West LA Boxing Blog

Why boxers continue to fight after their prime.

04/14/2012 08:01:00

Obviously there are many reasons why boxers fight past their "prime". Generally it happens because of 3 reasons, the money, the good old applause, or the same single mindedness that made them champ is telling him he can do again.

1) Most of the time fighters hang around too long because of the money. You have to understand coming up boxers don't make much, but when they finally do start getting decent paydays often times its later in their career. So now when they are finally starting to see some decent paydays you think they want to retire? For every Leonard or Dela Hoya there's 10,000 other fighters making peanuts. Even if the purse looks good on paper the pot is being split between promoters, managers, trainers, etc.

2) The roar of the crowd. Some fighters who are financially set can't live without the cheer from the fans and all the adulation that comes from being a prize fighter. Even Ali once said the sound of the fans chanting, "ALI, ALI" as he came into the ring is what kept bringing him back.

3) It takes a person of great self belief to become a champion in boxing. With kind of personality trait it's hard for that fighter to be truly honest with himself and say "I don't have it anymore". Even if the fighter does lose badly to lesser opposition, he may immediately say I can't do this anymore but as time goes on he'll get that itch again. Then he'll start making excuses about why he lost, bad training camp, family problems, nagging injuries, etc. The old fighter with same mentality that told he could be champ in the first place will tell him he's got enough left for one more run to the title. Unfortunately in boxing there is no barometer that can tell you don't have it anymore. This is why I say boxing is the greatest seducer of all time, you'll feel good on the bags, feel good on the mitts, feel good in sparring, but you never really know until it's too late, under the bright lights......

Reason why Mayweather vs Pacquiao is not happening

02/09/2012 14:31:00

Professional boxing is a business. Sometimes a dirty business. Everybody in the world is looking to see Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao. Pacquaio fans say Floyd is scared, Mayweather fans contend that Manny is the one afraid. In truth both neither fighter are scared and I believe that both want to fight eachother. To acheive everything that these two fighters have acheived takes tremendous confidence and ego. I'm sure they're both tired of hearing the other one is better than him.

The real breakdown is Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum. I'm not saying he's right or wrong but he's a promoter and his goal is to make the most money possible. By allowing a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight to happen he loses money. He will make more money having Manny fight Tim Bradley than Floyd Mayweather. How can that be? Well if Floyd and Manny fought it would a co-promotion also there would be alot more checks and balances. The co-promotion automatically splits the profit by 50% also there is an extra set of eyes watching how money is being allocated (or not allocated). There has been widespread speculation that Arum is not appropriately paying Pacquiao and even flat out stealing from him. This type of "funny" business becomes harder when everything isn't "in house". Not to mention Arum hates Mayweather and would have to get his approval on every little piece of the promotion. At the end of the day Bob Arum is involved in Boxing to make money not great fights.

The Curse of having on K.O. power in Boxing

01/12/2012 14:43:00

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.

The difference between being "fast" and "quick" in Boxing

01/02/2012 18:27:00

There's a difference between being fast and quick in Boxing. Many people think if a fighter is fast then he is also quick but this isn't always the case. Being quick is having the abilty to react to the opponent. For example you need to be relatively quick to have good defense or to be an efficient counter puncher. Many fighters are fast when they deceide to intiate a punch or manuever. The young Roy Jones Jr. was fast and quick but as he got older he reaction time (quickness) slowed. Consequently he became more susceptible to opponents punches. That doesn't mean he isn't fast anymore. Even at the age of 42 when he punches he still has tremendous hand speed what has left him is the quickness. He can still intiate but cannot react like before. Take for instance Barry Sanders in football, he wasn't necessarily fast but he had unbelievable quickness and reaction instincts. In boxing the biggest stars in the game today Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are both fast but I believe Mayweather to have a quickness advantage. Manny is explosive when he deciedes to do something in the ring but I don't see that same decesiveness when it comes to defense and counter punching. Amir Khan is another fighter who has great hand speed but is not necessarily quick. I have yet to see him counter punch much or frustrate an opponent because of his defense. I have nothing but respect for Pacquiao and Khan just merely pointing out most of their success has been predicated on being "fast" with a volume of punches not because of quickness. At the end of the day a win is a win whether you use speed, reaction, etc, etc just pointing out there's difference between being "fast" or "quick".

Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao? Why not both?

10/19/2011 11:33:00

Most people either love Mayweather and hate Pacquiao or love Pacquiao and hate Mayweather. Personally I love them both as boxers. Both sides like to discredit who the other guy has fought but the truth is they both have fought stiff competition and have come out on top. Mayweather brings defensive mastery coupled with an unbelievable ring IQ into every fight. Pacquiao comes with unmatched intensity coupled power and speed. Both are one of a kind and all time greats.

I know I'm in the minority but it wouldn't bother me at all if they didn't ever fight. I would have a hard time routing against either guy. I fought out of Wild Card was there while Manny trained, I have tremendous respect for Freddie. Though I don't know Floyd all that well personally one has to respect his craft and dedication to the game. Even if they don't fight each other I will look forward to everytime they step into the ring. We are fortunate to be witnessing 2 all time Hall Famers relatively in their primes.

Shadow Boxing: An important part of becoming a Boxer

08/31/2011 07:26:00

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.

Contact: charles@boxingfitnessfactory.com for Boxing Training, Private sessions, bootcamps, Kids boxing Classes in West Los Angeles, Culver City, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Manhattan Beach and anywhere in Los Angeles or call (310) 770-1151

Why Basketball players would make better Boxers than Football players

08/08/2011 09:25:00

Most people automatically assume that because someone plays football they would also have the type of pain tolerance and temperment for boxing. The violence and type of contact in football is completely different from that in boxing. First off the collisions in football is like a car crash. One big moment of impact then you rest for 30 seconds and do it again. Boxing on the other hand is a non stop attack on vital areas that is not protected by $5,000 worth of equipment. In football if you become tired but there is rest in between plays. Boxing on the other hand doesn't afford such breaks. Aside from 1 minute in between rounds there is no time to regroup and catch your breath. The contact is constant and consistent. Football players are tough but the type of pain tolerance required is different from what is required in boxing. As far as temperment football players try to hit as hard as they can on every play. In boxing you can't load up every punch for a knockout. You must have controlled aggression.

Many also assume because football players have big muscles they will be strong and able to knock people out. The problem is huge muscles are more often counter productive for boxing. Bigger muscles tend to tire more quickly and restrict movment. Ideally you want long wiry muscles which are more elastic and more capable of moving rapidly for longer durations of time. This is one reason why I'd rather convert a basketball into a boxer, than a football player. Another reason would be a basketball players required movements are much like that in the ring. A basketball defensive slide mimics movement in Boxing. You have to drive from your hips, not cross over your feet. A pivot in basketball is relatively the same as pivoting in the boxing ring. Not to mention a basketball player generally has decent conditioning.

Due to body type, movements, and general conditioning basketball players generally can pick up the basics of boxing faster than football players.

"Mayweather" style Mittwork for show? Or for Boxing Skills?

07/17/2011 15:28:00

The first time people saw Floyd and Uncle Roger doing their dazzling display of pad work on HBO's 24/7 it was met with mixed emotions. Some saw it as awe inspiring, and proof that Mayweather Jr is the best fighter on the planet. Others saw it as Floyd just doing more of his showboating antics and that type of regiment had little to do with fight preparation.

The fact of the matter is that type of training Roger Mayweather has been doing long before the mainstream knew of Floyd Jr and with fighters the public will never hear about. Roger had developed a reaction patterned training sequence to mimick an actual boxing match. The full rountine involves pivoting, rolling, blocking, pulling, and of course counter punching. In essence it is designed to already have counters and defensive moves in grained into the fighters instincts so when they arise within the fight they will react without thinking. For example: Roger attempts to hit his fighter with a hook the body, the boxer will block the shot his elbow, counter with an uppercut/ hook/ cross combination. Pretty standard, pretty basic but the difference is Roger will throw something else with another pre-detiremined counter and the cycle will keep repeating. Roger may occasionally say, "roll", or "pull" etc.. Which just leads to another pattern.

The training is great for fighters who already know the basics of boxing and how to punch properly. Where it lacks it that he doesn't necessarily teach full extention on punches or have you sit down and really turn into your shots. For beginners it may develop bad habits because they never learn how to punch through a target or throw a powerful punch.

Say what you want to say about Uncle Roger but this type of revolutionary training is tremendous for world class boxers. Dont know how effective it would be for aggressive, brawling types but for the pure boxer/ counter puncher it's unmatched.

Verdict: Good Boxing training.

Boxing Tip: Always imagine an opponent infront of you whether you're hitting the bag, shadow boxing or working the mitts

Boxing Fans and Critics tend to over react

07/14/2011 20:25:00

In boxing if you lose you're a bum, if you win impressively people will say you're the greatest of all time. Boxing fans and writers tend to over react to a fighters win or loss. Victor Ortiz was the butt of every boxing joke. He had a decent win over Andre Berto now people actually think he has a shot a beating Mayweather. Brandon Rios had a nice win against a better than average lightweight and now he's being mentioned as a potential Pacquiao opponent. Speaking of Pacquiao he put the fear of God into first ballot Hall of Famer Shane Mosely but because he didn't get the knockout people say he's slipping.

The bottom line is boxing fans and writers get to high with the highs and to low with the lows. One fight can involve so many different variables, styles that it's often times takes more than just one fight to stick a label on a fighter

Boxing Tip: While working the mitts with your trainer always get full extention on your punches. Punch through your target.

How to get in Boxing Shape

07/13/2011 09:10:00

Boxing Roadwork is it out dated? Yes and No. The belief that running 5 miles will get you in shape to Box is a little misleading. Running 5 miles doesn't effectively mimick your heart rate during a fight. Jogging long distance keeps your heart at slow methodical pace. A Boxing match consists of times where your heart soars,drops back down, then soars again.

The only real way to get in Boxing condition is actual live sparring. The next best alternative is interval training. Sprint and agility drills will raise your heart rate as if you were rattling off a combinations in the ring. Interval training on the heavy bag is also effective. For example work on speed for 20 sec, then power the next 20, then power and speed, lastly throw in some squat and repeat the cycle. You want to do drills where you're breathing heavy, and reacting fast. This type of training more closely mimicks what your heart rate will go through during live competition.

Roadwork is still necessary. It is very effective in taking off weight and building up a baseline conditioning level so that you can perform basic boxing exercises to improve your game. Also there is a psychological advantage to running 3-5 miles. A fighter mentally feels he did everything to prepare. The fighter can almost meditate while running and think about the fight at hand.

Bottom line is get in absolute professional boxing shape you must spar, do your roadwork, and perform speed/interval training. If you're not a competitive boxer working the mitts, roadwork, bag training and intervals are enough.

Boxing Tip: Do your roadwork at night or after your actual boxing training. Save your legs for the gym.