If a well trained western boxer wanted to fight MMA, what modifications would he need to use it in MMA? I'm not talking about learning BJJ, takedown/td defenses, leg kicks, just modifications to his boxing techniques.
None IMO, a well trained boxer would be an elite striker in MMA.
some boxers use side stances, you have to square up a little more for mma
not much, look at Takanori Gomi. He pretty much stands in a conventional boxers stance (in fact he leans even more forward which so many so called "experts" on here claim is a recipe to eat a knee). The Nog brothers also have pretty conventional boxing stances.
Would a boxer stay on the balls of his foot or more flat footed? I know when throwing a hook you're supposed to pivot the back foot a little. I also see a lot of boxers with bouncing back and fourth footwork. Would that change at all to prevent takedowns?
If you watch the Anderson Silva-Chris Leben fight, Silva uses alot of Muhhamad Ali-esque bouncing on his toes, it worked beautifully.
lol the Silva vs. Leben fight was an instant classic, what to do vs. what not to do
A boxer must watch out for too much head movement...Most strikers in MMA these days have some sort of boxing experience...Even an intermediate boxer can figure out timing to set up a vicious head kick...
It is very important for the boxer to have an understanding of leg kicks and their effect on great boxers...You can go from great to novice in 3 solid leg kicks, easily...
A pure boxer is not an elite striker in MMA without kicks, IMO...
"A pure boxer is not an elite striker in MMA without kicks, IMO..."
Depends how good the pure boxer is. A young Roy Jones or Mike Tyson would be more than elite level MMA strikers with no kicks. As far as typical pro boxers, they could be elite level MMA strikers as long as they learned to check kicks, not necessarily throw kicks themselves.
I have no doubts that a Tua or Sam Peter would wreck a lot of heavyweights in MMA or K-1 standing if they had some training checking kicks. Even that bum Botha has improved to the point where he can be competitive agianst almost ANY K-1 heavyweight just by checking kicks and using his boxing.
"some boxers use side stances, you have to square up a little more for mma"
I think this is the key. In MMA you can't waste any punches because any mistake will get you taken down. Every punch needs a certain degree of power on it.
"A pure boxer is not an elite striker in MMA without kicks, IMO..."
I can buy that, but his punches would probably have better technique, accuracy, speed and power.
Come to think about it, you might have to check your defensive moves, you can't rely on covering up with the gloves in MMA since they're so small.
would have to learn the clinch game to be an effective striker.... neck ties (plam), knees and body locks make it a very different game
The reason I bring up the kicking aspect of the discussion is because my boxing coach is absolutely phenomenal with his hands...His speed combined with his power was just downright scary...
And I mean scary...He was a KO specialist...He threw fast combinations but each one of them can lay out...
Anyways, the discussion of MMA comes up quite frequently since I am a fighter...
We've examined most of the possibilities in MMA and have come to the conclusion that, pertaining solely to striking in MMA, kicks are an integral aspect of it...
The reasoning behind it is mainly due to the crippling effect that leg kicks can have on any type of fighter, but specifically a pure boxer...Boxing requires legs...plain and simple...without legs, you are at a huge disadvantage because now your punches are all arms instead of your whole body...
The other reality you must consider is that, while the assumption that a great boxer is probably going against a guy with no boxing experience, you must also consider that the guy across from you can probably box pretty well too in conjunction with everything else...
That will also put you at a disadvantage...I would rather be at an advantage rather than a disadvantage in terms of my arsenal of weapons to choose in the midst of a fight...
"I can buy that, but his punches would probably have better technique, accuracy, speed and power."
Absolutely...
That is probably assuming, though, that the other guy can't box which is the case sometimes...But other times, you have guys who can box very well, (foot work, changing levels, mixing things up well, hand speed, and power)
What would happen in that case?
"The Nog brothers also have pretty conventional boxing stances."
The Nogs are able to stand the conventional way cuz they're never too concerned with bein taken down.
Smaller gloves make a big difference with block styles of defense.
I have much better defense with 10oz gloves than 4 oz gloves due to the greater surface area.
I tend to block a lot but have been working on parrying and slipping more to not have such a glaring weakness while wearing 4 oz gloves.
"A boxer could bring most all of his craft to MMA. If an elite boxer learned the clinch, sprawling and basic ground he would likely be a force in MMA."
So you are saying that if a boxer started training for mma he would be able to fight in mma? I don't know about that.
I think a boxer's footwork has to be modified to avoid clinches.
Robin.