Comments Thread For: Forget Tom and Jerry, the art of not getting hit must remain

[dannnnn]

There is a healthy middle ground between running and rock 'em, sock 'em robots and that's what Shakur did the other night. More of that please.

[Oldskoolg]

Boxers are just not as gritty and skilled as they used to be. Decades ago we called the counter to that style “cutting off the ring.” Which seems to be a dead area of boxing, Canelo has no idea how to do it and seemingly neither does anyone else

[A.B Counterhooks]

Seems some folks got it all twisted with this subject ,nothing wrong with the move-punch-move as that indeed is part of boxing, its the excessive move with little to none output that deserves criticism, especially to fighters that are actually talented or at least have some degree of it, Scull and Haney most recently two perfect examples.

[SteelFist01]

It's not sticking and moving that people find boring, nor do people just want to see some rock 'em, sock 'em robots. Believe it or not, it's not one extreme to the other, there's a middle ground. But like others said, boxers that move around more than they fight, seemingly trying not to lose instead of trying to win is the problem. Shakur is a good example. Before last weekend, the last few 'fights' of his were boring as hell. He's obviously a great talent, and his defense is amazing. But people also want to see action, so him being more aggressive and standing in the pocket against Zepeda was my favorite performance of his yet, and I have been critical of him in the past. Obviously us fans want these fighters to have a good life after hanging 'em up, but they also signed up for this. And like it or not, being passive Ina combat sport doesn't win you any fans, and no fans equals no big paydays.

[SteelFist01]

Look at Chocolatito in his prime. He had good defense, yet stood right in the pocket, and for every punch he slipped or rolled with he fired back just as much.

[SteelFist01]

There is a healthy middle ground between running and rock 'em, sock 'em robots and that's what Shakur did the other night. More of that please.

Haha I posted my comment and also mentioned rock 'em sock 'em robots, before even reading the rest of the comments. Sorry for accidentally stealing yours, haha

[Lefty0616]

Shakur's shoulder roll was on point! His accuracy was excellent! He just doesn't have power, and I'm not sure how he'll do at 140 or above, like Sweet Pea, and Floyd. That said he schooled Zepeda, and no one should be surprised. Shakur is levels above the current version of Tevin Farmer!

Just because someone doesn't knock out every opponent, that doesn't mean that they don't have power.....

[TonyRespectful]

The author isn't the only one who was taught to box.The difference is I along with many was taught punch,move,punch.And I found it baffling that he wrote about Ricky Hatton but failed to mention Hatton's ill advised decision to box again .The author did make some good points but professional boxing is the "hurt business "`If it makes you feel bad stop watching it.

[dannnnn]

Haha I posted my comment and also mentioned rock 'em sock 'em robots, before even reading the rest of the comments. Sorry for accidentally stealing yours, haha

Great minds think alike heh. I fully agree with what you wrote and Chocolatito is a great shout. We're not wanting or expecting these guys to eat punches for our entertainment. We just want to see their skills on display.

People act like being a mover is a style only a select few can pull off but I don't believe that at all. In fact I think it's a very easy style to implement, speaking from my own experience. What is much harder is to be the guy moving forward whilst remaining defensively responsible, a la Chocolatito or Lomachenko. The guy who is moving forward, moving in to punching range is the one taking all of the risk. That, I believe, is why come-forward fighters used to be favoured on the scorecards--because without them making the fight, there largely wouldn't be one. Nowadays it's the opposite, unfortunately. Negative, defensive boxing is what wins rounds, typically speaking.

[SteelFist01]

Great minds think alike heh. I fully agree with what you wrote and Chocolatito is a great shout. We're not wanting or expecting these guys to eat punches for our entertainment. We just want to see their skills on display.

People act like being a mover is a style only a select few can pull off but I don't believe that at all. In fact I think it's a very easy style to implement, speaking from my own experience. What is much harder is to be the guy moving forward whilst remaining defensively responsible, a la Chocolatito or Lomachenko. The guy who is moving forward, moving in to punching range is the one taking all of the risk. That, I believe, is why come-forward fighters used to be favoured on the scorecards--because without them making the fight, there largely wouldn't be one. Nowadays it's the opposite, unfortunately. Negative, defensive boxing is what wins rounds, typically speaking.

I agree completely!