They say that styles make fights. Well, that is true but styles also make fighters and there are 5 different defined styles that a fighter can perfect on their boxing journey. Certain boxers are clever and skilled enough to switch their style up in different fights to suit the opponent they are facing. It can be hard to fit boxers into a single category sometimes because they are so good at different aspects of the game.

Power and Speed and the most important assets a fighter can possess in boxing but plenty of great champions have made it to the top without being incredibly gifted with an abundance of either.

In this article we are going to look at the 5 styles of boxer that have been defined and take a look at some of the best fighters of all time to represent each style, what makes them so effective and what their Kryptonite is.

There are also pros and cons of each style that we will look at and as the saying goes, the aim of boxing is to hit and not get hit, which doesn’t exactly go hand in hand with some of the more aggressive styles of the sluggers and punchers.

 

What Are The Different Styles Of Boxers

The 5 Different styles of boxers that we most commonly see in the ring are the Slugger, The Outside Fighter, The Counter Puncher, The Boxer Puncher And The Swarmer. You also get fighters that come along and don’t fit into any mold like Prince Naseem or Muhammed Ali.

 

A Look At The Slugger

The slugger is someone who is willing to take one to give one so to speak. The first thing that jumps into my mind is Brandon Rios when he proclaimed that he ‘Likes Getting Hit’. This is also referred to as the Mexican style of fighting where the fighter is willing to stand and trade to show they have the ‘Bigger Cajones’.

The Slugger fights with a chip on his shoulder to show he is the tougher guy. He relies on his chin, heart and power.

The Slugger may have good all round boxing skills and just love a tear up or they may not be the most skillful boxers. What we often see with sluggers is that they have the power to change a fight with a single shot and they are willing to fore go plenty of risks to land their big punch.

Sluggers take a lot of punishment in the ring and it is the style that probably has the bleakest long term prospects.

Some fighters may like to fight on the outside but if they have to, will switch to the slugger style in order to achieve victory over a superior fighter.

When two sluggers come together, it can make for a great fight that is pleasing for the fans. Think about the Arturo Gatti vs Micky Ward Trilogy or a fight like Dylian Whyte vs Derek Chisora. These fights come down to who has more heart, luck, power, balls and durability.

Sluggers can struggle the most against the Boxer Style or Counter Punching Fighter who can have the ring craft to make them pay every time without getting hit.

Legendary Sluggers include: Jack Dempsey, Arturo Gatti, Julio Caesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Joe Frazier and Evander Holyfield.

The Swarmer Style Of Boxing

The Swarmer style has produced some of the most fan favourite boxers of the modern era with two immediately springing to mind for me in Manny Pacquiao and Mike Tyson.

The Swarmer wants to get inside your range quickly and make you feel uncomfortable before throwing a barrage of punches around your head and body like a swarm of angry bees.

There are a couple of things that are crucial for the swarmer:

Footwork:

The swarmer needs to close the distance on his opponent effectively and quickly so he can find opportunities to cut the ring off and throw his array of combinations. The swarmer needs good IQ to cut the ring off and trap the opponent in the corner.

The swarmer not only needs to use good footwork to create angles but the main strength of his game is to close the distance with lightning pace like Manny Pacquiao does to perfection.

 

Fast Hands:

The swarmer needs fast hands to throw punches in bunches. It is literally impossible for a boxer to cover every punch. As body shots, hooks, straights and uppercuts reign in, openings will start to appear in the opponents defence and the punches will start to land.

 

Endurance:

The swarmer needs to keep up a frenetic pace for the whole fight if they can’t get the knockout early and one way to beat a swarmer would be to wait until they get tired and slow down. Swarmers need to put a ton of work into their cardio and endurance.

The swarmer style will work very well against taller fighters and swarmers need to be careful of uppercuts as they close the distance on taller guys.

One Legendary switch to the Kronk Swarmer style in recent times was what Tyson Fury did to Deontay Wilder in their second fight which was a perfect implementation of the style.

Legendary Swarmers Include: Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, Rocky Marciano, Jake Le Motta, Gennady Golovkin, Ricky Hatton, Carl Froch, Oscar De La Hoya

The Counter Puncher

The counter puncher wants to make you miss and counter with their own effective shots. Floyd Mayweather has one of the best pull counter punches in the history of boxing where he would slip his opponents jab and counter with the right hand over the top.

Counter punchers are similar to boxers in that they are relying on their ring IQ to know exactly when to counter and what punch to counter with. The counter puncher may wait for a number of rounds to find chinks in their opponents armour before they start to unload which is again something that Floyd Mayweather is well known for.

Counter Punchers are waiting for their opponent to make mistakes and leaving themselves open. They rely on lightning quick hands and reflexes to land effectively and they often try to wind their opponent up in the build up to the fight to make them overly aggressive where they will make mistakes.

Counter Punchers will often try to do just enough to win rounds and if they fall behind on the scorecards, it may be hard for them to turn it around.

The Counter puncher may also leave his head and chin exposed falsely to lure the opponent in and make them throw only to evade and counter with their own shot.

Legendary Counter Punchers: Floyd Mayweather, Willie Pep, Muhammad Ali, James Toney, Andre Ward, Prince Naseem.

The Out Boxer

Outboxers are guys that like to keep things at a distance. They are usually taller fighters who like to rely on straight punches and uppercuts to stop the attacks of swarmers and shorter pressure fighters.

Since they are taller, they have longer arms that are suited to straight punches but they can’t throw hooks as fast as shorter fighters. This is the main reason why they don’t want the fight to be in hooking range.

Out Boxers don’t want to hook with the hookers and they use their footwork and ring craft to keep them out of harms way. An Out boxers main offensive weapon will be the jab, double jab, the 1-2 and the 1-1-2. They may shy away from hooks completely unless they are well on top in a fight and their biggest power punch may be the upper cut.

Since they are taller, they will not be able to defend their body as much and this is where swarmers can get some blows in and force them to drop their hands making room for the head shots of the shorter fighter.

Outside fighters like to take the middle of the ring and not be caught up against the ropes or in the corners.

Swarmers and Outboxers are opposites and when these two styles collide, fireworks can ensue. Think Tommy ‘Hitman’ Hearns vs ‘Marvellous’ Marvin Hagler

Best Outside Fighters: Wladimir Klitschko, Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammed Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Tyson Fury, Lennox Lewis, Billy Joe Saunders.

The Boxer Puncher

The Boxer Puncher is comfortable fighting on the inside or the outside. They have more power than the out fighter and the counter puncher so they are more comfortable getting involved in trades.

The boxer puncher is an all rounder and will tailor their game plan to match who they are fighting against. The can swarm an outside boxer with powerful punches or they can stop a swarmer in their tracks with well place movement and footwork to create angles and land their own punches.

The boxer puncher is hard to fit in an individual category because they can switch their style depending on their opponent. They can close the distance effectively like a pressure fighter or they can stay on the outside and pick you off with effective jabs and counterpunches.

One Style that the boxer puncher may struggle against is the outside fighter who can maintain the distance with an effective jab and stop the boxer from going to work.

Best Boxer Punchers: Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Sonny Liston, Vitali Klitschko, Gennady Golovkin, Canelo Alvarez, Sergey Kovalev, Andre Ward.

Variations Of Fighters

There are three different types of each fighter.

Orthodox Boxers

Orthodox fighters are generally right handed and jab with their left hands. Most fighters are orthodox as most people are right handed so southpaws are not all that common. Orthodox is used to sparring with orthodox and most boxing matches will be orthodox on orthodox.

 

Southpaw Boxers

Southpaw fighters are usually left handed and are less common to find in gyms and in fights. They lead with their right hand and some right-handed outside fighters will become southpaws to keep their power hand out front for hard jabbing and lead hooks.

It can be said that Southpaws have a slight advantage in that almost all of their sparring will be against Orthodox fighters and that is who they will fight most of the time.

For an orthodox fighter challenging a southpaw, it will be much harder to find good southpaw sparring partners as they are less common.

When Orthodox meets Southpaw it comes down to who can position their lead foot on the outside and land their straight shots most effectively. The best punch an orthodox fighter can hit a southpaw with is a straight right hand and the left hand is the best punch for the southpaw.

 

Lennox Lewis and Manny Pacquiao are remembered as great Southpaws.

 

Switch Hitters

Switch hitters are a rare breed that can switch seamlessly from southpaw to orthodox and be just as effective in either stance. The two recent fighters that I have seen doing this well are Terence Crawford and Tyson Fury.

Terence Crawford switched to Southpaw against Gamboa after a couple of rounds and by having the power right hook out in front he was able to beat Gamboa and eventually knock him out.

Tyson Fury fought Southpaw in his second fight against Derek Chisora and also beat him comfortably getting the stoppage.

Martial artists are known for their switch hitting ability because switching stances is common place in Muay Thai and Kickboxing. Conor McGregor switched stances numerous times against Floyd Mayweather but the fight didn’t go too well for him in the end.

 

Conclusion

These fighting styles are too loose to contain a fighter fully and fighters can posses talents and traits that will pace them in different buckets. That being said, knowing the different styles is a great way to analyze a fight that is either upcoming, live or over and it gives us an increased understanding of the sweet science.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boxing is a great sport and it provides a way for you to have fun while you get fit and achieve a pile of positive benefits like increased confidence, released endorphins, a valuable self defence skill and a hobby that you can pour your passion into.

Almost everybody wants to get better at boxing but not everybody has access to a gym or even a lot of equipment so in this article we are going to show you solid ways to improve your boxing skills from the comfort of your own home.

If you already have experience or train in a gym and just want to improve while you are at home, that is perfect and if you are starting from scratch, you can still do a lot to become a better fighter in your own household.

You don’t need any equipment to get better but the more that you can get, the more effectively we can train and a lot of the equipment you need to improve is relatively cheap.

 

List Of Equipment That Will Help You To Improve At Boxing At Home

Skipping Rope

Light Dumbbells (1kg/2lbs)

Resistance Bands – (Optional)

Heavy Bag (Recommended – Wall Mounted If Possible Or Else Heavy Bag Stand Or Freestanding)

Reflex Or Cobra Bag

Speed Bag

Wraps

Gloves

 

If you can get access to a heavy bag in your house, it will make a big difference in how fast you can get better. It doesn’t have to even be that expensive. Wall mounted or ceiling mounted is best, then heavy bag stand(more expensive) and then free standing(Usually move around too much).

 

Cardio And Conditioning

One of the first things you need for boxing is a basic level of fitness and if you have this already that is great but doing a 5-10km run once to twice per week will help you to build up a solid aerobic base of fitness that will act as a foundation as you improve.

 

Shadow Boxing

The first thing you will probably think about when considering improving at boxing at home is shadow boxing and that is with good reason. Shadow boxing offers a ton of benefits for fighters and although it can feel awkward at first, it is a toll that is used by all the best fighters to hone their technique and visualize their way to victory.

Shadow boxing is also a great way to build up cardio conditioning, tone the arms and get a good workout in.

If you add in light 1kg dumbbells, the resistance will increase and this will allow you to potentialize your punching power and speed and you can also build lean muscle in the shoulders and get ripped.

 

Things To Work On In Shadow Boxing

Foot Work:

Foot work is the most basic, yet the most important skill you can learn in boxing which is why it is the first thing your boxing teacher will train you to do.

Get into your boxing stance and when you move forward, the lead foot moves first, followed quickly by the rear foot. When you move backwards the roles rear leg moves first, followed by the lead leg.

Always avoid crossing the legs as if you get hit with a punch, you will lose your balance.

I would recommend working 2 minute rounds of shadowboxing and you just focus on your footwork for the first round.

 

The Jab (1)

The jab is the most important punch in boxing. It helps you to keep the distance between you and your whether you are attacking or defending and it starts almost every combo when you are fighting.

I would focus on just Jabs and double jabs for another 2 minute round, with your footwork included.

 

The Cross (2)

The cross follows the jab in the 1-2 and it is the punch that often does the damage in a combo. Remember to turn your hip into the shot to generate the maximum power and bring the hand back to the jaw as quickly as you can.

Focus a round on 1-2’s and 1-1-2’s to improve these skills.

 

The Left Hook (3)

The 1-2 makes your opponent centre their guard and this is where the left hook can find a home on the side of you opponents head and do some damage. Don’t forget to turn your hip and lead leg into the shot to generate the maximum power and practice 1, 1-2 and 1-2-3 for a 2 minute round.

 

Uppercuts

Uppercuts are good for when your opponent is trying to block the middle and side of the head and they leave a gap in the middle for the uppercut to come through and land on the chin.

Add in a 2 minute round of 4 and 5 punch combos including uppercuts for a great cardio round and to improve at combining your punches together with rhythm and cohesion.

 

Head Movement And Chin Tucked

As you shadowbox, remember to keep your head moving. Imagine your opponent throws a jab and slip to the right, image they throw a cross and slip to the left.

Straight after you slip you can roll from left to right or from right to left to avoid any further punches from your opponent and return to the centre.

 

Shadow Boxing with weights

Shadow boxing with your light dumbbells can also come with a ton of benefits due to the increased resistance.

 

Builds The Shoulders And Arm Endurance

The extra weight causes the fibre and muscle in you shoulder and arms to tear and this will come back stronger the next time you do the exercise. Throwing punches with the heavier weight helps to increase arm endurance as your body gets stronger.

 

Increase Punching Power And Speed

Punching with a slightly heavier weight gets your arms used to throwing punches being weighed down and when you throw punches without the weights the next, your hands will be faster and have more power.

It won’t perform miracles but it will help you reach the speed that your body is capable of or ‘Potentialize’ your speed.

 

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope is a lot more important for improving at boxing that you might think especially for beginners. The late Roger Mayweather is even quoted as saying that “Jumping Rope is the key to being a great fighter” and if you look at Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali, they were all exceptional with the rope in their hands.

 

There are a number of benefits to skipping:

 

Hand And Feet Coordination:

Boxing requires the hands and the feet to be deeply in tune with each other to close gaps and land shots or to land shots and escape effectively. Jumping rope is the perfect way to build cardio while increasing your coordination. Jumping rope is almost exactly like fighting in a cardio format and it is even more important than running for beginners in my opinion.

 

Builds Arm Endurance:

With jumping rope, your hands will get tired long before your feet so it builds up the endurance in your arms which is so important for boxing. It also helps to build lean, ripped and toned arms and it is great for burning belly fat too.

 

Circuits

Circuits will build your anaerobic conditioning for fighting so that when you do go to a gym, you will be able to keep up with the class and not get tired too quickly.

A typical Circuit will be 30 seconds on each station and a total of 6 stations – Take a 1 minute break between rounds and do 3-5 rounds for maximum results.

 

Station 1: Push Ups

Station 2: Squat Jumps

Station 3: Mountain Climbers

Station 4: Plank

Station 5: Lunges

Station 6: Burpees

 

Heavy Bag

If you have a heavy bag available it will certainly help you to improve at home a lot quicker. Actually landing on a target is different than shadow boxing and probably more enjoyable.

The heavy bag allows us to increase punching power, work on heavy combos, increase our footwork and movement to create angle and it is perfect for anaerobic conditioning drills.

 

Double End Bag

This bag swings around when you hit it so it teaches you how to miss and increases your hand eye coordination, speed and accuracy. If you can have one in your home as well as a heavy bag it’s a big advantage. The double end bag will also swing back at your head so you can learn to slip it from side to side with your head.

 

Speed Bag

Speed bag is perfect for developing hand-eye coordination and building endurance and muscle in the shoulders and arms. It is perfect for developing rhythm, hand speed and it also a lot of fun to hit.

 

10 Round Home Workout – 3 Minute Rounds With 1 Minute Rest

Rounds 1-2: Jumping Rope

Rounds 3-7:  Shadow Boxing, With Dumbbells, Heavy bag, Double End Bag, Speed Bag (Whatever You Have)

Rounds 8 – 10: Conditioning Circuit

 

Do this 3 times a week and get two 5-10km runs in as well during the week. If you can get two strength training session in as well that would be great.

 

Conclusion

You can improve a lot in your home but if you can get to a boxing gym to spar and get direction from a coach it will help you to develop as a fighter much quicker and increase your capabilities.