Boxing is such an enjoyable sport. Ideally, most aspiring boxers would spend hours in the ring, perfecting their art before facing their opponents. It takes commitment, hard work, and passion for the game to climb at the top of the boxing leader-board. If you haven’t won your first belt, maybe you still have a long way to go.
With so many punters visiting online casinos to place their bets on favorite boxing matches, you want to be the reason why a punter will smile to the bank. Becoming a top-flight boxer takes time. It involves working on your character and craft. In this article, we explain some six ways you can become the greatest boxer of all time.
Work on your speed
One of the main characteristics that makes you succeed in the ring is quickness. When you are quick with your heavy blows, you can easily dismantle your opponents. Some of the fastest boxers like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson portrayed this characteristic, which helped them knock out their opponents within the first rounds.
When you enter a ring, you should know that boxing is a game of chance and speed. Being slow will always land you in big trouble. You can get hurt if you don’t block quick blows from your opponent. Be sure to move before he lands a punch, or he makes a hit on you. The more escapes you make, the higher your chances of winning the round.
Be accurate with your punches
When you make a move to hit or throw a punch, you must ensure you are accurate. You don’t want your opponent to miss a punch. Your opponent is determined to dodge the blow, and if you can get him off-guard, you can easily hit them.
In most cases, if you miss your punch, your opponent will always get the chance to strike you. Whenever you throw a landing punch, you should ensure you are more accurate. You expend a lot of energy and create more chances for your opponent whenever you miss.
Build your punching power
All you need in the ring is strength and skills. Once you work on your strength, you can manage the fiercest battles in the ring. Punching power is not about following a specific routine in the gym. It’s all about coordination and timing. You should be able to sense an opening and hit harder when you get a chance.
You can learn some punching lessons from Mike Tyson. The prolific heavyweight champ was always looking at his opponents in the eyes before making a move. The more power you have on your punch, the easier it is to know your rival.
Have a unique defense mechanism
What you can learn from some of the top boxers are their exceptional defensive skills. When in the ring, you should always defend yourself. You don’t know where your opponent is targeting to hit – which means you must protect yourself. Guard your face and block all punches that come your way. Position your body and arms properly and make the right moves when inside the ring.
Whenever you fight your opponent, you must monitor how he acts. For example, you can notice that your opponent likes throwing a quick hook after firing a jab. By learning your opponent moves, you can defend yourself and avoid getting hit unaware.
Another tip: you should not wait for your opponent to finish punching before you can punch back. The truth is that you can always interrupt your opponents’ combo and get to hit him before the punch lands on you.
Learn to open your opponent’s guard
When facing your opponent, you should not forget to hit other parts of his body to loosen the guard. A strong shovel punch will force your opponent to open the guard giving you the chance to hit them even more. For any punching combination you choose, you should always finish up with a cross punch on the opponent’s body.
You want to focus more on landing your punches at 45-degrees so that they have more impact and weaken your opponent. Punch somewhere between an uppercut and hook if you want to shut down your opponent completely.
Get some footwork
This is the part that most boxers forget. Boxing is not all about punching. You also have to monitor your feet. How you move when inside the ring determines whether you get closer to hitting your opponent or not. You want to defend yourself and attack at a balanced position, and that means you must position your feet well.
Here are some golden rules of boxing footwork you must obey:
- Never should you cross your feet when at the ring, you can easily fall.
- Balance your weight on both feet to remain stable all time.
- Take some short sliding steps when moving in the ring.
- Move your foot to the direction you want to move first.
Final Thoughts
Everyone can become a successful boxer. Always learn from others, and don’t forget to keep your eyes open for new ideas. With these six skills, you should not wait to take it to the ring and face your opponent head-on.