Thread: Tall fighters with inside games.

Conventional wisdom tells you to get up close against a tall fighter, because he's weak on the inside. But, who were some tall fighters with good inside games?

Excellent topic absolutely excellent I have thought about this quite a lot in my life. I think Riddick Bowe was an extremely huge and tall fighter who had a really really good inside game. Sometimes it really cost him so. But still he had great inside work for such a big man

Diego Corrales and Paul Williams come to mind....Holyfield at 6'2-6'3 was just average sized for a heavyweight, but he was very busy on the inside.

Conventional wisdom is not so much that tall fighters are unable to work on the inside it's that they are unwilling because it increases the likelihood of them getting hit in return which is typically why boxers are told to utilize height and reach advantages. Plus with longer arms (which taller fighters typically have) on the inside they are all the easier to counter seeing how it takes more time for them to put the mustard on their punches, connect or miss, and draw their hands back to defend a counter.

Lennox Lewis was good when he would hook his left arm around the head of his opponent and hammer in uppercuts to the head with his right.....it kept his opponents focused on keeping their balance and blocking rather than throwing punches in return.

George Foreman in his comeback was very sneaky on the inside with hooks and uppercuts....he smoked Cooney with a massive uppercut.

I was gonna say Bowe as well. Had an excellent inside game plan in just about all of his fights.

@Sleepwalker

Good job buddy we thought the exact same thing I agree with you.

At 6 foot tall , would you class Andre Ward as tall? His inside game is very good. He outstrengthed Froch and Virgil Hunter said before the fight he would do so. You don't expect it from someone who can box like him.

Sandy Saddler, Little Red Lopez, Alexis Arguello.

Originally Posted by greynotsoold

Sandy Saddler, Little Red Lopez, Alexis Arguello.

Greynotsoold yes Arguello is a perfect example but he sure paid the price twice again aaron the hawk pryor

In no particular order:
1. Riddick Bowe
2. Tommy Hearns
3. Bob Foster
4. Paul Williams
5. Kelly Pavilik
6. Chico Corrales
7. Erik Morales
8. Rafael Ruelas
9. BHop
10. Antonio Margarito

Tall fighters should not fight on the inside if they can help it. They should use their advantages and are stupid to fight on the inside. Hearns could do it.

Originally Posted by Master

Tall fighters should not fight on the inside if they can help it. They should use their advantages and are stupid to fight on the inside. Hearns could do it.

Yup, big difference between CAN and SHOULD.....this is why I don't rate Riddick Bowe.

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Originally Posted by Master

Tall fighters should not fight on the inside if they can help it. They should use their advantages and are stupid to fight on the inside. Hearns could do it.

Yup, big difference between CAN and SHOULD.....this is why I don't rate Riddick Bowe.

Bowe had that vicious uppercut against Holyfield in their first fight but he nearly got knocked out by the left hook inside against Holyfield in their 3rd fight.

Look at Corrales vs Mayweather....Floyd got in the pocket and just fucked Chico up ditto Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Look at Corrales vs Mayweather....Floyd got in the pocket and just fucked Chico up ditto Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns

Castillio did the same to Corrales.

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Look at Corrales vs Mayweather....Floyd got in the pocket and just fucked Chico up ditto Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns

I remember both fights differently, to be honest. I remember Floyd using his jab to the body to disrupt Chico's rhythm, and his legs to create angles to move in, land combinations, and move out of range without taking any damage. Floyd did do some phenomenal work on the inside, thanks to his hand speed advantage and defensive superiority, but I don't recall him sitting in the pocket at all. As a matter of fact, I don't remember him sitting in the pocket for long stretches of a fight until the N'dou fight, which was a brilliant and underrated performance, in my opinion.

Similarly, I don't remember Ray sitting in the pocket against Tommy for long stretches. I remember Ray trying to box Tommy by using his feet to create angles, and being outboxed for most of the fight. I recall Tommy wilting as the fight progressed into the late rounds, and Ray pot shot/attacking behind an impressive body attack that further debilitated Tommy and set Ray up to win by stoppage.

Floyd vs. Hatton, Zab Judah, Lovemore Ndou, and at times Miguel Cotto are examples of sitting in the pocket and doing damage. James Toney vs. Prince Charles Williams, Evander Holyfield, Vassily Jirov, and Iran Barkley are examples also. Paul Williams vs. Sharmba Mitchell, Kelly Pavilik vs. Edison Miranda, Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield, Bob Foster vs. Dick Tiger, and Chico Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo are all examples of tall fighters who decided to relinquish their height and reach advantages to stay in the pocket and fight in a fan friendly manner.