The Boxer vs The Brawler

Floyd Mayweather Jr. put it best: “I don’t have to be the strongest, I don’t have to be the fastest, I don’t have to have to have the fastest feet. I just need the smartest mind.” – Let’s take note, from the best of his entire generation. From the man who retired without a single defeat.

Appreciation of technicality

As a student of the sweet science, one of the most beautiful sights in the world is to watch a boxer who knows exactly what he’s doing when he’s inside that ring. He knows exactly what he’s trying to achieve in the ring and he knows exactly what he needs to do, in order to manipulate the other guy into allowing his desired situation to transform into reality. For me, it’s truly a sight that provokes admiration. Unfortunately this type of fighter is few and far between. The majority of other fighter’s don’t know what it is specifically they want to do and how they’re going to do it. Rather, they just know that they want to win and they want to look good, so they’re simply just going to let their hands go and hope for the best. Even when they think they know what they’re doing, the truth is that they do not. Don’t get me wrong, there is going to come a time where you’re going to need to simply just fight. But being a brawler can only do so much for you when you come up against a guy who knows exactly what he wants you to do and, like some sort of mental magician, he has you in a trance-like state, he has you obeying his subtle mental commands.

Navigate diverse challenges

This is the sport of BOXING, so naturally the best BOXER is going to win, or the one with the most BOXING skills. It doesn’t matter if a guy with a powerful left hook tries it against a real boxer who knows how to negate it and further than that, counter it. Punish him every time he throws it. Usually, this type of guy will be reliant on that one weapon of his as well, meaning that he has no other options. He’s ruined. Being smart allows you to have an answer to any situation that you come up against. There’s such a focus on the power punching aspect of boxing that people seem to forget, this is the sweet science.

Sugar Ray Leonard outboxes Roberto Duran in their second fight

Sweet scientists of the Past

History can be our biggest teacher, so we should learn as much from it when we can. Many of the biggest match ups in the entire history of boxing, showed us that the man with the better variety of boxing skills can triumph over the man with the bigger punch. The most recent example of this is Mayweather versus Pacquiao. Despite the fact that arguable Pacquiao under-performed that night and the fight was probably 5 years too late, Mayweather was the superior boxer, and it’s as simple as that. Pacquiao  usually throws well upwards of fifty punches a round in most of his fights, however when he came up against a smart counter-puncher, such as Mayweather or Juan Manuel Marquez, his punch output dramatically decreased. This is usually because counterpunchers punish you every time you make a mistake, and this is what it means to be an intelligent fighter. Champions, of any sport, brutally take advantage of any openings you present them and mistakes can be costly. This is why you can’t argue too much, against Mayweather’s claims that ‘if he and Pacquiao fought 100 times, he’d win 100 times.’

Other examples we can look to support this idea, includes Sugar Ray Leonard vs Marvin Hagler in 1987. SRL had actually been retired for 3 years before he went into that fight, but he used intelligence to win that night. Some might argue, he only won because he stole some rounds with crowd pleasing flurry at the end of each 3-minutes. But the fact is, this is smart in itself. If you know that the end of a round can be the most influential in affecting the judges scoring then why wouldn’t you make the smart choice and capitalise on this? Another example : Mike Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis in 2002. By this time, and since 1988 when Tyson fired his Cus D’ Amato-mentored trainer Kevin Rooney, Tyson was more a puncher than a  boxer with superior skills. Going into the fight with Lewis, he realistically only had a punchers choice and this was shown as Lennox dominated the fight with SKILL. For anyone who may think I’m being bias, the three examples I used were actually of my top 3 favourite fighters being beaten.

Will over skill?

There can be exceptions to the rule, but this is when a fighters will is more than that of his opponents. Rocky Marciano was the most perfect symbol of will and this evident from him being undefeated in his 49 fights. He holds the record for retiring having the most wins with no losses (and no draws). Marciano came up against guys like Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott, who no doubt had superior boxing skills, but it was will (and heavy hands) that had him in superior shape to grind out the wins no matter what the challenge. Of specific fights that also represent this, the quickest example that springs mind is Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. vs Meldrick Taylor. Taylor was winning the fight the fight going into the last round, and Chavez with the heart of a unbroken warrior, knocked stopped Taylor with TWO SECONDS left of the fight. The fighter with more will and heart will always come out on top, but when the wills both of the fighters are matched, the guy with the superior boxing skills will usually come out on top in the sport of boxing.

Julio Cesar Chavez’s skill overcame Meldrick Taylor’s will.

Intelligence Trumps Brutality

Think about it, the human race itself is in no way the most physically intimidating in the animal kingdom. However, due to our intelligence, we are top of the food chain. When it comes to boxing, the same concept applies. The smartest man within the ropes of the ring, can tame a clueless tiger. Like a circus, he can turn the spectacle into that of a display of control, having the animal do whatever he wants. Train to improve every aspect of your game, including power punching, yes. But always make the priority of all your progress, to be smarter. This is so that when you come against a guy with a physical advantage, you’ll always be able to have a solution to the challenge you’re presented with.

Final Note – Are They Doing It?

To be a champion means to do what the others are not. The vast majority of fighters will neglect to focus on training the swiftness and brawn of their mind, but because you plan to be a champion, you will strive for intelligence because you do what the others do not.