One of the things you must figure out when you start training in boxing is which style works best for you. There’s the slugger who loves fighting inside, the swarmer who loves to overwhelm opponents with the volume of punches they throw, the out boxer who likes to fight at outside range and counterattack, and the boxer-puncher, who is equally comfortable fighting at long range as they are at inside distance.
This article will take a detailed look at the boxer-puncher style used in boxing and go over the essential skills you must develop to be effective with it.
The Boxer-Puncher: The Most Adaptable Style Used In Boxing
The boxer-puncher style is the most versatile fighting style used in boxing. Fighters who master it can switch things up whenever they want to outmaneuver any opponent they find standing in front of them.
A boxer-puncher is a pugilist who is equally as slick as they’re heavy-handed. These boxers are usually effective counterpunchers who can outmaneuver opponents with their footwork or bite down on their mouthpiece and trade blows with anyone. Some would say a boxer-puncher is a slugger who has worked hard in the gym and mastered the sweet science’s intricacies. WBC Bantamweight Champion Naoya Inoue is an excellent example of a boxer-puncher.
The versatility of the boxer-puncher allows them to use whatever style will be most effective against their opponents. They can frustrate sluggers with their cat-like reflexes and smooth footwork or swarm counterpunches with barrages of hard punches. Mastering the boxer-puncher style means you’re just as good at using any of the three other styles.
Building Your Foundation For The Boxer-Puncher Style
Some of the boxing fundamentals you have to master to be effective with the boxer-puncher style include:
1) Footwork
Being a boxer-puncher is all about floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee, like Muhammad Ali. You must be light on your feet for this style to work for you. You need to be able to dive in and out as you manage distances, sidestep with grace, and pivot to create favorable angles. Good footwork is one of the fundamental skills you must master to use this style.
You can improve your footwork with exercises like skipping, cone drills, and agility ladder drills. You can also use training tools like shadowboxing, emphasizing your footwork. Remember that good footwork in boxing isn’t about dancing all over the place but about making your movement as efficient as possible.
2) Jab
Good footwork is a boxer-puncher’s silent friend, while the jab is their best friend. The jab has many uses, like determining range, setting up combinations, distracting your opponent, and ending fights. Look at the jab Terence Crawford sent Errol Spence Jr. to the canvas with during their super fight for proof that your jab can also be a power shot, especially if you’re comfortable fighting out of either stance.
Practice your jab until it becomes part of your muscle memory, and experiment with different types of jabs. It will come in handy against aggressive opponents looking to close distances on you and make it easier for you to manage their aggression.
The boxer-puncher style requires you to pack lots of power in your punches. Your cross, hooks, and uppercuts are your primary weapons. You need to be able to throw these punches with serious power.
Some things you can do to increase your punch power include using the proper mechanics when you throw to maximize your power. Rotating your feet, hips, and shoulders while throwing punches helps to add extra power to them.
Hitting a heavy bag is another way to develop your punching power, along with performing exercises that involve pushing away from your chest, like push-ups. The key to increasing power in your punches is performing these exercises explosively. Exercises like medicine ball throws are an effective way to increase the explosive power behind your punches.
How hard you hit won’t matter if you can’t touch your opponent, so spend lots of time working on your accuracy. Training tools like speed and double-end bags can help you become a more accurate puncher. Sparring also helps to improve your accuracy, along with your timing.
5) Combinations
You can score some points by throwing single punches, but combinations are where all the magic happens. Practice throwing punches in bunches, constantly mixing up your combos to keep your opponents guessing.
Think of combinations as the secret sauce of the boxer-puncher style. They add complexity to your fighting style, making it harder for opponents to predict your next move.
6) Defense
Your defense needs to be sharp to be successful with the boxer-puncher style. You need to master the art of hitting without getting hit since you might find yourself fighting on the inside sometimes. Remember, one of the advantages of the style is being able to adapt to whatever your opponent is doing.
Some of the main defensive skills you should work on include:
- Slipping And Rolling: Defense is just as important as the offense for boxer-punchers, and the ability to slip and roll goes a long way inside the ring. You can slip to avoid straight punches like crosses while rolling under looping attacks like hooks.
- Blocking And Parrying: You can’t dodge everything your opponents throw at you. Sometimes, you have to block to minimize the force a punch lands with or parry to set up a counterattack.
- Footwork: Your feet are also defensive tools since they allow you to control the distance between you and your opponent. You can slide out of the range of incoming punches and step inside to land your shots.
The Boxer-Puncher Style Has Been Highly Effective Inside The Ring
The boxer-puncher style is about adapting to whatever style your opponent chooses. You’ll need to develop well-rounded boxing skills to be effective with it.
Many boxer-punchers started by mastering one of the other styles before adding more skills to their boxing arsenal.
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