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.

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. 

     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.