Need help for next fight

so I've had a few white collar fights since november, won my first three, then lost to a guy in february. I'm supposed to fight him again in about a month. (the events are just some exhibition fights that the two owners of the different gyms put together)

to put quite simply, this guy is quick as hell and has great reflexes. I've been told I've got a good jab, but I can't get it anywhere near this guy. He can bend his back to put it out of reach, and when I try to go in on him, he moves away real quickly. i could barely hit the guy, and almost every time i threw a right, i got counterpunched. when it comes to his punches, they aren't that great. they have little power, but he hits me more then i hit him. any tips on how to deal with a guy like this would be much appreciated.

Close off the ring
Tighten your guard,throw your jab,and time where he moves to and catch him there,dont just pursue,cut off

Stand on his feet. :)

So you're fighting a counter-puncher. Cutting off the ring is always an essential. You'll want to utilize feints to get him to react. Then you want counter him. It could become a sort of a stinker as far as action, but it will get him into your rhythm instead of you into his. Use your jab not only to land scoring shots, but to also get him to try to counter it. Stomp your foot, look at his body with a feint and come upstairs, whatever will get him on your page. Is he a southpaw? Try using your jab and then slipping. If he fires back, then you're ready to do the same.

feint – noun
1. a movement made in order to deceive an adversary; an attack aimed at one place or point merely as a distraction from the real place or point of attack: military feints; the feints of a skilled fencer.
2. a feigned or assumed appearance: His air of approval was a feint to conceal his real motives.
–verb (used without object) 3. to make a feint.
–verb (used with object) 4. to make a feint at; deceive with a feint.
5. to make a false show of; simulate.

Welcome to your first CC
Two variations of the idea of a feint,off the top of my head
Adamek-constantly twitches his jab hand so you never know when the jab is actually coming,no hand movement to cue on,energy expending,but it works for him
Hopkins-constantly dips his shoulder like hes bringing a jab,and then doesnt.He just wants to see how you move and react,so he can cut you off when he does bring the jab,and you try to slip out

Go to the body no matter how quick he is body never moves clinch and throw combos to the body on inside.

How's he jabbing, is he stepping in with it? Now if he steps in and leads in with the jab that can give you a chance to slip it and close the gap. On the inside how does he fight, which side does he step to, how's he holding his hands, is he square shouldered or with one side forward, does he punch in between your sequences? This should all be taken into consideration so that you'll know how to better handle him while weighing the advantages in your favor.

As for your right hand if you can make him think you're gonna throw it then you can feint with it, and hit him where he doesn't expect it. Feints are based on expectations which can cause reactions. Now there are hundreds of ways to feint, it all depends on what you want him to do. You can feint with a twitch or your hand, shoulder, your can feint with your eyes/head, with your footwork (step forward::step back, feint a side-step and move in the opposite direction), shifting your weight, dropping to a crouch, sounds/breath, with a punch that you land but don't fully commit to, all of which can be done in various ways and mixed up. Some feints won't get any reactions our of your opponent and others will. The idea with feinting is to affect their expectations therefore causing them to react in a way that either gives you an opening, moves them into a disadvantageous position, allows you to counter, at the least making hesitate on particular punches and reducing their options. Feinting requires you to be observant of the reactions and changes in an opponent. It works best if you can make your opponent cautious about some of your punches so that you can use those particular punches in feint to get him to react to your advantage.

On the inside learn where to hit and set up your shots. If you want to hit his liver make sure you can get into that position and know how to make it count. A left hook to the left side of their body isn't going to affect them as much as digging a hard left hook under their ribs. Learn the other targets as well, the solar-plexus is good mark, the spleen by digging a right uppercut under their right ribs, their floating ribs are more vulnerable and can be broken by a swift hard punch, a hard right to the heart is a legit KO, the heart is behind their ribs and in your view is just few inches northeast of their solar plexus. The kidneys are an illegal target but are up for grabs if your opponent leaves it exposed.

As for counterpunching there's a lot that you can do, you can work on your side-stepping, feinting with your feet is great, practice your slip, some punches can be slipped in the same way that some punches are thrown which is useful when you are countering jabs and straights. In the end we're all counterpunchers, but the one's that do the best are usually holding all the cards.

:) Read these posts:

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Originally Posted by Andre

Postition can beat speed .Exact ringcraft .IF you know where to be,how to get there safley and the reason you need to be at a certain position in relation to where he want you to be; then the faster isnt going to able to touch you with as much power anyway and you will have him off sided and turning to find where your at constantly, which will slow him up even if he is naturaly faster. Position/distance/engagment or disengament or control over one or the other of the two sides to a fighter.
Putting questions into a fighters head that are not there when he is having the fight his own way, by control over his balance points and gaining the advantage position will slow anyones game .Pain will slow him too if you make him pay for the time the question popped in. Key is to exploit his position and his style with your natural abilites.
You just have to know them before you can put them into practice.

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Originally Posted by Andre

Economy of movment beats a fast fighter.
Look into the footwork section.
Dont expect too muach of yourself too fast either.
control with the jab is true but he may magically come around it if he is that good.
Learn from him.

You could try being more aware of your positon in the ring and using it to an adavantage . Give yourself space to move out on the sides and away on angles so he has to change to suit you.

To change your front foot back around to the rear foot postiion can get you out of trouble too ,(it takes you out of distance fast)and practiced properly can have you out and on an angle which forces him into re-adjustment mode) you have to have both arms out in front and replace the front one with the rear one as you switch.You can do the move clean off a jab as a warning to him too!

You will find ,if you do that on the correct side as he moves at you,you end up out of range and then witha slight adjustment in your feet ,your out to the side of him in the reverse stance to what you started in.
You have created the time to attack ,switch back and retreat or switch back during attack.

Im playing here, just food for thought. Correct Movement can beat speed.

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Originally Posted by Andre

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Originally Posted by Confirm

thnx
i will put this in my sparring session monday, i know it'll take some practice
so i'll practice southp on the bag tonight

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Be careful doing anything I suggest straight off the bat!
Im just trying to open up your mind to the available variables here.

instead of standing your ground all the time until the best man wins ,think and move but end up in front Cause you know why and you know where your moving to.

Practice the actual moves first. Dont jump in the ring and tey something new too fast.

I would instruct a mate and have him come at me the same way(or family member) and practice doing it with them ; making sure you stay out of their range ,making sure you have control over that front hand of theirs as they come (or at least have it covered fully)and making sure you move back in (in saftey) while controlling that side of them.
Also see what different positiions you end up in (see if you can readjust when they shift to suit your new positon .
Also stop the action occasionally and see if you can arrive at your desination safley, covered from the opponents first actions and their re actions to it going down. (you dont have to stay in south either, you can readjust as he does to you throwing the rear hand and stepping through into your natural stance.

If you have room to move back you can do the retreat move twice and it takes you through south back into natural and you watch their reaction to it and catch them comming.

Practice all the variables . Know what can happen ,cover yourself fully to the unexpected.

IF you touch the ropes as your heading back for example; bend knees with one leg forward sit down then go under and out to the side; revolve under his lead arm and out the safe side etc.

You can always make a boxer come to you. thats easy .
Whats hard is to make them readjuust all the time.

Angles,
You cant do that by just going back straight or your gone.
You have to think angles;slip to the safest side ,make him turn into me,catch him as he comes.

Sometimes its as simple as going square by widening your stance! stepping out wide on an angle with the front leg which takes your head out or range and under their lead arm and it allows you to counter straight off the rear arm right at the same time ,its all one move. (but God help you if you stay there and expect miracles twice off theone move!
So what Im saying is practice them all first (please),and in doing so realize the limits and then move, again and again and keep them off their plan.

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Hate to say it,its as simple as cat stance,modified for the lack of need to kick
The front foot directs traffic,the back foot either simply twists to the new position,or half moons to follow
As long as your base is solid,and your cutting off the angles by following to where hes going not mindlessly going straight in,in a straight line pursuit,the ring isnt that large of a place

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Originally Posted by md

Stand on his feet. :)

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That works too, it can also be very unnerving. ;)

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Originally Posted by Chris N.

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Originally Posted by md

Stand on his feet. :)

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That works too, it can also be very unnerving. ;)

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But refs develop "feelings" about that

Get physical with him. if you can't catch him ,and your completely out classed go to plan B mirror his style.. another words make him come in.. if he steps back , then you step back.. Get him out of his comfort zone, make him lead out. make him be first , then move in on his aggression . Remember to let your hands go when he comes in .. punch with him.. Don’t wait until he’s finished and gets back on defense. Catch him while he is on offense. Good luck

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Originally Posted by Trainer Monkey

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Originally Posted by Chris N.

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Originally Posted by md

Stand on his feet. :)

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That works too, it can also be very unnerving. ;)

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But refs develop "feelings" about that

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They prefer to do the stepping.

;D as good advice as youll get cc lords

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Originally Posted by Scrap

;D as good advice as youll get cc lords

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I appreciate that 8)

K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple stupid
Live it,love it

thanks for the advice everyone, its much appreciated ;D i like the idea of getting him to come in at me, the last ti :'(me I fought him, it was like he just stood there until I decided to do something, so I would, and then I'd get hit in the process.

thanks again

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Originally Posted by Wintered

so I've had a few white collar fights since november, won my first three, then lost to a guy in february. I'm supposed to fight him again in about a month. (the events are just some exhibition fights that the two owners of the different gyms put together)

to put quite simply, this guy is quick as hell and has great reflexes. I've been told I've got a good jab, but I can't get it anywhere near this guy. He can bend his back to put it out of reach, and when I try to go in on him, he moves away real quickly. i could barely hit the guy, and almost every time i threw a right, i got counterpunched. when it comes to his punches, they aren't that great. they have little power, but he hits me more then i hit him. any tips on how to deal with a guy like this would be much appreciated.

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what do you know about your wind and ability to brawl? Sounds like being aggressive might work on him if you do not get yourself too exhausted

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Originally Posted by Wintered

thanks for the advice everyone, its much appreciated ;D i like the idea of getting him to come in at me, the last ti :'(me I fought him, it was like he just stood there until I decided to do something, so I would, and then I'd get hit in the process.

thanks again

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best of luck mate. you will do fine ! Cool Click #2

Good luck Wintered, why don't you give it shot since you have a good idea what you can do.

I wish I could have been more helpful, sometimes I get carried away and miss the point, it's a good thing we have guys like Lords Gym around, they keep to what's really important.

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Originally Posted by Chris N.

Good luck Wintered, why don't you give it shot since you have a good idea what you can do.

I wish I could have been more helpful, sometimes I get carried away and miss the point, it's a good thing we have guys like Lords Gym around, they keep to what's really important.

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hey your advice was awesome, i wouldnt say you got carried away at all ;D

Good luck!!! Let us know how you go. I liked Ice Cold and Chris N's advice of working the body. That should help to slow him down. And maybe have a think about what is the thing you could do that he would like the least. That may help to put the fight more on your terms rather than his.

Can you hook off your jab? Leaning back like that will get him in trouble if you can, especially if he does this while against the ropes. When you jab he can step back, back, then he's on the ropes. When he leans back hook. Ali fought in a way that seems similar to how you describe your rival. Henry Cooper nearly killed him with a hook against the ropes, and Norton was pretty successful going to Ali's body when he leaned back. Whatever else you do don't reach for his head when he leans back; that enables him to pepper you with counters.

So jabs are OK against this guy as long as you don't over reach?

If I read it correctly, the guy leans back out of range of the jab, but counters primarily off the right. I don't know how that I would be throwing my jab so much to land it as to move him with it, and if I was stepping with it would depend on his reaction to it...
What I was referring to earlier was not reaching in general, with the jab and now, having re-read the initial post, the right hand. If you can get somebody throwing the right hand from too far away, to where you can pull back and have it come up short, they are there to be hit. PBF does this consistently. If he's pulling back and countering the right, try throwing it at his chest.

CC greynotsoold - One of my potential opponents this year is a southpaw. In sparring last night I was basically told I'm too eager to start 1st and be aggressive. I was told southpaws love to counter the jab and I need to learn some patience to beat one.

I find it hard though because i lost some of my very early bouts by not being aggressive enough and now i overcompensate. I am an amateur so I don't feel I have enough time to really pressure someone and push them without charging.

But maybe it's enough to be moving them without connecting with every punch? Is that kinda what you're getting at? Do I understand you correctly?

That is exactly it. Many times what you take from throwing a punch is not "damn I missed" but, instead, seeing what was done to make you miss, or what counter punch was thrown. You're trying to find patterns in the opponent's behavior and reactions, then you make him do something that you want him to do and make him pay for it.

Thanks Greynotsoold - just hope I'm smart enough to work out how to do that quickly when I come across that southpaw :)

A southpaw is mostly confusing from the outside. I think they are at a profound disadvantage in close. At the same time, if you have a height/reach advantage and keep your distance...Its an old saying that southpaws like to counter so make them lead.

I have noticed that their jabbing arm seems to sit a bit wide - unless that's just the few southpaws i've come across. Does it make them vulnerable to body shots etc?

There's a couple of ways to get at that, and a lot of it has to do with where your feet are. The book says to keep your lead foot outside their lead foot, and this is true. It gives you favorable punching angles and then you are kind of corraling them with the left hook to the body and forcing them back to the right hand. The left hook to the body, then, is a good punch because you are outside his right arm and he can't hit you there. The straight right to the solar plexus is also a good punch if you slip his jab such that your head ends up outside his right arm. If you can, find some footage of Ricardo Lopez or Barrera fighting a southpaw (the Pacquiao fight excepted). Getting caught with your lead foot inside his lead foot can be a problem as it lines you up for his straight left, but if you know that...I think that going that way opens up some nice body punches with a short left hook inside the right jab. And since you KNOW that the left is coming, some opportunities to counter it with your own very short left hook after slipping it, or using the right uppercut to the body again after slipping the left.

Thanks that's a big help :)