"Fool's Guard" absolutely beautiful boxing video

[jeff7b9]

Not my channel, just a gorgeous video that I really enjoyed and figured I would share.

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[Deleted member 609094]

Really appreciate it. Lovely to watch. Lots of "promising young fighters" adopt this style, but few get success from mastering it.

 

[jeff7b9]

Really appreciate it. Lovely to watch. Lots of "promising young fighters" adopt this style, but few get success from mastering it.

And that's probably the problem.

You gotta master all the rules before you can intelligently break them. I personally know this better via music but the same idea applies.

If you come out the gate ignoring fundamentals, you are a jacksss. If you learn every angle every fundamental, every rule, then you know when to INTELLIGENTLY step outside the basics and implement something outside the traditional lines.

Naseem started boxing with an elite trainer when he was 7 years old. 7. Sparring grown men at 12. So yeah, by the time he is a pro, he can put his hands down. Cause you ain't throwing a damn thing he ain't seem a million times and he has your timing and your tells.

 

[RabbitPunch36]

And that's probably the problem.

You gotta master all the rules before you can intelligently break them. I personally know this better via music but the same idea applies.

If you come out the gate ignoring fundamentals, you are a jacksss. If you learn every angle every fundamental, every rule, then you know when to INTELLIGENTLY step outside the basics and implement something outside the traditional lines.

Naseem started boxing with an elite trainer when he was 7 years old. 7. Sparring grown men at 12. So yeah, by the time he is a pro, he can put his hands down. Cause you ain't throwing a damn thing he ain't seem a million times and he has your timing and your tells.

Mayorga had a similar awkwardness and unpredictability to him but I doubt he learned all the rules first before he started breaking them.

 

[jeff7b9]

Mayorga had a similar awkwardness and unpredictability to him but I doubt he learned all the rules first before he started breaking them.

Personally I think Mayorga liked to play it up for the cameras and lean into the bad boy image. He clearly had genetics and a durability factor which helped.

But...

You don't get to the top without putting in the work.

Little side track. I played a bunch of sports, but lacrosse was my best. I also smoked pot and at times cigarettes. I distinctly recall an upperclassmen telling me "you can smoke and still have great cardio, you just gotta be willing to run through the burn and not be lazy, maybe even work a little harder."

Which I did. And it did burn but I ran 5-6 miles multiple times a week and went D1 after being 1st team all state in HS. As a freshman ran the 2 mile in 10:30 which was good for 3rd best on a top ten D1 team. Smoked bowls, blunts, Bong hits and cigarettes.

Mayorga worked a lot harder than he let on and "played the fool" to a T but he was no dummy. That was a character, and it sold and he was polarizing and memorable, tough and wild, but his cardio held up pretty damn well at the most elite of the elite levels of arguably the most physically and cardiovascularly demanding sport on earth.

 

[Sinister]

Personally I think Mayorga liked to play it up for the cameras and lean into the bad boy image. He clearly had genetics and a durability factor which helped.

But...

You don't get to the top without putting in the work.

Little side track. I played a bunch of sports, but lacrosse was my best. I also smoked pot and at times cigarettes. I distinctly recall an upperclassmen telling me "you can smoke and still have great cardio, you just gotta be willing to run through the burn and not be lazy, maybe even work a little harder."

Which I did. And it did burn but I ran 5-6 miles multiple times a week and went D1 after being 1st team all state in HS. As a freshman ran the 2 mile in 10:30 which was good for 3rd best on a top ten D1 team. Smoked bowls, blunts, Bong hits and cigarettes.

Mayorga worked a lot harder than he let on and "played the fool" to a T but he was no dummy. That was a character, and it sold and he was polarizing and memorable, tough and wild, but his cardio held up pretty damn well at the most elite of the elite levels of arguably the most physically and cardiovascularly demanding sport on earth.

Mayo had a rudimentary understanding of boxing, what happened was he realized he was tougher than 85% of the people he ever fought. Theres one of these guys every generation who make it to the higher levels, in Roy Jones' prime it was Thulani Malinga. Then there was Sakio Bika. Maidana also counts. Toughness, improvisation, punching power, combined with a basic understanding of what they're to be doing can go a long way.

 

[treelo]

Mayo had a rudimentary understanding of boxing, what happened was he realized he was tougher than 85% of the people he ever fought. Theres one of these guys every generation who make it to the higher levels, in Roy Jones' prime it was Thulani Malinga. Then there was Sakio Bika. Maidana also counts. Toughness, improvisation, punching power, combined with a basic understanding of what they're to be doing can go a long way.

i just had to look this up, i remember him beating Benn in his fight after McClellan, but i could have sworn he was known as Thulane, but everything tells me i am completely wrong

 

[Sinister]

i just had to look this up, i remember him beating Benn in his fight after McClellan, but i could have sworn he was known as Thulane, but everything tells me i am completely wrong

Weird style, often off-balance, awkward timing, but double tough and a hard hitter.

 

[treelo]

Weird style, often off-balance, awkward timing, but double tough and a hard hitter.

yeah, i have no idea who on Benn's team thought it was a good idea to rematch him after he barely won the first fight

 

[that Indian]

I enjoyed seeing Sergio Martinez in there. He sometimes gets lost in the conversation but when he was on, he was a beauty to watch.

 

[Sinister]

I enjoyed seeing Sergio Martinez in there. He sometimes gets lost in the conversation but when he was on, he was a beauty to watch.

Martinez is insanely athletic, likely even at his age now. When he visited Johnny Tocco's, in-person dude was built like a gymnast. Unlike some of the other unconventional fighters mentioned here he didnt so much rely on toughness. He tried that, and Antonio Margarito beat the brakes off him.

Martinez seemed to come to the realization that his speed was a gift, but he paired it with erratic footwork and creativity. Creativity is something often overlooked in the ring. A fighter who can think fast and who is fast can land punches in unexpected places, at unexpected times. Marquez said that about Pacquiao in their first fight. He said the more Manny learned to box the easier it became to fight him, because when he was less schooled he was incredibly unpredictable. Manny was also incredibly fast. Sergio and he were very similar in how they Rose, just Sergio didnt acquire the same level of fundamental skill that could prolong his career with better defense.

Fun fact: In the early days of Dominic Cruz becoming a name I sent him a video of Sergio because I thought he would dig his style. He did. "That dude is dope!" Lol

 

[Croaker]

Its all predicated on footwork, if you can stay ahead your guard is practically irrelevant, eat least for engagement. You'll see guys who are more athletic utilize this while breaking fundamental rules. The better the fighter, the more difficult it will be to utilize, because they'll get ahead and their arms will generally be in position to beat your defense.

Obviously this is in a vacuum, but its the same principle and the shoulder roll

 

[borntoloseNOT]

Mayo had a rudimentary understanding of boxing, what happened was he realized he was tougher than 85% of the people he ever fought. Theres one of these guys every generation who make it to the higher levels, in Roy Jones' prime it was Thulani Malinga. Then there was Sakio Bika. Maidana also counts. Toughness, improvisation, punching power, combined with a basic understanding of what they're to be doing can go a long way.

Yup, Maidana was a great example of what being fucking hard as nails can do for a boxer even if they virtually look useless to most, the ability to get off the canvas and come back with real conviction is a scary prospect for the opponent to deal with

 

[Sinister]

Yup, Maidana was a great example of what being fucking hard as nails can do for a boxer even if they virtually look useless to most, the ability to get off the canvas and come back with real conviction is a scary prospect for the opponent to deal with

Well, to be fair he also hit like a cannon. When you have the great equalizer you can afford to be a little messy.

 

[Sinister]

Its all predicated on footwork, if you can stay ahead your guard is practically irrelevant, eat least for engagement. You'll see guys who are more athletic utilize this while breaking fundamental rules. The better the fighter, the more difficult it will be to utilize, because they'll get ahead and their arms will generally be in position to beat your defense.

Obviously this is in a vacuum, but its the same principle and the shoulder roll

Mayorga's footwork was awful.

 

[Croaker]

Mayorga's footwork was awful.

Yes, but I wouldn't put Mayorga in the successful because hes skilled category of boxing either. He's an outlier in the sport.

 

[Sinister]

Yes, but I wouldn't put Mayorga in the successful because hes skilled category of boxing either. He's an outlier in the sport.

Kind of, there are more of these guys than we realize. And they have habits of beating the sh*t out of more skilled fighters even sometimes on the elite level. We were discussing guys like that previous to your post. Back in the 70's and before I'd say most people with odd stances had a nuanced understanding of distance, and footwork/positioning. Nowadays most of them don't actually know how to box and get by on intangibles.

 

[that Indian]

Martinez is insanely athletic, likely even at his age now. When he visited Johnny Tocco's, in-person dude was built like a gymnast. Unlike some of the other unconventional fighters mentioned here he didnt so much rely on toughness. He tried that, and Antonio Margarito beat the brakes off him.

Martinez seemed to come to the realization that his speed was a gift, but he paired it with erratic footwork and creativity. Creativity is something often overlooked in the ring. A fighter who can think fast and who is fast can land punches in unexpected places, at unexpected times. Marquez said that about Pacquiao in their first fight. He said the more Manny learned to box the easier it became to fight him, because when he was less schooled he was incredibly unpredictable. Manny was also incredibly fast. Sergio and he were very similar in how they Rose, just Sergio didnt acquire the same level of fundamental skill that could prolong his career with better defense.

Fun fact: In the early days of Dominic Cruz becoming a name I sent him a video of Sergio because I thought he would dig his style. He did. "That dude is dope!" Lol

Thanks, I learned a few interesting things here.

Not surprised that Martinez was an amazing athlete. If my memory serves, didn't he start boxing super late and only after becoming a successful cyclist?

I can also see elements of Martinez in Dom Cruz now that you mention it.

 

[jeff7b9]

Thanks, I learned a few interesting things here.

Not surprised that Martinez was an amazing athlete. If my memory serves, didn't he start boxing super late and only after becoming a successful cyclist?

I can also see elements of Martinez in Dom Cruz now that you mention it.

I did a film study on Dom before his fight with TJ.

Dom based his footwork on a lot of classic boxers and specifically talks about studying Willie Pep, (among other greats) and incorporating footwork from his boxing style.

Specifically his V Step or "Pep Step" and using it to create angles and shift in and out of both stances.


You can see it. The crouch and pop and the sidestep Dom used are straight out of the Willie Pep playbook.

 

[Sinister]

Thanks, I learned a few interesting things here.

Not surprised that Martinez was an amazing athlete. If my memory serves, didn't he start boxing super late and only after becoming a successful cyclist?

I can also see elements of Martinez in Dom Cruz now that you mention it.

He was a cyclist and a soccer player. If I'm not mistaken he went to a boxing gym to help improve his soccer game. That's very common among Latino culture, Soccer Dads and Coaches will bring their kids to boxing gyms to toughen them up