Is it wise for a tall Boxer to focus on the body?

[Gavin]

I'm around 6''4-6''5 and most likely will be fighting at 75kg, (''Walking around'' weight is around 77-80 kg but it usually goes down to the Middleweight limit after a session) so I'll probably be taller then most of the Boxers I'll be fighting. Just wondering should I aim for the body much as I've heard a tall Boxer will be much more open to a counter and I rarely see tall fighters such as Wlad and Vitali aim for the body.

[avk47]

You can, but it depends on your style. You get some tall guys who for some reason prefer to fight short and come forward all the time. One of my coaches is like that. He is about your height and 69 or so kilos, but he goes in peekaboo stance and slugs it out. If you're more normal than that, again, you can, but you have to be very fast doing it, particularly at moving in and out. I'm a short, stocky guy and I love to work the body out of a counterpunching situation, so I enjoy it if a tall guy tries to bodypunch me - its an opening for me to get in and catch him with a combination, so he beter be faster than I am. And usually, not always, the guy with shorter arms is faster on the inside.

[avk47]

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't develop a body attack. It helps a lot if you're versatile.

[GPater11093]

body attacks should be developed no matter how tall you are

my advise would be to work the body up close not at distance

[MagnificentMatt]

body attacks should be developed no matter how tall you are

my advise would be to work the body up close not at distance

I agree with that second point, because if you go into a crouch trying to dig a cross and than retreating, chances are youre gonna get caught and your own momentum will make it even worse...

I used to do that a lot, lol, a cross to the body, than sliding back out of range.. Now I think its better to jam the cross to the body than get right next to them and try to follow up with a hook.

[GPater11093]

gavin if you want to watch a tall fighter who was good to the body to get some tips

watch some alexis arguello

[ralphc]

At middleweight Bernard Hopkins was usually taller than most of his opponents but he trained himself to be the best inside fighter in the world. The way he mounted a body attack was probably the safest way to hit and no get hit for a tall guy.

[TommyV]

"Kill the body and the head will die"

Having a good body attack can never hurt, short or tall. Doesn't mean you should neglect it all together, just don't focus on it as much as you would focus on keeping the guy at the end of your jab.

[Primenal]

I'm a short guy, and IMO it's very hard for a tall guy to go to my body. THe kid I trained for toughman at 6'5 I told him it's a big risk going to the body. I taught him how...Because it's useful if he fights somebody around 6'2, and up. Against somebody 5'6-5'11 I think it's a HUGE RISK. Just look at how far he has to bring his hands down, and expose that chin. He wasn't the most physichally strong kid I've ever seen so I didn't want to see him get his chin cracked while going to the body..He'd have to be so damn quick.
Soon as I see a tall fighter go to my body just jump in and straight for there chin!
Just look at Wlad if you want to see how a tall man should fight, and last long in the sport. How often does he go to the body? He really doesn't anymore...Because he doesn't want to risk getting that chin cracked! Of course people say he doesn't take risks, and isn't exciting enough, but you know what? He may be cautious, and sometimes not that exciting, but the man hardly takes a punch in the whole fight! It's a thing of beauty IMO.

One of the best tall body punchers (at least for his division) would be Margarito....but you see what happened to him. How many punches can one take? Plus, he's physichally bigger than most so he was able to do that for a while.

[GPater11093]

the best tall body punchers

or maybe even the best body puncher

is arguello i think margarito is overrated

[Primenal]

the best tall body punchers

or maybe even the best body puncher

is arguello i think margarito is overrated

Your probably right. If Margarito had some SKILL while going to the body he'd be one of the absolute best. He plods straight in though, and bang, bang to the body while taking hits upside his head. Very few tall guys can take a punch like he does...and a lot of big guys don't have great stamina to do his style.
So, IMO if your quite tall...Like your 6'4-6'5 I would not go to the body on anybody below 6'.
People say hits to the body slow there opponents down, and it sure does. Know what else slows them down? Some hellacious jabbing!! No need to go to the body if you jab there heads off round after round, and there scared to even get close to you....

[GPater11093]

ill have to disagree with you primenal

i think even if your 5 or 6 inchs bigger than an oppponent or 7 or 8 inches bigger you should work the body up close. But you have to remember to bend your knees down when you do it.

btw Margarito does hit well to the body but he fights like a small fighter so yeh hes a good tall boxer that goes to the body. But hes not an upright out fighter who goes to the body

[Vantage_West]

tommy hearns left hook to th ebody is one of th ebest body shots i have ever seen.


sluging it out to the body can be effective if you are tall becuase it could be a very awkward for a smaller man to get barged open by a taller guy...it isnt common but i wouldnt suggest it as a main strategy.


right crosses to the body can be very good but depends on how fast you are. we have a ghanian student training with us. the guy must be 6'1 and 130 pounds or somthing, an absolute bean of a guy, sadly he is slow as hell, and even tho he knows how to use a jab, once your inside he is fair game. point is that he has descovered the right cross to the body which was pretty effective against one of my mates who is about 5'7 130 odd until this right hand comes flying in and my mate lands a short counter right cross...blood everywhere.

moral of this story kids, going to the body is an effective for taller guys but it has to be used a bit more spairingly than others. but left hook to the body then maybe switch up to the head might be more prefered choice.

[Vantage_West]

YOPS_1PThCc
not a great example of his bodywork but still some 7 heavy heavy left hands to the body.

[BlackWater]

That's how Tunney beat Greb and he's a good four inches taller.

[Gavin]

Thanks for the help everyone!:thumbsup

I've tried brawling it out in sparring a few times and although I caught the guy a few times as well and backed him up I got caught with too many shots myself and definitely would have been given a standing count in a real fight. I do much better using my jab and tryin to box them so next time I'm sparring I'm going to do this but still keep an eye out for oppurtunities to go to the body and see how it goes.:p

[ChrisPontius]

It depends a lot on how the opponent fights. If it's one of those turtle-cover up types, i like to throw hard right hands / left hooks to the body. If they stay on the outside unless they use some head movement / punch slipping way to get inside, then i'd stay away from the body except the odd jab.

If you have better footspeed than him, and the stamina to keep it up, then just use his head as a speedbag from the outside, and move away. Why give him a chance by going to the body?

To summarize, unless you can completely control him from the outside, going to the body is a very strong move, if not just for variation and becoming unpredictable.

[Primenal]

It depends a lot on how the opponent fights. If it's one of those turtle-cover up types, i like to throw hard right hands / left hooks to the body. If they stay on the outside unless they use some head movement / punch slipping way to get inside, then i'd stay away from the body with the odd jab.

If you have better footspeed than him, and the stamina to keep it up, then just use his head as a speedbag from the outside, and move away. Why give him a chance by going to the body?

To summarize, unless you can completely control him from the outside, going to the body is a very strong move, if not just for variation and becoming unpredictable.

Very good post.

[xoum]

Im tall 6ft5 and i find that in sparring i have a hard time landing good body shots, id rather stay on the outside and land solid jabs and right crosses, against a shorter guy i feel my footwork is to slow for me to move in quick, land the body shot and avoid getting tagged...so i use it if have to, but i try to avoid it working on it though....

[GPater11093]

i'm pretty tall for my weight

5'7 @57kg but im pretty welll built

and im sparring my mate alot at the moment who is about 5'5 i know its not as extreme difference but a 1,2 left hook to the body punishes him

also Gavin you said you tried brawling it out, i went to war (as i all it) last night and instead of brawling it, i kept a tight guard and threw lots of hard straights down the middle followed by a left hook to the liver

[butler08]

i cant imagine that working im only 5`7 box 70 walk round 74 so im always against a taller guy and i think ive only been hit once or twice to the body and both time i just steped back countered with a left hook to the head

[GPater11093]

butler watch Alexis Arguello

[markedwardscott]

Arguello is the perfect model to study.
Hearns had an under-rated left hook to the body.

The problem for a tall fighter is that he always risks walking into a punch if he reaches with a body shot.

[Kolya]

I'm around 6''4-6''5 and most likely will be fighting at 75kg, (''Walking around'' weight is around 77-80 kg but it usually goes down to the Middleweight limit after a session) so I'll probably be taller then most of the Boxers I'll be fighting. Just wondering should I aim for the body much as I've heard a tall Boxer will be much more open to a counter and I rarely see tall fighters such as Wlad and Vitali aim for the body.

I'm the exact same height and weight as you and I go after the body as much as possible. Actually, being taller can make it even more effective because they won't be expecting you to go after them like that. Just be careful not to lean forward and give up your height with the punches and walk face first into a shorter guy's punch. Make sure your head isn't going out in front of your lead knee when you do it if it's a straight punch.

[avk47]

I'm the exact same height and weight as you and I go after the body as much as possible. Actually, being taller can make it even more effective because they won't be expecting you to go after them like that. Just be careful not to lean forward and give up your height with the punches and walk face first into a shorter guy's punch. Make sure your head isn't going out in front of your lead knee when you do it if it's a straight punch.

But you have to be able to move in and out quickly if you do that as well. If I was boxing you, and you threw a bodypunch that didn't land in a way that stopped me or at least properly phased me, and didn't get into your own range quick enough, I would step forward and flury with bent arm shots on the inside, taking advantage of you reducing your height for me. The shorter guys will usually (but not always!) feel more comfortable at that distance since they are more compact and usually physically stronger to outwork you at that distance. That said, I've recently been sparring a superheavy that throws long range head-body-head type left hooks which are very effective. He has very fast handspeed to pull that off though.

[Gavin]

To save me starting another thread seeing as its to do with height as well does anyone know what the best form of defence is for a tall fighter? Slipping and Bobbing and Weaving feels very awkward and it feels like I'd actually be moving my head into the path of a punch sometimes, I don't think I've ever seen someone like Wlad try it before either. Should I just rely on blocking and footwork?

[GPater11093]

To save me starting another thread seeing as its to do with height as well does anyone know what the best form of defence is for a tall fighter? Slipping and Bobbing and Weaving feels very awkward and it feels like I'd actually be moving my head into the path of a punch sometimes, I don't think I've ever seen someone like Wlad try it before either. Should I just rely on blocking and footwork?

watch Arguello but do what you feel comfortable with

when im the taller boxer i rely on movement, keeping opponents at range and parries for a defence

[COULDHAVEBEEN]

I'm around 6''4-6''5 and most likely will be fighting at 75kg, (''Walking around'' weight is around 77-80 kg but it usually goes down to the Middleweight limit after a session) so I'll probably be taller then most of the Boxers I'll be fighting. Just wondering should I aim for the body much as I've heard a tall Boxer will be much more open to a counter and I rarely see tall fighters such as Wlad and Vitali aim for the body.

You're one tall and probably long armed middle. Develop all your game but never lose track of the fact that your opponent will be in your range a lot of the time when you're out of his - jab, jab, jab!