some very good fighters just aren't fan friendly. Pernell Whitaker, to me, seemed to be hated by the casual fans in his prime. Arturo Gatti was beloved because he was willing to spill his blood.
I don't see it as brawling. Usyk was applying educated pressure against Fury from round 1. Against Dubois, aside from that one moment (low blow), he just walked him down and broke him with his pressure.
It's something about his movement. It's always seemed kinda awkward/herky jerky to me. The way he has to reset his feet a lot. He has kind of a stiff torso. He relies so much on being fleet of foot for his positioning without as much upper body movement, slipping, bobbing/weaving. He seems to have very little inside game. I mean his style is obviously effective. I'm just trying to figure out why I don't really like it. Maybe I just prefer American style? Idk
He has a herky-jerky rhythm but so does Fury. It's ugly to watch but effective. Pac had it as well with his constant stutter stepping and abrupt start/stop in & out movement. This awkwardness makes them more unpredictable in their movements which can make them harder to time. I disagree about a lack of upper body movement. Usyk has shown plenty of it. The Joshua rematch for example. He looked like a windshield wiper in there.
he looks odd in shadow boxing footage to me, very odd but most of the modern fighters do not look right to me at all, not just in their posture but also with their lack of concentration. They'll show footage of them training and they look like they're going in slow motion or without any intent. But.., for the most part, I try not to watch too much because I get dissapointed over where the sport is.
His form and posture look great to me. This is an older video of him shadow boxing when he was still at cruiserweight. He's being deliberate with his punches to maintain his technique. Most boxers prioritize speed over technique when they shadow box. It's no wonder their form is so bad.
Some guys will shadow box just to work up a sweat. It's a good workout. Others will focus more on refining their technique in front of the mirror or they'll visualize that their opponent is in front of them. The biggest issue is with the first group. They'll just burn themselves out throwing combos at full speed to exercise with little regard to technique. Over time all of those repetitions of incorrect punching will become etched into their muscle memory. I've seen it happen with guys at my own gym.
it's always just been a warmup for me but like anything else, people do it differently. Pacquiao goes threw it like a madman but he's a one off, Tyson was like that when he was young. Ali would do it just like he fought or hit the heavybag for he most part, really loose and relaxed, beautiful (incorrect) technique and bodymechanics.
Yeah it serves more than one purpose. Many fighters just like to do it all flashy in front of the camera. I remember the first time I watched my friend shadow box. I asked him to go all out. He wasn't breathing properly, or at all really, since he was a complete novice. Anyway he ended up exhausting himself after only 20-30 seconds.
yup, that's what made pac so special, no one can do it 100 percent for three minutes, Pac is about the closest I've seen. I really do think that was one of Mike's biggest weaknesses was that he did not learn to vary his pace at all, it was either 100 percent or if that didn't work, not much. Relaxation and pacing can take a fighter a long ways. I always say Alis real strength was his stamina and the pace he could fight at but he rarely was tense or trying to kill anyone.
Pac was definitely special. He would throw barrages of power shots in sheer volume like they were jabs. Round after round he could maintain it. That's freakish.
