Is not being able to understand punching range, the biggest mistake made by boxing fans?

[crimsonfalcon07]

Can he control the range against Beterbiev though? That’s the big question I think.

He's got the technical skill for it. What makes Bivol elite is his control of the ring. The stuff he's elite at isn't that obvious.

For one, he's very difficult to cut off the ring against, because he's really good at timing blinding combos right as the front foot lands and disappearing out the side. Canelo is good at cutting and he struggled to cut the ring vs Bivol. And he's good at altering the timing for that too, making it harder for his opponents to counter him.

He's also very good at knowing when to press the action so his opponent can't rest, and can drive even bigger guys back. And since all his fights go the distance, he's got the gas tank to keep up that output the whole fight. When Smith put Beterbiev on the back foot, he didn't punch at all the whole fight. But Smith just walked his own butt back to the ropes and sat on them and tried to use head movement to rest, letting Beterbiev tee off on him. Bivol rarely does that. Beterbiev will need to pull out more of his tricks vs Bivol.

The things that Bivol does he makes look so easy that it makes him look basic. But there aren't that many people who can fight off the back foot and still dominate very good fighters, because they tend to drop rounds. But look at Bivol's scorecards. He's generally getting 118-110 or wider. His last fight he won 120-107 on every scorecard.

The only question I have is whether he can avoid that cuffing right from Beterbiev for the whole fight, and how he'll take it when it lands. Because if Beterbiev fights like he did vs Smith, Bivol is going to bank serious rounds, unless the judges are seriously trying to screw him.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

Wishy washiest dude on this forum.

Before the fight he was making threads questioning whether a Garcia win would be good for boxing, now he is gushing about his punching range

Can you read?

Work on your comprehension you single digit IQ moron.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

He's got the technical skill for it. What makes Bivol elite is his control of the ring. The stuff he's elite at isn't that obvious.

For one, he's very difficult to cut off the ring against, because he's really good at timing blinding combos right as the front foot lands and disappearing out the side. Canelo is good at cutting and he struggled to cut the ring vs Bivol. And he's good at altering the timing for that too, making it harder for his opponents to counter him.

He's also very good at knowing when to press the action so his opponent can't rest, and can drive even bigger guys back. And since all his fights go the distance, he's got the gas tank to keep up that output the whole fight. When Smith put Beterbiev on the back foot, he didn't punch at all the whole fight. But Smith just walked his own butt back to the ropes and sat on them and tried to use head movement to rest, letting Beterbiev tee off on him. Bivol rarely does that. Beterbiev will need to pull out more of his tricks vs Bivol.

The things that Bivol does he makes look so easy that it makes him look basic. But there aren't that many people who can fight off the back foot and still dominate very good fighters, because they tend to drop rounds. But look at Bivol's scorecards. He's generally getting 118-110 or wider. His last fight he won 120-107 on every scorecard.

The only question I have is whether he can avoid that cuffing right from Beterbiev for the whole fight, and how he'll take it when it lands. Because if Beterbiev fights like he did vs Smith, Bivol is going to bank serious rounds, unless the judges are seriously trying to screw him.

Beterbiev will put far more pressure on him than anyone else ever has. I’ll be very interested to see how Bivol deals with it.

Bivol has excellent fundamentals but I’m just not sure that’ll be enough to beat Beterbiev who also possesses very good fundamentals and also savage power.

The size of the ring will be interesting too I think, that could be a big factor.

[crimsonfalcon07]

Beterbiev will put far more pressure on him than anyone else ever has. I’ll be very interested to see how Bivol deals with it.

Bivol has excellent fundamentals but I’m just not sure that’ll be enough to beat Beterbiev who also possesses very good fundamentals and also savage power.

The size of the ring will be interesting too I think, that could be a big factor.

Yeah, it's one of the most fascinating stylistic matchups we could get. Too bad Bivol doesn't have power. If Beterbiev can close the range and land his signature shot, it will look like every other Beterbiev fight. But if he can't, it's going to look like he got old overnight.

I think you're making a mistake saying that Bivol is limited to very good fundamentals. The things he's good at are highly advanced. There's plenty of world champions who don't know where they are in the ring like Bivol does. I can't think of anyone in the sport with better timing on blinding combos to change position, or knowing when to press and push the bully back to make them uncomfortable. Really high ring IQ. Really good balance. Bivol is always in position. There's very few fighters who are as balanced as Bivol. Much more nuanced jab. Beterbiev likes to lunge in. Bivol will certainly catch him lunging with a cross parry.

I think Beterbiev has more paths to victory, but if Bivol wins the jab battle, it's going to be fascinating. I hate that I'm going to miss it live.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

Yeah, it's one of the most fascinating stylistic matchups we could get. Too bad Bivol doesn't have power. If Beterbiev can close the range and land his signature shot, it will look like every other Beterbiev fight. But if he can't, it's going to look like he got old overnight.

I think you're making a mistake saying that Bivol is limited to very good fundamentals. The things he's good at are highly advanced. There's plenty of world champions who don't know where they are in the ring like Bivol does. I can't think of anyone in the sport with better timing on blinding combos to change position, or knowing when to press and push the bully back to make them uncomfortable. Really high ring IQ. Really good balance. Bivol is always in position. There's very few fighters who are as balanced as Bivol. Much more nuanced jab. Beterbiev likes to lunge in. Bivol will certainly catch him lunging with a cross parry.

I think Beterbiev has more paths to victory, but if Bivol wins the jab battle, it's going to be fascinating. I hate that I'm going to miss it live.

I don’t think Bivol does anything special. Very good fighter who makes very few mistakes but he doesn’t do anything extraordinary.

Not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing either, he’s very textbook, if a kid walked into a gym and asked me who should I watch to learn how to box, I’d say Bivol and Inoue.

You on a flight or something? Are you gonna avoid the result?

[JakeTheBoxer]

Beterbiev will put far more pressure on him than anyone else ever has. I’ll be very interested to see how Bivol deals with it.

Bivol has excellent fundamentals but I’m just not sure that’ll be enough to beat Beterbiev who also possesses very good fundamentals and also savage power.

The size of the ring will be interesting too I think, that could be a big factor.

Beterbiev will understand how good Bivol is. I don`t expect Beterbiev to be too brave.

If Beterbiev goes wild, he gets countered.

[PBR Streetgang]

I think it's a nuanced conversation. Using
and, more importantly, understanding range is a piece of defense.

Defense in my opinion is the art of not being hit with effective punches. One can block, parry, roll and completely avoid a punch to nullify the others attack.

Understanding range isnt just for the longer armed fighters. I've seen many shorter armed, close distance fighters effectively use distance to nullify the longer levers of opponents.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

I think it's a nuanced conversation. Using
and, more importantly, understanding range is a piece of defense.

Defense in my opinion is the art of not being hit with effective punches. One can block, parry, roll and completely avoid a punch to nullify the others attack.

Understanding range isnt just for the longer armed fighters. I've seen many shorter armed, close distance fighters effectively use distance to nullify the longer levers of opponents.

FTR, I’m not trying to downplay the importance of controlling range . I’m just saying a lot of fans mistake these long athletic guys who rely on being out of range as elite defensive fighters when in reality they’re anything but.

[Gary Coleman]

Having fast feet is just part of having a great defense. You have to have the ring IQ and smarts to also parry shots, move your head, etc.

Haney has a 72 inch reach. His last 5 opponents prior to Ryan (Who has a 71 inch reach) were Prograis 67, Loma 65, Kambosos 68, Jojo 65.

A lot easier to stay out of range when you're boiling down and fighting guys with that much of a reach disadvantage.

Haney pulls back his right hand when throwing the jab. In boxing gyms, its called a "Bow and Arrow jab." and that should have been corrected a decade ago. When Ryan rocked Devin in the first 25 seconds, he was fully prepared. He ate the jab and threw the left hook at the same time.

Somebody is a subscriber to Boxing Gems.

[crimsonfalcon07]

I don’t think Bivol does anything special. Very good fighter who makes very few mistakes but he doesn’t do anything extraordinary.

Not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing either, he’s very textbook, if a kid walked into a gym and asked me who should I watch to learn how to box, I’d say Bivol and Inoue.

You on a flight or something? Are you gonna avoid the result?

It's square in the middle of our PCS move. Gonna be on the road for like 17 days driving back from Alaska because the military will only move one car, so we have to drive the other back if we want to keep it. But hey, at least they do cover one. I'm looking at it like a chance for a road trip that someone else pays for.

Back on the topic of Bivol though, timing and being able to consistently win rounds on the back foot and ring awareness are elite skills. How many other fighters do you see who can do those things at all, let alone as well and consistently as Bivol?