After the brutal KO of Manny Pacquiao at the hands of fellow legend Juan Manuel Marquez many people had different outlooks on Pacquiao's future. Some encouraged retirement. Other's recommended taking time off away from boxing. A vast majority of "experts"believe psychologically Pacquiao will never quite be the same should he decide to fight again. It is true there is a heavy psychological toll placed on a fighter following a one punch knockout "OUT", but it is by no means a death sentence.

    On June 15th 1984 Roberto Duran was knocked out cold (much like Pacquaio face first) by Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns. Going into that fight ,other than Estaban De Jesus in 1972, 1974  Duran had never touched the canvas. The sight of an unconscious Duran laying belly first knocked out was unthinkable. Unthinkable too was the notion that Marquez who in 36 previous rounds hadn't knocked Pacquiao down, could with a single right hand, "ICE" the ironed jawed filipino superstar.

    After Duran's loss to Hearns the same sorts of opinions towards Duran's prize fighting future are being echoed about Pacquiao's today.  Duran was far from finished as a boxer. He fought on and 5 years later won the middleweight crown from Iran Barkley (who 8 months earlier stopped Hearns to capture the title). 

    It is true that boxing is very much a psychological game. When Antonio Tarver challenged Roy Jones for the  first time both engaged in many punching exchanges especially late in the bout. In the second fight however Jones was knocked out by a single devastating left cross. Psychologically he wasn't the same by their 3rd contest. Jones seemed hesitant and exchanges were rare. Despite losing a decision it almost seemed as if Roy earned himself a moral victory by merely surviving the 12 rounds. It should be also noted too that Duran never fought Hearns again. Possibly being in the same ring again with the same rival that "cut your lights out"  bears a heavier  weight than just continuing your career against different opponents. Maybe Pacquiao should never get back in the ring with Marquez, but a KO defeat  is by no means a death sentence. Duran regained his confidence and hopefully Pacquiao can too.

Obviously there are many reasons why boxers fight past their "prime". Generally it happens because of  3 reasons, the money, the good old applause, or the same single mindedness that made them champ is telling him he can do again.

 

1) Most of the time fighters hang around too long  because of the money. You have to understand coming up boxers don't make much, but when they finally do start getting decent paydays often times its later in their career. So now when they are finally starting to see some decent paydays you think they want to retire? For every Leonard or Dela Hoya there's 10,000 other fighters making peanuts. Even if the purse looks good on paper the pot is being split between promoters, managers, trainers, etc.

 

2) The roar of the crowd. Some fighters who are financially set can't live without the cheer from the fans and all the adulation that comes from being a prize fighter. Even Ali once said the sound of the fans chanting, "ALI, ALI" as he came into the ring is what kept bringing him back.

 

3) It takes a person of great self belief to become a champion in boxing. With kind of personality trait it's hard for that fighter to be truly honest with himself and say "I don't have it anymore". Even if the fighter does lose badly to lesser opposition, he may immediately say I can't do this anymore but as time goes on he'll get that itch again. Then he'll start making excuses about why he lost, bad training camp, family problems, nagging injuries, etc. The old fighter with same mentality that told he could be champ in the first place will tell him he's got enough left for one more run to the title. Unfortunately in boxing there is no barometer that can tell you don't have it anymore. This is why I say boxing is the greatest seducer of all time, you'll feel good on the bags, feel good on the mitts, feel good in sparring, but you never really know until it's too late, under the bright lights......

Everybody wants one punch knockout power but as the saying goes "every rose has it's thorn". When you look at most of the best fighters of all time most relied on skill not power (exception: Sugar Ray Robinson had skill and power).  The problem with having tremendous power is that the fighter will tend to rely on his "big" punch instead of developing his all around game. It's just human nature. If you take a rich kid who knows he's a big inheritance coming generally it's hard for the kid to be motivated like a kid that doesn't have that kind of guarantee. When go through the history of boxing most of the greats weren't single punch KO artists. Look at the game today Andre Ward, Floyd Mayweather neither have deadly  power but they have off the charts skill. Why, because they were forced to develop it. Now take a look at Pacquiao, skill wise he's leaves a little to be desired but he has a left hand that can ICE anybody. More than likely coming up in boxing psychologically Manny knew his punch could change any fight so instead developing different skills he was more concerned with finding a way to land the big left hand. Much has been written and reported about Freddie Roach developing his right hand. Why would a world champion not be able to punch with one hand? That's because the other hand has other worldly power. Manny is an exceptional athlete with alot intangibles so he has still been able to climb to the zenith of boxing but the vast majority of big punchers never get that far . Largely because they solely depend on their power. 

 

There's a difference between being fast and quick in Boxing. Many people think if a fighter is fast then he is also quick but this isn't always the case. Being quick is having the abilty to react to the opponent. For example you need to be relatively quick to have good defense or to be an efficient counter puncher. Many fighters are fast when they deceide to intiate a punch or manuever. The young Roy Jones Jr. was fast and quick but as he got older he reaction time (quickness) slowed. Consequently he became more susceptible to opponents punches. That doesn't mean he isn't fast anymore. Even at the age of 42 when he punches he still has tremendous hand speed what has left him is the quickness. He can still intiate but cannot react like before. Take for instance Barry Sanders in football, he wasn't necessarily fast but he had unbelievable quickness and reaction instincts. In boxing the biggest stars in the game today Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are both fast but I believe Mayweather to have a quickness advantage. Manny is explosive when he deciedes to do something in the ring but I don't see that same decesiveness when it comes to defense and counter punching. Amir Khan is another fighter who has great hand speed but is not necessarily quick. I have yet to see him counter punch much or frustrate an opponent because of his defense. I have nothing but respect for Pacquiao and Khan just merely pointing out most of their success has been predicated on being "fast" with a volume of punches not because of quickness. At the end of the day a win is a win whether you use speed, reaction, etc, etc just pointing out there's difference between being "fast" or "quick".

     Shadow Boxing is one of the best exercises you can do to increase your boxing fundamentals and overall boxing game. The problem is most people don't know how to do it properly or have any motivation to do it.

    There are many benefits to shadow boxing. Unlike the heavy bag if done properly there is alot of footwork involved just like there would be in an actual fight. Also while shadow boxing your punches aren't hitting a target which forces you to maintain balance and by punching the air you get a feel for what it would be like in a boxing match. Contrary to popular belief your going to miss more punches than you land in a bout. Shadow Boxing is essentially like a basketball player shooting around by himself working on different moves and different shots.

     The problem most people have is they don't shadow box properly. They generally don't incorporate their feet correctly, punch in combinations that don't make sense, don't get full movements, and the biggest problem is they have no interest in it. This lack of interest generally stems from lack of experience in the ring so they can't visualize an opponent to make it realistic and beneficial. Obviously a way to fix that is to begin sparring and gaining that experience but not everyone is ready for actual live contact. This is why we developed the "Audio Boxing Trainer". It was first designed for shadowing boxing but can be used on heavy bags as well. Basically it a a downloadable to any MP 3 and you will have boxing punches and movements both offensive and defensive called out that are more consistent to what would actually occur in a real fight. The CD contains 8-3minute rounds of instruction and also 4-2 minute cardio rounds . It's just like having a trainer with you. The "Audio Boxing Trainer" can be purchased through BoxingFitnessFactory.com.

       You can't be a complete boxer if you can't or won't shadow box. Imagine Kobe Bryant never shooting the basketball by himself.

 

       Most people automatically assume that because someone plays football they would also have the type of pain tolerance and temperment for boxing. The violence and type of contact in football is completely different from that in boxing. First off the collisions in football is like a car crash. One big moment of impact then you rest for 30 seconds and do it again.  Boxing on the other hand is a non stop attack on vital areas that is not protected by $5,000 worth of equipment. In football if you become tired but there is rest in between plays. Boxing on the other hand doesn't afford such breaks. Aside from 1 minute in between rounds there is no time to regroup and catch your breath. The contact is constant and consistent. Football players are tough but the type of pain tolerance required is different from what is required in boxing. As far as temperment football players try to hit as hard as they can on every play. In boxing you can't load up every punch for a knockout. You must have controlled aggression.

       Many also assume because football players have big muscles they will be strong and able to knock people out. The problem is huge muscles are more often counter productive for boxing. Bigger muscles tend to tire more quickly and restrict movment. Ideally you want long wiry muscles which are more elastic and more capable of  moving rapidly for longer durations of time. This is one reason why I'd rather convert a basketball into a boxer, than a football player. Another reason would be a basketball players required movements are much like that in the ring. A basketball defensive slide mimics movement in Boxing. You have to drive from your hips, not cross over your feet. A pivot in basketball is relatively the same as pivoting in the boxing ring. Not to mention a basketball player generally has decent conditioning.

       Due to body type, movements, and general conditioning basketball players generally can pick up the basics of boxing faster than football players.

 

 

 

            The first time people saw Floyd and Uncle Roger doing their dazzling display of pad work on HBO's 24/7 it was met with mixed emotions. Some saw it as awe inspiring, and proof that Mayweather Jr is the best fighter on the planet. Others saw it as Floyd just doing more of his showboating antics and that type of regiment had little to do with fight preparation. 

Verdict: Good Boxing training.

 

 

 

       In boxing if you lose you're a bum, if you win impressively people will say you're the greatest of all time. Boxing fans and writers tend to over react to a fighters win or loss. Victor Ortiz was the butt of every boxing joke. He had a decent win over Andre Berto now people actually think he has a shot a beating Mayweather. Brandon Rios had a nice win against a better than average lightweight and now he's being mentioned as a potential Pacquiao opponent. Speaking of Pacquiao he put the fear of God into first ballot Hall of Famer Shane Mosely but because he didn't get the knockout people say he's slipping.

     The bottom line is boxing fans and writers get to high with the highs and to low with the lows. One fight can involve so many different variables, styles that it's often times takes more than just one fight to stick a label on a fighter

 

 

 

     Boxing Roadwork is it out dated? Yes and No. The belief that running 5 miles will get you in shape to Box is a little misleading. Running 5 miles doesn't effectively mimick your heart rate during a fight. Jogging long distance keeps your heart at slow methodical pace. A Boxing match consists of times where your heart soars,drops back down, then soars again.

 

 

 

      The constant debate amongst  boxing fans is who wins, a prime Mike Tyson or a prime Muhammad Ali?