The sport of boxing is often referred to by the rather unconventional nickname of the "Sweet Science." This would not seem to make sense for a sport where both fighters in the ring are trying to pound each other into submission. However, boxing is just as much a sport of strategy and movement as it is one of strength and slugging. There are several techniques a fighter can use effectively in the ring.
Boxing Technique
The boxer is a fighter who depends on speed, movement and strategy to gain the edge on an opponent. A boxer may register a knockout, but it is typically the result of an accumulation of blows and not just one big shot. The boxer must have the big picture in mind when he enters the ring. He wants to pair a formidable defense with an effective attack. The boxer wants to make his opponent miss, and to dictate the pace of the fight with a stunning and swift left jab. Top-level boxers are usually in superb condition. Perhaps the two best boxers of all time were Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali.
Slugger Technique
A competitor using this technique is often a more rudimentary fighter than a complete boxer. Nevertheless, a slugger can be very effective when he lands big punches consistently. The slugger is usually someone who throws knockout-type punches with either hand and specializes in the one-punch knockout. George Foreman and Sonny Liston were examples of sluggers who wanted only to land one big blow and finish the fight with it.
Inside Fighting Technique
The insider fighter depends on leverage to get the better of opponents. Instead of slugging at long range, he moves quickly and uses head movements to get inside --- close to his foe --- and overwhelm his opponent with power punches, the Cox's Corner website explains. The inside fighter will often take two or three punches until he gets in position to deliver his own punishing punches. Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier were two of the most renowned inside fighters. Both would take a series of punches to get in position to start launching left hooks and right crosses. Inside fighters often seem impervious to pain when they are in the middle of a fight.
Finding Your Style
Boxers often borrow from one another when developing a style. Muhammad Ali's boxing idol when growing up was Sugar Ray Robinson. Robinson depended on speed and ring movement. Ali could not have used those characteristics if he had not been blessed with great athleticism. Joe Frazier, meanwhile, did not have Ali's speed and movement skills, so he became a terrorizing puncher. Thomas Hearns had speed and quickness in addition to a power punch, but he could not trade punches with other sluggers. The key to becoming an effective fighter is learning your own strengths and weaknesses, then developing the proper technique, the Ross Boxing website advises.
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