Teddy Atlas: "Taller guys have a disadvantage close range"

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This myth again perpetuated..

Tall and Rangie George Foreman was not at a disadvantage against swarmers/close range fighters like Frazier and Ron Lyle. He literally punched their heads of in those slugg fests.. He was NOT at a disadvantage despite his speed deficit. Did just fine, to put it mildly

It is simply not the case, what Atlas is claiming in that clip.

Your average short guy is going to get slaughtered just as much close range as he is long range by the taller guy. If the taller guy is the superior fighter long range, he will MOST likely be the superior fighter close range, and his tallness will be to his advantage in any slugfest.

Imagine one guy throwing clubs at your face, while the other one swings baseball or telephone poles at you. Guess who is favorite in those exchanges, all else equal?
 
Hand speed typically improves with shorter limbs, greater leverage on your hooks and the ability to throw punches in shorter spaces...

There's advantages to most builds.

Ruiz isn't really a small Hw. 6'2 and 260lbs?
 
There are plenty of big guys with lightening fast hands: Ali had very fast straight rights, Lewis had great hand speed, etc. Big to giant limb guys.

Most boxers have good hand speed in general. It is actually more the opposite that those with slow hand speed are unique, if they are still succesful at the highest level.
 
I want to go even further and suggest that the guy with a serious range deficit who still outboxes the opponent (which ever way he does it) is clearly the better fighter. He is at a disadvantage from the moment that bell rings and still get on top of the dude. All the cred to that boxer, and it's for the bigger guy to get humbled.
 
The only constellation in which Atlas claim might be true is if they are stuck in a clinch/dirty boxing-type of boxing, which they weren't.
 
Mike Tyson was asked in Ring magazine about the fastest hands he ever faced, he answered Tony Tubbs. That's right, mr tubby himself. who makes Ruiz look like a thin:D
 
Well, it IS true if a tall fighter fights like a tall fighter is "supposed to".
 
spacetime said:
Tall and Rangie George Foreman was not at a disadvantage against swarmers/close range fighters like Frazier and Ron Lyle. He literally punched their heads of in those slugg fests.. He was NOT at a disadvantage despite his speed deficit. Did just fine, to put it mildly
Click to expand...
every fighter is different. there isn't a formula.
foreman could take a punch, he didn't care.
but most fighters will get knocked out, atlas is right.
 
spacetime said:
The only constellation in which Atlas claim might be true is if they are stuck in a clinch/dirty boxing-type of boxing, which they weren't.
Click to expand...
well, it was close enough for ruiz to land big punches.
 
spacetime said:


This myth again perpetuated..

Tall and Rangie George Foreman was not at a disadvantage against swarmers/close range fighters like Frazier and Ron Lyle. He literally punched their heads of in those slugg fests.. He was NOT at a disadvantage despite his speed deficit. Did just fine, to put it mildly

It is simply not the case, what Atlas is claiming in that clip.

Your average short guy is going to get slaughtered just as much close range as he is long range by the taller guy. If the taller guy is the superior fighter long range, he will MOST likely be the superior fighter close range, and his tallness will be to his advantage in any slugfest.

Imagine one guy throwing clubs at your face, while the other one swings baseball or telephone poles at you. Guess who is favorite in those exchanges, all else equal?
Click to expand...


Foreman is the exception, not the rule. Plus he didnt do much on the inside. He only caught Frazier with an uppercut but he didn't beat him on the inside.

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Mid range uppercut.

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Measurement with jab, right hand. Not inside.

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Heres foreman getting slapped around by lyle in close/mid range.


If what you say is true, marciano tyson holyfield etc etc would have 0 wins.

Its all about range. Up close, the shorter guy can hit you first, simple as that. The tall guy simply can't extend.
 
I felt I lost some brain cells losing that post.

Of course a taller guy will have a disadvantage at short range, ALL ELSE EQUAL. That doesn't mean that some tall guys aren't good infighters.
 
Foreman had a literal granite chin and freakish power in both hands, hes just not a guy you want to trade blows with in general, regardless of height.
 
Obviously, the shorter fighter (when there is a significant difference) will need to close the distance and engage at a shorter distance.

You might be better than him at that range, but why not keep him where you can hit him and he can't hit you?
 
In other news water is wet.
 
Foreman wasn't beating Frazier up close. As a matter of fact Foreman was pushing Frazier back on his feels and off balance every time Frazier attempted to charge inside. Without that shoving Frazier could have won.

Lyle was the same height as Foreman.

With that being said, I generally don't agree with those unwritten rules. Like "Southpaw / orthodox needs lead foot dominance over the other", or "Southpaw / orthodox needs to circle towards a certain direction against orthodox / Southpaw",... and I don't agree that a taller man can't fight a shorter opponent up close. Tyson Fury has inside skills and its an advantage.
 
great tall infighters are the exception, not the rule. for every tall guy who fights well inside, there’s 20 tall outside specialists.
 
No, Teddy is right. The nature of the biomechanics favors the shorter limbs inside a certain range. This is Ph.D.-level biomechanics. There is a complex relationship between mass (as of the limbs being swung) and possible torque. The longer limbs also limits the potential angles of attack due to less maneuverability thanks to the elbow and shoulder joints (think of Austin Powers trying to turn around a shuttle in a hallway, or shorter boat outmaneuvering a longer boat in the water).
 
He's right tho that's just biomechanics, and that's what makes me appreciate Mayweather's infighting skills even more, he was truly a master at every facet of boxing.
 
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