Is Reach and Height As Important As It Is Made Out To Be?

[RedZmaja]

Shorter reach usually translates to more handspeed. It's also better for infighting.

[pesticid]

Reach is important but it's only one attribute of many that could determine how a match up plays out.

Thank you man, finally somebody that gets it.

Let's say you have a longer reach but you do not properly extend your jab or you don't turn your torso in when throwing the back hand, then that reach is really no good. Or your footwork is not in sync with your punches, or your footwork is too slow, or you can't read distance properly and so on and so forth.

Reach, size and weight can only take you so far. The number 1 factor is skills and then comes in conditioning.

[Lou Cipher]

What's a slam man? Honestly, never heard that before.

For the wannabe tough guys and stolen valor "Boxers." You can find them in the corner of fat people's garages and in larryxxx's strip mall "Boxing Gym."

Basically it's the



of the Wannabe Boxer Ghetto.

[RedZmaja]

Thank you man, finally somebody that gets it.

Let's say you have a longer reach but you do not properly extend your jab or you don't turn your torso in when throwing the back hand, then that reach is really no good. Or your footwork is not in sync with your punches, or your footwork is too slow, or you can't read distance properly and so on and so forth.

Reach, size and weight can only take you so far. The number 1 factor is skills and then comes in conditioning.

Unless it's the HW division the fighter with less reach is likely going to be shorter and is likely going to be more muscular and stronger.

People think that it's easy to jab people away with a reach advantage while in reality it's not when you're facing a boxer who knows what he's doing. The jab can always be countered by a right hand unless you keep you hands up but then you're vulnerable to the body.

Tall fighters are very big targets.

[THC]

For the wannabe tough guys and stolen valor "Boxers."

Ah, OK, thanks. Guess I haven't visited a gym in a long time. I only remember cylindrical heavy bags suspended by a chain. With leather or canvas cover.

[VatoMulatto]

Montel Griffin at LHW was impressive, only 5'7 and one of the few boxers that troubled a prime RJJ.

[jmrf4435]

For the wannabe tough guys and stolen valor "Boxers." You can find them in the corner of fat people's garages and in larryxxx's strip mall "Boxing Gym."

Basically it's the



of the Wannabe Boxer Ghetto.

You guys just need to make up, get over eachother.

You are very similar, you just don't know it

[Lou Cipher]

You guys just need to make up, get over eachother.

You are very similar, you just don't know it

larry knows he's on Lou Cipher's Xmas card list.

[MurkaMan]

Manny Pacquiao is at 5 6 with a 67 inch reach (I think that's generous)
Ricky Hatton was 5 7 with a 65 inch reach
Lomachenko is 5 7 with a 65 inch reach
Gary Russell is 5 4 with a 64 inch reach
Gamboa is 5 5 with a 65 inch reach
Roberto Duran is 5 7 with a 66 inch reach
Henry Armstrong was 5 5 with a 67 inch reach
Juan Manuel Marquez at 5 7 with a 67 inch reach
Danny Garcia at 5 8 with a 68 inch reach
Dwight Muhammad Qawi at 5 7 with 71 inch reach
Montel Griffin at 5 7 with a 70 inch reach

These are just some fighters that have consistently faced taller opponents with bigger reach and they have been able to outbox them, from the outside too.

If you had 2 inch reach on me, it means nothing. As long as Im close enough to hit you, you are just as close enough to return fire. That 2 inches wont mean anything.

It only means something when you have ten inches and is a foot taller.

[Mr Objecitivity]

Unlike weight advantage, which is a default advantage for a boxer. Since being heavier will automatically give that boxer the edge in greater potential punching power and punch resistance. Especially if the heavier boxer is significantly heavier. Height and reach aren't default advantages. Hence, there exist no height and reach divisions like there exists weight divisions.

Being taller or having a longer reach isn't a default advantage. Likewise, being shorter or having a shorter reach also isn't a default advantage. The boxer with the advantage will be the one who knows how to use the reach and height that he has, to the best effect.

A tall boxer with a longer reach who knows how to skillfully keep opponents at the correct distance where he can hit without getting hit whilst having the skills (footwork, speed and etc) is someone who would obviously make good use of his height / reach advantage and it'll be to the best effect.

Likewise, a shorter boxer with a shorter reach who knows how to make use of the advantages that being short gives someone to best effect will beat the taller boxer who can't put his tall / longer height / reach to best effect. A shorter boxer can use his shorter height to be elusive, to have better balance due to lower center of gravity, to throw shorter punches at close distances, to be more agile by being able to change directions quicker, by being more coordinated due to less moving parts and so forth so on.

In the battle between tall vs short boxer. The winner is usually decided by who is better at using the advantages their own height and reach provides them with.