Boxing has been called for years, the sweet science. Even going back to the 1800's during the bare-knuckle days, it started, in it's modern form as an English, sophisticated and high science. Although, unfortunately, the large scope of it has become barbaric in nature during history, I've always appreciated the physics and technique behind its execution. I bear the tattoo of the pugilist on my arm with both reservation and passion. Since birth, I've had a passion for the science of combat that I've never truly escaped. The talents are unavoidable that make me understand it.
With that, I say that I understand enough to see past the showy display and telling, ignorant odds, of this weekend's matchup between Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne. I've heard much talk going in each direction leading up to this fight, but the consensus, as I've come to expect, is stupidity. Of course, Wilder is a large odds favorite to beat Stiverne, and even though Stiverne is the champion, he receives heckles from the crowd that supports and arrogant, violent, and rude Wilder. I liked Wilder up until this fight. He has pulled a Jon Jones with his behavior, and aims to be the intimidator and instigator. But that's where I segue into my analysis of technique.
History tells that tall rangy, lanky fighters have always been brash and antagonistic. Ali was, Jon Jones is, Jack Johnson was, and many others have been. And a large part of that is of course due to the feeling of standing over their opponent, and possessing size. But with fighters, it gets much more sophisticated than that. You see, the odds placed on the fight are due to the public's ignorance to a degree. When they see Wilder, they look at his behavior, power, and size. He's 6' 7" and long, having 84 inches of reach like Jon Jones. Fighters built like that don't just act aggressive or intimidating for no reason though. It is part of technique. The only problem is that you have to know how to use your body, and from what I've seen of Wilder, he's young and unaware to a degree. Using Ali as the example for long fighter, let's look at him as a boxer, and forget about his personality. Everyone is unique, but long fighters who have body control will always have these things in common. A long fighter's power is spread out. Having long limbs means that the arc on punches is wider than average, the window on punch recoil is longer, the delay to the point of maximum punch impact is extended, and power dissipation per square inch is unavoidably proportionately reduced. Meaning, no matter how strong Wilder is, he will never have the scale of torque that someone like Bermane can. I use an illustration of 2 water hoses. One is set on stream, and the other on spray. If you set them to push an object away, no matter how you equalize the overall force, the spray will never have the pounds per square inch that the stream does, because it's spread over a larger difference. That's the price that you pay for size. Also, something I didn't really know as a younger athlete was the price that tall fighters pay when it comes to speed and durability. I used to think looking at a guy like Jon Jones and Wilder who is thin, that they must be fast and light on their feet. But the truth is that for being tall, your body has to obey the laws of physics and suffer in the area of speed, as well as take more wear and tear over time. That's why basketball Centers who are in amazing shape, have a hard time keeping their lower extremities healthy during their careers. It's as unavoidable as being heavier for being taller. A 6 foot 6 person is never going to be able to be 120 pounds. As I've grown as an athlete, I learned to appreciate my physique. At 6 feet, I'm not at the threshold where I'm limited in any way. I could be any weight, and fight in any weight class with the given diet.
For these reasons, however, you never saw Ali, with all of his power, KO someone the way Mike Tyson did. Why? It isn't because of styles alone. It's because of the simple law of physics that prevents someone with a long body from rushing their opponents, fighting inside, and pressuring at close range. If they were to do so, they would be inviting damage. No matter how aggressive a boxer or fighter is, they have to respect those laws and dominate in a way that suites their physique. Deontay doesn't seem to get that yet. Watching him fight, he loves to come forward and let off heavy hooks and straights, with no respect for range. In his mind, he wants to fight like Tyson, but he will learn that he can't soon. The only reason that he has succeeded thus far is because he is fighting cowards. He intimidates his opponents, and they ball up and retreat, automatically giving him the range he needs to maximize his punches. They are essentially helping him. They don't even know that they could simply stay put and reduce his output success by 50%. The intimidation factor is used by rangy fighters because it gives a slight cushion and window both physically and psychologically to allow them to fight at their range. Ali didn't just do that for show. A long, outside fighter, wants you on the outside. Big talk and intimidation help to provide just enough hesitation and distance to keep an in-fighter from opening up.
The average person sees a tall person and gets afraid for whoever they're fighting, totally unaware of these universal laws. It's nice to see Jon Jones and other rangy fighters like Carlos Condit and Anderson Silva execute those spinning kicks, but the truth is that they have the same weakness. It's most apparent with Jon Jones in MMA. He's the tallest athlete in the UFC, with the longest reach, and it shows in more ways than the public sees. As I just mentioned, his striking is affected positively and negatively. He is very intelligent though, and he understands that. That is the reason why he has embraced Muay Thai to strengthen his clinch game. A fighter like him could never exchange with normal hooks and uppercuts on the inside like his fight with Cormier showed. He has to utilize elbows and knees inside, and smother his opponent the way that every tall fighter does. Klitchko does it as well. People think he is just being dirty, but if you watch, you'll notice that Ali did it as well as Larry Holmes. Tall fighters are not physically equipped to tighten up and walk into the center of their opponent like Tyson. Jon Jones also showed the other side of those laws when it came to outside fighting. You'll notice that Cormier was outboxing him until he was fatigued and started to be countered and held. Many people were shocked at this. Once again, you look at a tall person, and traditionally expect them to eat up an opponent on the outside. Not if the person is compact and has body control and speed. The truth is that with Jones' height and reach calculated, he has the equivalent outside striking speed of someone heavier. It's unavoidable, and doesn't mean that he is slow. It just means that there is no such thing as paying no price. Balance is always important. It showed in that fight. Neither of them were perfectly balanced. Cormier is overweight and not developed enough in his upper body, nor is he flexible. Jon trains perfectly and has the exact proper mindset. What would actually make him more deadly is if he had a slightly more balance physique. If he was 1 inch shorter with a couple of inches less of reach, believe me that he would be just about unbeatable. People don't know that yet, but they continue to be shocked when they see those laws come into play.
When Wilder fights Stiverne, he may try to pressure and run down the middle like his name is Tyson. With all of his power and intimidation, Stiverne is the better boxer, and has the potential for more power. It's a fight that either man can win. What I was pointing out is the true advantages that the layman won't see. Let's tune in folks. It should be a good one. Later.
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