If you've done any type of boxing training - even for just a couple months or so - and then watched a professional fight, you will likely notice something kind of odd. Sometimes, maybe even oftentimes, the fighters aren't necessarily throwing punches and moving in the way you were taught. Particularly in the heavier weight classes and particularly when it comes to a Golden Rule of Boxing itself, which is to keeping your hands up at all times. Coaches repeat this endlessly but then you turn on the TV and see both fighters with their hands down. So what gives? Do these rules just not apply to the pros? Or do some of these so-called pros actually have good form?
The answer is multi-faceted and before I go on, I do want to say that plenty of professional boxers don't have these issues. Their technique is clean their form is precise, and they put on a boxing clinic every time they fight. Canelo, Lomachenko and Naoya Inoue are certainly a great examples here but there are plenty more. Here are some of the reasons though, why others may not box the way your coach teaches you to box.
1) Styles/Good Enough to Break the Rules
Muhammad Ali crossed his feet constantly. Floyd Mayweather Jr. keeps/kept his left hand down on purpose. Tyson sometimes got into a completely square stance. Roy Jones even put BOTH hands behind his back before knocking out James Toney. One thing these guys have in common is that they are some of the greatest fighters of all time. They were able to develop their own style that worked for them specifically. If others could simply emulate those styles and be as successful, they would! We'd have tons of people fighting just Ali, knocking people out with their legs crossed but as it happens, we only have the one guy who did this stuff at a high level. In the case of Floyd Mayweather Jr, there are actually many others who use a similar "Philly Shell" defense (before and after him) that Floyd uses. And plenty of them win high-profile fights too but it still represents a tremendous risk and requires lightning-quick reflexes as well as a certain mental aptitude to pull it off. If you just do a cursory YouTube search for boxing knockouts, you will notice that 99% show the guy being knocked out with his hand(s) down. Plus, in many cases, it is imperative for someone training in boxing to master the basics first before thinking about adopting a different style.
You will also see some boxers exhibit bad form or a lack of technique but they are so good, they can get away with it and still win. Having a lot of natural punching power can sometimes be like an eraser, making up for little mistakes. But this is does not mean YOU will be able to get away with it. Or even the other person be able to get away with it forever. The better boxer generally wins out and learning the proper skills will only help someone with their craft and as I have said a million times before, even just their workout.
2) Keys to the Door
Punching another person who does have their hands up, protecting themselves, as well as moving around means that if I just throw a perfectly straight jab, I could be punching right into their glove. Now sometimes I will do that on purpose but let's say in this case, I really want to punch them in the face. To do that, I may alter the angle and form of my jab so that I punch around/underneath/etc. their glove. Thus, my jab looks a little awkward now. Think of it like fitting a key into a keyhole. Or fitting in a puzzle piece. I have to adjust my strike so it fits in just right. This doesn't necessarily equal bad form though. Not at all. But it can lead to my punches appearing a little less than textbook perfection.
This can be even more true for hitting a moving target. What starts as a beautiful cross may turn into a dipping, half-assed looking overhand if my opponent starts to drop their head while my hand is in flight. With boxing in general, you kind of have to take what's there, what is open, and the structure isn't always as critical as landing a shot is, in the heat of the moment.
Does this mean we shouldn't train with such a rigid structure? Not at all. The better you get at throwing punches and moving properly, the better you will get at throwing slight variations of those punches and moves when things go live and situations present themselves. If boxing is something that really interests you, read that sentence again. My slightly off-form hook will be stronger as well as more efficient and effective, the more I practice throwing hooks the proper way, using every muscle in my body. If boxing doesn't interest you as much, know that once again, throwing punches the proper way will get you a better, safer workout than just going willy nilly.
3.) Feints
Feints are something you will see in the ring constantly. A fighter fakes doing something - stepping a certain way, throwing a punch, etc. - and then quickly does something else. Sometimes they aren't even totally planned either. I start to step in but then I instantly think better of it and step away. Much of the time they are intentional though, designed to set up the opponent. For example, I pretend that I am going to step forward in an attempt to draw my opponent out, have them throw a strike intended to catch me on the way in, but since I never did come all the way in, their strike misses and then I am now ready to pounce. You see this with punches, head movement, everything.
So is that bad form? Not at all again! Feints are a huge, critical part of boxing, especially when fighting against counterpunchers, but because they are seemingly an incomplete motion, it is possible that they might appear strange to a relatively new viewer. Sometimes, feints will also go further outside of the box, appearing even stranger. You might see someone raise their hand straight up in the air in an attempt to draw the opponents eyes up or away from the intended target. Watch highlights of Prince Naseem Hamad or Emanual Augustus for some crazy examples.
4) They're Tired and/or Hurt
This is a big one with the bigger fighters. You will almost never see two heavyweights fight more than a few rounds and not obviously appear a little fatigued. Once you get tired, the first things that will happen are that you become flat-footed (no longer bouncing on your toes), head movement slows down and the hands drop. Punches then become sloppier too. It's not just because the hands are heavy and keeping them up requires energy, it is also just the mental part as well. Staying sharp mentally when you're exhausted becomes harder and harder so remembering all the million things you are supposed to do while boxing becomes harder as well.
You can multiply this by an exponentially higher number when a boxer is hurt. Mental and physical capacity drop dramatically and they go into survival mode. Great boxers have learned how to just coast on muscle memory here but punches are going to get extra sloppy, once balance and pain thresholds are compromised.
Even if a punch doesn't hurt, it is also common in boxing for the fighters to both land punches around the same time. It's probably beyond obvious to say that if you are trying to throw a punch and get hit while doing it, that punch may not turn out as well as it normally would. At the very least, your body is being moved and jostled, affecting your balance, rhythm, timing and attention.
5) Some Fighters Are Just Kind of Sloppy
George Foreman was another one of the all-time greats. Don't tell him that I said this but he wasn't the most technical fighter, by any stretch. He was extremely powerful (maybe the most relatively powerful puncher ever), good at cutting off the ring, and used his strong jab pretty well but his signature power punches were also big, slow and looping. The only reason that Ali was able to beat him in the famous Rumble in the Jungle fight, using the "rope-a-dope" technique was because Foreman was a little sloppy. Had he tightened up his punches like coaches generally teach, he would have likely run over Ali as predicted. Just like I talked about in point #1, George could get away with his less-than-elite boxing skills because of his other talents
And there are plenty of boxers who are far less sharp. Not to pick on the big guys again but this is usually where you will see it. There is also a conversion process that happens when you go from practice into the ring. I'd estimate the average person is 20% wilder in a real fight than they are in the gym. Some even more so. Thus, what you see on TV will not be a perfect representation of what you and the fighters are coached to do. Plus, now we have all these "celebrity boxers" who may indeed get some good training but just don't have the experience and ring IQ to really showcase the sweet science.
Oftentimes though, when you are watching some of the best coached, highest-level fighters, there is a very solid translation between training and fighting. You can even find footage of people like Canelo and Tyson practicing drills that played out perfectly in their fights. This is the ideal scenario and something to strive for.
So I guess the answer to the initial question isn't a simple Yes/No but boxing is also an incredibly complex sport with many variables and not a lot of easy answers. That is one of the things I love about it! But I will leave you with one simple truth that I have already said several times and will say over and over again: the better you learn the rules and box with best, most textbook form you can, the better everything else will get. Even if you eventually develop your own style, break the rules, when you have to adapt and when you get tired or hurt, you will be better for having mastered the basics first. Good form and technique will also get you a better workout with less chance of injury and more chance of being able to develop more skills. I've said this one before too - technique is everything!!!
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