The brawler boxing style can be pretty challenging to deal with if you don’t have the right tools in your boxing arsenal. Also known as the slugger style, boxers who use this style often have devastating punching power and a willingness to get hit.
Squaring up against a brawler often feels like you’re having a street fight in an alley. One little mistake and you might end up on your back staring at the bright lights standing over the ring.
Dealing with a brawler is a rite of passage in boxing, and it’s only a matter of time before you find yourself going against one in sparring or competitions. Fortunately, this article will reveal the blueprint for frustrating brawlers so you can impose your will on them.
Defeating The Brawler Style In Boxing
The first step toward defeating a brawler is understanding who they are. Sluggers are natural-born fighters who rely on brute strength and relentless aggression to dominate their opponents. “Iron” Mike Tyson is the most popular brawler in boxing history and one of the most vicious finishers.
Brawlers are typically willing to throw caution to the wind in their attempts to overwhelm you with their power. While they often lack finesse, they make up for it with their punching power and tenacity.
Brawlers like Mike Tyson have suffered their share of losses, so there’s a blueprint for defeating them. Some of the things you must do to enjoy success against brawlers include:
1) Keep Your Distance
The first step to defeating a slugger is keeping your distance. Your feet are your best tools for getting this done. You want to use lateral movement to prevent them from cutting the ring off while circling away from their power hand. If your opponent uses an orthodox stance, you want to circle them in an anticlockwise pattern so you’re always far away from their most effective weapons.
The critical thing you should remember when going against brawlers is that their power doesn’t mean much when they can’t touch you.
Brawlers often get frustrated with opponents who have excellent footwork since this prevents them from imposing their will on opponents. Fighters like Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis were incredible at keeping Tyson at outside range, and they were able to pick him apart from outside range.
2) The Jab
You’ll have to pump out many jabs to keep aggressive fighters like brawlers off you. You’re not necessarily trying to score points with your jab against brawlers since they can still overwhelm you with their power. Remember what we said about brawlers are okay with getting hit?
Your feet are your main tools for distance management against brawlers, while your jab is used to disrupt their rhythm and annoy them. You can also use your jab to set up combinations from the outside. You’re better off sticking to straight punches you can land from outside range when dealing with a brawler.
Your jab can be a highly effective tool against brawlers. Each unanswered jab you land frustrates your opponent and forces them to make poor decisions like lunging toward you in an attempt to force the action.
3) Stick And Move
You need to channel your inner Muhammad Ali, float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee while going against brawlers. You want to keep instances where you are trading blows with these powerful punchers to a minimum. That’s how they want the fight to progress, but you can deny them by getting on your bicycle after landing.
Avoid using long combinations against sluggers since doing so leaves you vulnerable to their power shots. The more punches you throw without moving out of the way, the easier it is for them to land their power shots.
Hit without getting hit is the name of the game against brawlers. Start by landing single shots and moving away from the slugger. Don’t worry about the crowd booing because they don’t find your style entertaining.
Once you start enjoying success by pot-shotting your opponent and moving out of the way, throw two or three punch combinations before moving out of range. The more you land your punches while denying your opponent the opportunity to land theirs, the more frustrated they become.
Brawlers open themselves to counterattacks as they try to overpower their opponents with looping punches. This opens the door for you to launch your counterattacks. Be ready to make a slugger pay for their error whenever they swing widely on you.
A well-timed counter can bring a fight to an abrupt end, and landing counters can teach opponents to respect your space. The last thing you want is for a brawler not to respect your power, allowing them to walk you down and throw powerful hooks and uppercuts without taking much risk on their part.
Remember to keep your hands up while throwing counters since a brawler only needs to land one punch to change the course of a fight.
5) Target The Body
Brawlers use lots of energy chasing their opponents down and throwing punches with everything they have, so attack their gas tanks by targeting their bodies. Invest in body shots early in a fight, and it will start paying dividends by the middle rounds.
The more a slugger slows down, the easier it will be to evade their attacks while punishing them with counters. A tired brawler is vulnerable, so push their endurance to its limits.
6) Stay Calm Under Pressure
A brawler will do everything in their power to get you to abandon your game plan, especially when it has been effective. They might yell at you to stop running or try to get their fans on their side by waving you in.
Don’t fall for these tactics, and stick to your game plan. You have to relax your body, be calm, and make them chase you around the ring and keep landing your counters.
Defeating A Brawler Is About Keeping Things Technical
Some of the best lessons you’ll learn as a boxer will come against brawlers. Their goal is to force you to fight while you look to box them. Stay disciplined and keep them at range, and you’ll quickly learn that sluggers aren’t as scary as they might seem.
The next time you find yourself going against a brawler, stay relaxed, smile, and prepare to give them a boxing clinic.
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