In boxing, no two fighters' styles are identical. A boxer's style is evolved as he applies what he has been taught or picked up in practice, and performs it in such a way as to suit himself. Nonetheless, many terms are used which broadly describe a boxer's style. Note that a boxer is not necessarily limited to being described by one of these terms. A fighter may be described as a boxer-puncher or may be skilled at both in-fighting and out-fighting, for example.
Out-fighter:
A classic "boxer" (also known as an "out-fighter") seeks to maintain distance between himself and his opponent, fighting with faster, longer range punches, most notably the jab. Since they rely on weaker punches such as the jab, boxers tend to win by points decisions rather than by knockout, although some out-fighters (such as Lennox Lewis) have notable knockout records. These boxers attempt to control the fight by using their jab to keep their opponent at range, and using fast footwork to evade any opponent that closes in. They are often regarded as the best boxing strategists due to their ability to control the pace of the fight and lead their opponent, wearing him down gradually, and exhibiting more skill and finesse than a brawler.
Notable boxers include Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr., Gene Tunney, Carlos Monzón, Pernell Whitaker, Jermain Taylor, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Lennox Lewis, Winky Wright, Larry Holmes, Hilario Zapata, Chris Eubank, Joe Calzaghe, Meldrick Taylor, and Oscar de La Hoya.
Boxer Puncher:
A boxer-puncher is an out-fighter who has heavy fire power in his punches. They use the same hit-and-move tactics of an out-fighter, but instead of winning by decision, they tend to wear their opponents down before scoring the knockout. For a fighter who uses this style to be effective, they need to have good footwork, good stamina and endurance, good jabs and/or leads, and good speed and power.
Notable boxers include Joe Louis, Roy Jones Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes, Chris Eubank, Mikkel Kessler, Joe Calzaghe, Jermain Taylor, and Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Brawler/Slugger:
A brawler is a fighter who generally lacks finesse in the ring, but often makes up for it by volume of sheer punching power. Many brawlers tend to lack mobility in the ring and have difficulty pursuing fighters who are fast on their feet. They prefer a more stable stance from which they may throw the harder, slower punches (such as hooks and uppercuts) and tend to ignore combination punching. They may also have a tendency to load up on their punches more (to pull back the arm before throwing the punch so as to have a greater distance to gather momentum over before the punch's impact). Their slowness and predictable punching patterns (single punches with obvious leads) often leaves them open for counterpunching. Some notable brawlers include George Foreman, Ricardo Mayorga, Samuel Peter, Rocky Marciano, and Manny Pacquiao.
In-fighter:
In-fighters or swarmers stay close to an opponent, throwing intense flurries and combinations of hooks and uppercuts. A successful in-fighter often needs a good "chin" because this usually involves being hit with many jabs before they can maneuver inside where they are more effective. A fighter who operates best at close range is generally shorter and has less reach than his opponents and thus is most effective at a distance where the longer arms of his opponents' make punching awkward. However, several fighters tall for their division have been relatively adept at in-fighting as well as out-fighting, including Riddick Bowe and Bernard Hopkins.
Notable in-fighters include Shane Mosley, Mike Tyson, Jake LaMotta, Ricky Hatton, Jose Luis Castillo, Julio César Chávez, Joe Frazier, Roberto Duran, Arturo Gatti, Rocky Marciano, Harry Greb, Jack Dempsey, Henry Armstrong, and James Toney.
Bob-and-Weave Fighter:
Many short in-fighters utilise their stature to their advantage, employing a bob-and-weave defense by bending at the waist to slip underneath or to the sides of incoming punches. Unlike blocking, causing an opponent to miss a punch disrupts his balance, permits forward movement past the opponents extended arm and keeps the hands free to counter. Some bob-and-weave fighters have been known for being notoriously hard to hit, a well-known example being Mike Tyson early in his career. Another example is Joe Frazier. Although not short, Jack Dempsey was perhaps the greatest exponent of the bob-and-weave.
Puncher:
The term 'puncher' refers to a fighter with a powerful punch, but is not a true descriptor of boxing style. Punchers are capable of knocking out their opponents with few punches if given the opportunity to land them cleanly, and in some cases, scoring a KO with only a single blow. Notable punchers include Jack Dempsey, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Joe Louis, Lennox Lewis, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, John Mugabi, Julian Jackson, Felix Trinidad, Earnie Shavers, Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier, Roy Jones Jr., Nigel Benn, Naseem Hamed, Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Chris Eubank, Arturo Gatti, Kelly Pavlik, and Manny Pacquiao.
Style matchups:
There is a generally accepted rule of thumb about the success each of these boxing styles has against the others. In general, an in-fighter has an advantage over a boxer, a puncher has an advantage over an in-fighter, and a boxer has an advantage over a puncher. Naturally, many other factors, such as the skill level and training of the combatants, determine the outcome of a fight, but the widely held belief in this relationship among the styles is embodied in the cliché amongst boxing fans and writers that "styles make fights".
Punchers tend to overcome swarmers or in-fighters because, in trying to get close to the slugger, the in-fighter will invariably have to walk straight into the guns of the much harder-hitting puncher, so, unless the former has a very good chin and the latter's stamina is poor, the brawler's superior power will carry the day. Two famous examples of this type of match-up are George Foreman defeating Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson knocking out Joe's son, Marvis Frazier (in just 30 seconds).
Although in-fighters struggle against heavy punchers, they typically enjoy more success against out-fighters or boxers. Out-fighters prefer a slower fight, with some distance between themselves and the opponent. The in-fighter tries to close that gap and unleash furious flurries. On the inside, the out-fighter loses a lot of his combat effectiveness, because he cannot throw the hard punches. The in-fighter is generally successful in this case, due to his intensity in advancing on his opponent and his good agility, which makes him difficult to evade. For example, the swarming Joe Frazier, though easily dominated by the slugger George Foreman, was able to create many more problems for the boxer Muhammad Ali in their three fights than Foreman could. Joe Louis, after retirement, admitted that he hated being crowded, and that a swarmer like Rocky Marciano would have caused him style problems even in his prime.
The boxer or out-fighter tends to be most successful against a brawler, whose slow speed (both hand and foot) and poor technique makes him an easy target to hit for the faster out-fighter. The out-fighter's main concern is to stay alert, as the brawler only needs to land one good punch to finish the fight. If the out-fighter can avoid those power punches, he can often wear the brawler down with fast jabs, tiring him out. If he is successful enough, he may even apply extra pressure in the later rounds in an attempt to achieve a knockout. Most classic boxers, such as Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis, enjoyed their best successes against sluggers.
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