the **** out of Light Heavyweights and Cruiserweights.

being short can work to your advantage if you actually fight the right way.

[Mersey]

Tyson wouldn't have been the same if he had a long reach. The short reach was used to his advantage.

[[ILLMatic]]

Vitali does that **** all the time to lure his opponents in so he can counter them. And with how far the distance was with his hands down it wasn't like a haymaker would do squat **** because all it would do is hit air.

i remmember vitali was real close to em, head poking out, mayweather tauntish perhaps, a stiff jab woulda did me justice, viewing pleasure...

[S.G.]

tell that to Dwight Muhammad Qawi, who was 5'5 1/2 and beat the **** out of Light Heavyweights and Cruiserweights.

being short can work to your advantage if you actually fight the right way.

Tyson wouldn't have been the same if he had a long reach. The short reach was used to his advantage.

Would you agree that long reach used well is a bigger advantage than short reach used well though?

[We want Floyd]

After watching vitali destroy ariola and mayweather embarrass marquez im convinced if you have a significantly bigger reach you have a enormous advantage in a fight. Vitali out jabbed majority of his opponents because of his reach, mayweather makes all boxer with short reach look second rate .eg hatton and now marquez. mike tyson struggled against guys with long reach.
Duran got destroyed by hearns because of his reach. Paul williams is a freak and now no one wants to fight him. Lennox lewis was champ bacause of his reach. Muhammad Ali was the greatest because of his reach.
To me having a reach advantage is more significant than any other advantage in boxing.

Reach when utilized correctly becomes a very formidable weapon.

It's like trying to fight a wall. A person with just a decent jab w/ long arms is difficult enough.

[Doctor_Tenma]

Reach wasn't everything when faced against Frazier or Tyson. You need the right head movement.

[The Hammer]

After watching vitali destroy ariola and mayweather embarrass marquez im convinced if you have a significantly bigger reach you have a enormous advantage in a fight. Vitali out jabbed majority of his opponents because of his reach, mayweather makes all boxer with short reach look second rate .eg hatton and now marquez. mike tyson struggled against guys with long reach.
Duran got destroyed by hearns because of his reach. Paul williams is a freak and now no one wants to fight him. Lennox lewis was champ bacause of his reach. Muhammad Ali was the greatest because of his reach.
To me having a reach advantage is more significant than any other advantage in boxing.

I agree it is very important.

Arm length is especially important. Floyd Mayweather Jr has 26" arms, the same as Wladimir Klitschko. Lennox Lewis, Hasim Rahman and Vitali have 29" arms.

A few fighters have managed to succeed despite having relatively shorter arms: Tyson, Hatton and Marciano, for example.

But arm length has been instrumental in the success of many such as Hearns, Ali, Foreman, Lewis, and now Vitali. This was evident in fights such as Ali-Bonavena, Vitali-Arreola, Lewis-Tua, Lewis-Tyson, etc.

[The_Demon]

difference is floyd has beaten top fighters he has had the physical disadvantage against
the klits havent,not their fault but its a reason for their dominance
look what a poorly conditioned uninterested lewis did 2 vitali,i mean damn

[Steak]

Would you agree that long reach used well is a bigger advantage than short reach used well though?

depends on the style honestly. Tommy Hearns used his long reach perfectly, but the shorter Hagler was still able to shove his way in and wear him down before KOing him. Barkley didnt have a huge reach disadvantage against Hearns, but he still fought small and shoved his way inside giving him a win in the second fight.

Dwight Muhammad Qawi in particular was great against tall guys, he destroyed 6'1 Jerry Martin and arguably beat 6'2 1/2 Holyfield the first time around.

I think its hard to say sometimes, because generally you just dont see short guys at higher weight classes. its simply not often that guys are in-shape at 5'5 1/2 weighing 175lb+. especially because of the day after weigh ins, its pretty easy to weigh a low weight and be hugely tall. someone like Guillermo Jones was 6'4 and fighting at 147-154lbs once. crazy, eh?

so its more likely that we see successful tall guys than successful small guys, if you get what Im saying. but that doesnt mean that the small guy cant have the advantage. trying to counter a quicker counter puncher with a longer reach like Marquez-Mayweather is going to be a big fail. forcing the fight on the inside while bobbing up and down is going to be a win strategy. sounds cliche, but bigger guys have bigger bodies to hit.

youd be surprised how a tiny bit of head movement by the shorter guy can make the taller fighter miss. the right hands just fly right over their back, and the left hooks right over their head.