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

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

Interesting post, and a perspective I hadn't really considered directly.

My reason for picking Bivol is that his footwork will allow him to avoid the worst of Beterbiev's power (but not all of it). I'm assuming if Bivol can do that he will outwork Beterbiev for a decision.

FTR, I think Bivol can definitely win, but I find the idea he’s going to school Beterbiev ridiculous because it’s largely based on him outboxing a 5”8 Super Middleweight who doesn’t have a high output.

I think he’s going to have to show considerable toughness and resilience to beat Beterbiev. I expect it to be a really tough fight for both and I give the edge to Beterbiev. Can’t wait for it.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

Bivol knows range

he paused mid combo to defend then countered when he fought that southpaw Mexican

a fighter who doesnât understand range isnât pulling that maneuver off

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

[GrandpaBernard]

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

me picking Bivol

His jab and footwork will make Beter look like plodder mummy imo

where Bivol short defensively lack of head movement!

[_Rexy_]

Bivol knows range

he paused mid combo to defend then countered when he fought that southpaw Mexican

a fighter who doesnât understand range isnât pulling that maneuver off

He fought two overrated Mexicans with no jabs. Beterbiev's jab is a fking piston that penetrates the high guard like a knife through butter


Even if Beter only touches Bivol to the body once or twice a round, it'll slow him down by the sixth or seventh.

[GrandpaBernard]

He fought two overrated Mexicans with no jabs. Beterbiev's jab is a fking piston that penetrates the high guard like a knife through butter


Even if Beter only touches Bivol to the body once or twice a round, it'll slow him down by the sixth or seventh.

Bivol will be too speedy and jabby for Beter

39 year old Beter will get gassy from the volume of Bivol!

[JakeTheBoxer]

He fought two overrated Mexicans with no jabs. Beterbiev's jab is a fking piston that penetrates the high guard like a knife through butter


Even if Beter only touches Bivol to the body once or twice a round, it'll slow him down by the sixth or seventh.

Beterbiev `s jab works just perfect when fighting statue targets. Bivol is nothing like that.

Beterbiev is good. But lets be honest, he is nearly 40 and he never fought anybody like Bivol.

[The Big Dunn]

I often see guys refer to fighters as “slick” or “pure boxers” or having “elite defence” or being “extremely difficult to hit” when in reality they’re just physically gifted athletes who use their height, reach, length and feet to stay out of punching range.

Garcia-Haney was a prime example of this, people often cited Haney as this great technician with true defensive skills, but the moment Garcia was in range, Haney had no answers. He wasn’t difficult to hit at all.

Same applies for Andrade, people would bang on about him being some defensive wizard, about how he’d school Canelo. When in reality he was just using his athletic talents to get in and out of range of far inferior opposition. The moment he fought Benavidez, who was able to get into punching range, he became a punching bag.

I even remember guys hyping up Tevin Farmer, comparing him to Sweet Pea, saying he’d school Tank etc, then he fought JoJo Diaz and the moment Diaz got into range, he began teeing off on Farmer.

True elite defensive fighters know how to avoid punches in punching range, look at Hopkins, Toney, Mayweather, even Canelo. You could have those guys standing in front of you and they’d still be difficult hit.

Great post as always.

[billeau2]

I often see guys refer to fighters as “slick” or “pure boxers” or having “elite defence” or being “extremely difficult to hit” when in reality they’re just physically gifted athletes who use their height, reach, length and feet to stay out of punching range.

Garcia-Haney was a prime example of this, people often cited Haney as this great technician with true defensive skills, but the moment Garcia was in range, Haney had no answers. He wasn’t difficult to hit at all.

Same applies for Andrade, people would bang on about him being some defensive wizard, about how he’d school Canelo. When in reality he was just using his athletic talents to get in and out of range of far inferior opposition. The moment he fought Benavidez, who was able to get into punching range, he became a punching bag.

I even remember guys hyping up Tevin Farmer, comparing him to Sweet Pea, saying he’d school Tank etc, then he fought JoJo Diaz and the moment Diaz got into range, he began teeing off on Farmer.

True elite defensive fighters know how to avoid punches in punching range, look at Hopkins, Toney, Mayweather, even Canelo. You could have those guys standing in front of you and they’d still be difficult hit.

To be fair if you really listen to most of the comments about Devin and his defense they often revolve around his jab. And if you look at this fight he wasn't using his jab very well.

There could be many reasons for this. I do think it shows how important the jab figured into Devin's ability defensively. One possible nullifying factor was simply Ryan's speed. Ryan has fast hands with that hook. Ryan doesn't even have to double up on it.

If Haney really understood how to use that jab, he would change his fighting range. He seemed totally confused by Ryans speed. It looked like he didn't think Ryan can get there. A lot of that is a lack of experience. To deal with speed one needs angles, proper distance, and the ability to be in a place where the punch cannot get to them. Haney Lost on all these accounts.

[billeau2]

it was bill and his training methods over the years, they concentrated too much on the HUG, ryan on the other hand is always developing, eg, shoulder roll, not perfected yet but certainly awkward in the ring

Bill has some chops but telling his son to duck the hook is unbelievable. First of all it's a circular punch, even though it's technically a straight punch thrown at a right angle... But the long and short of it is your best defense is to work your distance to and from the opponent not to try to avoid it horizontally. Theoretically you have the advantage to nullify the speed if you throw straight in. Hence the adage not to hook with a hooker but rather using something straight.

All the hooker has to do is double up on the hook if you try to duck it. That's just a major oversight when you're fighting a guy with the left hook like Ryan has.

[billeau2]

You beat my edit. Congrats. Easier to ignore everything posted and dwell on a mistake I guess.

It's all good rexy you called a great moment. You can see Ryan do exactly what you said regarding throwing that hook when haney through the jab. It looked extremely deliberate! That's a great catch. I had noticed that when watching the fight lol.