HOW TO WATCH BOXING: DON’T TAKE A PICTURE
combination or how to transition effectively from countering to leading during a fight. “I think a lot of guys are trying to be perfect,” said McGirt, who won world titles at junior welterweight and welterweight. “They want to look like Floyd [Mayweather]. They want to look pretty. Well, you’re not Floyd. A lot of fighters are waiting for the other guy to throw, so they can shoulder roll and counter. But while a lot of people want to be like Floyd, what separated Floyd is that he could throw combinations. Before he had hand problems, Floyd would throw four- or five- punch combinations. James Toney threw four- or five-punch combinations. Sugar Ray Leonard: five-, six-, or seven-punch combinations. That’s the difference. That’s what separates Terence Crawford and David Benavidez from so many fighters today. Those two throw combinations. And opponents don’t know how to deal with that.” In McGirt’s view, the effective counter should lead to additional offense. That is when an opponent can be placed on the defensive. But he believes that too many modern boxers prefer the one-punch style. So instead of following up their work, they remain static and can be very hittable as a result. Fighters who are used to getting one-punch knockouts can often fall victim to “taking pictures,” especially during the development portion of their career. This can lead to a series of problems: After landing, they aren’t expecting anything to come back. They aren’t worried about getting out of the pocket because they believe their opponent is diminished. And perhaps most importantly, they aren’t following up their shots. McGirt doesn’t place all the blame for taking pictures on fighters. He believes that many of them aren’t taught properly; they don’t understand why taking a picture is a problem. Another reason why fighters may take pictures in the ring is that they aren’t trained to throw with enough volume during rounds. A couple of moments here or there, a few solid connects and they may believe that they’ve done enough to have won a round. McGirt sees this issue with several of the young fighters he has worked with. “A lot of guys are doing just enough,” said McGirt. “I say to my guys, ‘Yo, you have to do more than this. When you step up the ladder, when you go to the next level, the shit’s gonna change.’ I got two young guys that I work with on this. They just go 1 and then 1-2. And then 1-2-3, and that’s it. And I’m like, ‘No, you got to put real combinations together.’ “When you watch fights today, how many fighters do you see throw a lot of combinations throughout the fight? If you look at the [combination] punch count of fighters today versus the punch count of fighters way back then, I bet you’d see the punch count was way higher back then.” In summing up, “taking a picture” is problematic both offensively and defensively. A fighter who pauses after landing a significant shot gives up an advantage. It’s at this moment when a fighter can press the initiative and inflict further damage, but instead the fighter fails to seize the opportunity. But defense is often where trainers are worried about taking
a picture. A fighter lingering in front of his or her opponent without throwing or defending – even in the split second after delivering a punch – becomes vulnerable to counters. The time for a fighter to reset is out of the pocket, away from imminent danger, not when in an opponent’s punching range.
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Concept In Practice: Mike McCallum KO 5 Donald Curry, 1987
This junior middleweight title fight features longtime titleholder McCallum against former welterweight champ Curry. Throughout the first four rounds of the fight, it’s clear that Curry has both foot- and hand speed advantages, although McCallum is having success with single body shots and landing during exchanges. Going into the fifth, Curry is ahead on the scorecards: 40-36, 39-37 and 39-38. Although Curry is in the lead, his left eye has significant swelling. With two minutes left in the fifth round, Curry and McCallum trade punches. Curry throws a solid left hook upstairs while McCallum misses with a right to the body. Curry’s shot hits McCallum’s chin, but McCallum rolls with the shot so he doesn’t absorb the full effect of the punch. Then Curry backs up a half step and just looks at McCallum. His hands aren’t up in a defensively responsible position. He’s not throwing anything. He’s taking a picture. McCallum seizes this moment and unfurls a wicked left hook to Curry’s head; Curry instantly falls to the canvas, flat on his back. At the count of eight, Curry briefly lifts his head off the mat, but he can’t move any more of his body than that, and the fight is waved off. Curry gets caught taking a picture and the tables are irrevocably turned. McCallum-Curry highlights the perils of taking a picture. In an instant, making one brief mistake, everything can change.
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