Good post, @AdamGB . See my comments above.
I thought Wilder exhibited a good defense plan against Stiverne. During the first part of the fight he kept Stiverne at the end of his jab, establishing distance. When Stiverne did get in, Wilder did put his hands up, avoiding any flush shots while Stiverne was still fresh. Later in the fight, when Wilder had figured out Stiverne's timing (or lack thereof), he used head movement to move out of the way of Stiverne's few left hooks. Toward the end of the fight, when Wilder's power punches had pretty much drained the energy and fight out of Stiverne, yes.... Deontay would lean close to Bermane on the ropes, bobbing and weaving his head and looking for a good shot.
I'm not saying Wilder is necessarily Wlad-ready. Wlad is an old fox with too many tricks up his sleeve, and he's not above using any means necessary, legal or otherwise, to protect his chin and win the fight. But I thought Wilder acquitted himself quite well last night. IMO, he answered plenty of questions. Those who thought he was just a chinny, lanky HW waiting for the first bomb to fall so he could crumble in a heap (a group which may have included me at some point).... were proven wrong. He boxed.... he paced himself through 12 rounds..... he didn't punch himself out in a desperate effort that could have jeopardized him.... etc. Hats off to Stiverne for that stainless steel chin he's got, but he did get rocked, and he did get dropped.
Wilder went from never having gone past 4 rounds, to going 12 rounds and winning a wide UD against one of the HW champions of the world. But apparently for some people, nothing will ever be enough.
...I would have thought this obvious but here goes anyway -
Fighting a smaller man and using a low guard does 3 things
1) it better protects the closest target your shorter opponent has (your body)
2) by standing tall and covering the body you force the shorter man to reach up, they have to be even closer to you to land anything, assuming your jab is decent you can keep them out of range much easier
3) because their punches are coming up and from far away, you have increased time to react and evade or counter the incoming (which you can see better because your guard is not blocking your view)
High guards provide limited countering opportunities and inhibit your visibility, pounding away at a guard is tiring, swinging at nothing but thin air is exhausting and makes retracting your punches slower.
A tall fighter with a high guard has less countering opportunities, reduced visibility and an exposed body.
High guards a best used by shorter fighters in a crouched stance, this draws the taller man into stooping and punching downward, allowing the shorter man to uncoil taller counter over the top.
Young Tyson using a high guard? Great
Wilder? Just no...
'Keep your hands up' is just vague, generic and basic parroted boxing tactics.
"Parroted" being the operative word here.
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