Day 42 - Fight how you train. Train how you fight.

I have never fought like most Mexican and Chicano boxers who get up close, willing to take two shots to give one.  Instead, I have learned to fight from a distance, choosing my punches carefully.  Coach says I only punch when I want to punch.  That's okay when punching a heavy bag, which doesn't punch back.  Most opponents, though, will force you to attack when you aren't ready, even if only to survive.  So we have been working on punching with a greater frequency and with head movement, in order to avoid being hit in return.

Aside from being a boxing practitioner I'm a student of the game.  When I became frustrated last week with my lack of progress I thought about those fighters who could dominate on the inside, but were not merely sluggers.  Sure enough, two of my favorites, Juan Manuel Marquez and Salvador Sanchez, are masters of this art.

Marquez cannot get out of the way of the first punch.  This is what got him in trouble against Pacquiao in their first fight as he ate straight lefts like they were on sale for 29 cents.  But when he gets inside, he dominates.  What is his secret?  It is pretty clear when you watch the tape closely.  First, he has excellent balance, which is the basis for his punching power.  Second, he does not throw a punch and stop.  He throws in combinations.  Head and body.  Body and head.  But he doesn't do it in a haphazard way like his opponents.  His combinations are both measured and precise.  Third, he shortens his punches.  Marquez can land with power without having to fully extend his arms.  Generally, you are supposed to extend your arms completely to punch under the (correct) theory that it generates more power.  However, in a fight where both men are near each other, the one more skilled at making his short punches count has the advantage.  This is why Marquez dominates Diaz, a slapping punches, despite Diaz being busier.  (What makes Marquez truly special, however, aside from his remarkable ability to adapt during a fight, is his will to win.  There is no quit in this man.  He is a warrior in every sense).

Although I am getting tired from the two rounds not caught on camera, I am trying to emulate Marquez here.  Shorten the hooks.  Never throw only one or two punches.

There is no greater master, however, when it comes to this particular subject than the great Salvador Sanchez.  The following needs nothing by way of explanation:

And another example where he was a little more technical.