Q/A What Boxing Sparring Should Be About.

Here's a question that was asked to me about sparring. I wanted to repost it here because sparring is SO misunderstood by many trainers and even fighters today.

Read on for my take on the evolution of a fighter.


Rob. I have been boxing now for about 2 months and when I started I thoght i knew a little about boxing from watching fights. Well i found ou that I didn't know shit especially when I sparred for the first time. I learned more that day then all the other days on the floor. My question is about sparring. I have sparred with my trainer twice and with another ametuer fighter once. The gym I train at is very serious and competitive and the guys who spar are fighters and even when they say they'l go light its still pretty hard for me. I dont want be a fighter now that I know all the blood sweat and tears that go along with it but I want to learn to box. I have tremendous respect for those that step in the ring.My trainer left the gym and he was good to spar with but now I don't know what to do. I know to get better you need to get in there and take a few ass woopings, get used to getting hit learn from mistakes and then eventually you will give out some ass woopings. The thing is I'm older and I dont know if I want to deal with all that. Any advice?


Hey Paul,Thanks for writing in with this good question. Hold on, this is going to be a long reply...

My thoughts.. To get better you need to be taught how to fight first.. It's not about taking ass whoopings..especially if your a beginner at ANY age.

Be careful on what gym you train at. Because that's some stupid shit that allot of moronic trainers do, and allow their fighters to do.. Throw their fighters to the wolves, or allow their good fighters to take advantage of an underdeveloped fighter.

Many fighters fail to hold back though too, so it's not always the trainers fault.. it's the fighters ego wanting to light you up and look good.

To go in and spar against experienced fighters you have to show you are ready for that. Believe me, I have seen this my whole fighting life and of course now coaching.

Dude. You need to be taught the fundamentals of how to fight, offensive, and defensively, ( how to block, roll, weave, parry, slip etc) with another fighter, and show proficiency THEN you spar.

Paul, I believe beginners, (and this is really fucking common sense) should be weaned off of pre sparring, light sparring, and built into more intense sparring.

I question, Are some of these trainers building fighters, or prematurely ruing them? Hell, you say you thought you knew a little about boxing watching fights.

Where do you think many of these trainers come from? From a bar stool watching fights at the local bar, or just a casual fan, to bang now working fighters corners.

To say this isn't true is BULLSHIT as I have been to many coaching clinics in NY,and Fl, and just observing at fight shows/tourneys over the years to see what's coming in as coaches to say this.

Paul, if you want to do this, Pain is part of it..So is self doubt.. Stick with it because you can become almost super human in dealing/overcoming pain, weakness, self-doubt and fears,

Stick with it, and you will learn allot about your self, and grow like never before.

This IS the biggest benefit of the training alone.Forever changed for the better! I know what it's like Paul to get in there and have your ass handed to you in sparring do to more experience. Shit do I.

Many trainers just focus on teaching their fighters to throw punches, and less on defense,and all around skill.. and push their fighters to spar to quickly cause they like watching it, or think it's just necessary.

This is why I think former fighters, ( who can teach, and communicate) make the best trainers. They know what it's like to be in the ring and have gone through the same shit you have, and will coach/train you through it better.

I feel they have a better eye for what your feeling. They intuitively know how to match you in sparring, and handle sparring sessions.

As for me, I can see immediately what my fighter is thinking in sparring. If I feel they are over matched, I will give a signal to the opposing fighter( without my fighter seeing me do this)to tone it down.

In ending of this long post,Find a good teacher Paul. A trainer who really understands boxing AND knows how to DEVELOP fighters and looks out for THEM.

That's the best advice I can give. Remember, once your taught the proper skills, and can display them. Tough sparring is good( No gym wars though)+required, Look at it as your report card. That's where you really get graded on your progress.

Yes you do learn allot in sparring, (more about yourself) different styles, looks, how to fight/fight back. Not the over all skill.

What you didn't do well in sparring, you then fix with more training and drills etc..and go back to getting graded again. This is part of the evolution of a fighter Paul, if you want to fight, this is what to expect and look for. If your trainer left, find another that can do this for you.

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Cotto Has Broadened His Boxing Skills Effectively Well.

Miguel Cotto won the biggest fight of his life this past weekend. In doing so he impressed many with his speed and ability to out box Mosley at times.

Mosley also deserves much praise with the way he fought. At 36 and still coming at Cotto the way he did in the closing rounds, shows what kind of fighter Mosley is, and always was.

Mosley loves that shit, he loves to fight, ya he loves to make the mega bucks, but the actually fighting is what Shane really digs.

To bad more fighters aren't like that.

Cotto is not known for his boxing ability. His relentless, rugged aggression, and fierce body attack are what make him the dominant fighter he is.

With his shown ability to box with a fighter that has great speed, it makes it hard to pick against Miguel in future fights.

There's a lot of basic things Miguel did great in the fight too.. Working his jab the way he did being one of them.

Proof again, what just a great jab and solid boxing basics can do for a fighter in big fights.

You can't help but give Cotto big props for expanding his skills and adding to his style. His work ethic is amazing and has allowed him to do this with seemingly ease.

Cotto is like Mosley, they both like to fight. They both take the sport very seriously. Both of them are willing to put in the work, and still learn and add what ever is necessary to win.

Money just isn't everything to them, legacy is. That's why Cotto and Mosley will fight anybody.

For years to come Mosley's name will be reverend, if Cotto can keep up his work ethic, his name will be too.

That's what fighting is about. True fighters understand that money goes, legacy lives.

BIG Fight Tonight Along With A BIG Undercard

Tonight's fight between Cotto-Mosley guarantees lots of action. Both like to fight and welcome a brawl with smiles of their faces.

Even more action will be featured on the under card with fighters like Antonio Magarito, Joel Casamayor and viscous up and comer Victor Ortiz all lacing them up.

It's rare that the above World Class Fighters all appear on the same card.

Don't expect this to happen often, like it did in the 90's with Don King promoted boxing cards.

Shit, former champ Magarito and current Lightweight Champ Casamayor often headline anticipated fight cards.

Keep your eye on the ultra talented 19-1-1 14 kos welterweight Victor Ortiz, this dude is well on his way to being the next must see fighter in boxing.

Margarito is seeking another big fight, so look for him to be spectacular tonight. Word is, if Margarito and Cotto both win they could be pitted against each other next.

Casamayor, who is considered to be the true lightweight champ, has a tough fight against Santa Cruz who has sparred with Joel before.

Props must be given out to the ageless and sage promoter Bob Arum and Golden Boy Promotions for putting this card together and staging it at Madison Square Garden. This fight has LONG been sold out, and earlier this week they brought in an extra 3,000 seats to fill demand!

This reflects great promotion along with the ever increasing drawing power of Cotto. Yes, Cotto fighting future hall of famer Mosley has a lot to do with the Garden selling out too.

Enjoy the fights tonight!

Oh ya, your probably wondering who I'm picking to win tonight. I gotta tell you guys that I'm driving myself NUTS playing out so many different scenarios in my head, that the drinking is starting early today!

Both these guys are so good and do a lot of things great, it makes it so hard to pick.

Shane has the speed, but Cotto has had a taste of speed in his last fight with Judah. Cotto has that punishing body attack, and relentless style that Shane hasn't faced in awhile.

I really think though that the biggest factor tonight will be Cotto's fresh youth and will. I see Mosley having many moments in the fight, but with the crowd on Cotto's side, and along with his super human drive, I think that will allow Cotto to take over in the later half of the fight.

Either way, it's going to be a great night of boxing!

The Secret To Boxing? Developing Solid Fundamentals In Your Boxing Training.

I listened to an interview with Colt's Coach Tony Dungy today on ESPN. Dungy commented on how well coached the Patriots are, and how well the fundamentals are ingrained in their play.

Dungy stated, Their so fundamentally sound, you can't make mistakes, and they're so good fundamentally, they cause you to make mistakes.

It's the same in boxing. I remember meeting and talking with renowned boxing trainer Teddy Atlas about fundamentals.

Teddy trains his fighters to be flawless in technique. The basics are covered over and over again. Atlas has his new fighters work on foot work and ring movement for up to four weeks before teaching them to punch!

Teddy told me on how impatient some of his fighters can get. They want to learn it all.. NOW.. Teddy knows that you can't get ahead of yourself when training fighters. Boxing training is meant to teach skill. To ingrain flawless and ass kicking technique. If you can't do the basics well, why move on? This seems to be missing a lot nowadays.

I apply the same philosophy in training my fighters. We develop sound fundamentals. We don't make stupid mistakes. When old school trainers come up to me and comment on how good my fighters technique looks in their fights, I take that to heart and know I'm doing my job.

So coaches and fighters, don't underestimate the basics. Solid basics alone can win you fights.

Don't get ahead of yourselves and do a lot of things good. Develop the fundamentals so can build an intimidating foundation, and do many things great!

CLICK HERE To Learn How To Develop Flawless Fundamentals

The Most Often Underdeveloped Fundamental In Boxing Training.. Footwork

It amazes me nowadays on how many trainers fail to teach proper footwork. Many trainers have it backwards, thinking boxing starts from top to bottom. The truth is, boxing starts from the ground up.

Footwork is everything. Great footwork will put you in position to punch, and allow you to elude a punch at the same time. This is called in and out boxing.

Fighters that have poor footwork are easier to hit. They're also easy to outbox. So what if you have great hands, what's the use if you can't use your feet?

Young fighters must be taught proper footwork before punching. The better their footwork, the better their punching will be.

Fighters often get out of position do to the way they move. Proper footwork drills work best to remedy this.They must be taught how to move, while still being in position to punch.

That's how boxing is defined. To hit, and not be hit, yet still being in position to land a punch. That's the sweet science.

Fighters who lack proper foot work look ridiculously out of rhythm. It was said, that Ali would move around for over an hour before touching a bag. Now you see why he had such nimble feet.

You must work on good foot work. Certainly you don't want to turn a puncher into a boxer. You do want a puncher to have solid footwork though. This will allow him to get in better position to punch, and allow him to punch of a solid base. This then will result in more knock outs for the fighter.

Just having the fighter move around the ring for 4-6 rounds, while doing nothing but moving, will work wonders for his footwork. The fighter will find his rhythm. He will feel more comfortable moving around.

I hope I shed some light on going back to the basics and working on the most important boxing fundamental there is. You should now understand, that boxing does indeed start from the ground up.

CLICK HERE To Learn Proper Footwork

Q/A Throwing The Straight Right Hand Punch.

Hey whats up Rob, I have a question about the straight right punch. I know it starts from the foot and goes up to the waist then the upper body. I am an orthodox fighter. should I move my right foot first then my leg then my hips then my upper body? should my right foot move .1 seconds before my upper body does? please help. Willy

Willy, I wouldn't get to geeked out with .1 seconds or anything like that. The punch starts up, and goes through the foot, hip, trunk, shoulder, arm.

Just start the punch from the ground up and relax. Don't suffer from paralysis by analysis when throwing it.

That's what shadow boxing in front of a mirror is for, you can monitor your technique.Chunk the technique down. You can groove good technique of the right hand so you don't have to over think, or think really much about it at all.

When working the heavy bag, or punch mitts, you will know you're not throwing it right because the power just won't be there. It also just won't feel right. That's why groove it in shadow boxing, until it's right.

Take your time with it bro. You will get it down.

CLICK HERE To Master How To Throw The Straight Right Hand.

The Power Of Working Off An Effective Jab.

One of the best middleweight fights in some time took place last weekend between Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor.

Kelly surprised many in stopping the champion Taylor. Kelly did it by first coming off the canvas earlier in the fight. That alone was amazing.

After such a hard round, what got Kelly back in the fight?

The jab... That jab of his continuously bothered Taylor. It bothered him so much that it became his main focus in the end.

What do you think happened to Taylor do to that? He got hurt badly and dropped by a right hand and uppercut that's what.

After the early knock down Kelly stayed poised and stayed with what was working well for him.That long jab of his. He could back Taylor up with that jab and then unload those heavy hands of his.

I give Kelly lots of props... He got dropped hard, but stayed with what was working well for him. He would land heavy punches behind that jab.

Young fighters must study this and learn how the jab can set up the to be power punches that follow it.

That was the key in Kelly's win last weekend. The KO was the reward for his work...