Choose your style

Every boxer is different; they carry a personality as well as a strength that’s their own. When you’re in the ring, you’re competing against an unpredictable figure. You should stay unpredictable as well. An Out-fighter, much like Muhammad Ali, is a fighter who maintains a good amount of distance between himself and his opponent. He fights fast and uses long range punches particularly the jab. This gradually wears his opponent down and secures a victory. An “Out-fighter” is known as the boxing strategists because they are able to control the pace of the fight and lead their opponent with quick punches, and quick footwork. A Puncher, such as Oscar De La Hoya, is a boxer that is well-rounded and who is able to fight with great technique and power at close range. He has the ability to knock opponents out sometimes with a single shot. A puncher tends to wear his opponent down using different combinations of techniques and catches his opponents off guard by switching to one final knockout. If fancy footwork and trickery aren’t your thing, you may find a Brawler approach is more your style. A Brawler or a Slugger, such as George Forman, typically lacks finesse and mobility in the ring; they often ignore combination punching and may have trouble with Out-fighters. Brawler fighters, however, are incredible power punchers.

They throw slower, more powerful hooks, uppercuts and single punches then most others. Because these slow moments leave obvious leads Bawlers must be able to absorb large amounts of punishment from their opponent. For a faster pace hit and fight becoming a In-fighter, or swarmers is the way to go. Swarmer’s such as Mike Tyson, are aggressive fighters. They attempt to stay close and throw intense rounds and combinations of hooks and uppercuts. This especially works well for shorter fighters because it forces their taller opponent to hit awkwardly because they are unable to extend their arms fully. A successful swarmer must have a good chin (tolerance to a punch) because while moving into the In-fighter position, they are likely to take on very many jabs to the side and gut. Many short in-fighters stay in their position and move their body around to dodge such hits. They proceed with a bob-and weave defense by bending and twisting to slip away from those incoming punches. This fast moment causes the opponent to miss his punch and disrupt his balance. No matter which style is your ticket to victory, you are sure to end the fight still standing.