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Vicious knockouts, bloodied wars in the ring, trading punches like anything. Boxing has always given due credit to fighters who are having these variables in their resume. Fans always remember fighters who give them instant thrill or what they call “Value for money” but we often forget or severely underrate the defensive side of the game. Avoiding punches takes more skill and time to perfect than throwing them.
Some of the greats have made a career out of the defensive approach and yet the casual fan tends to fully ignore it. In short, defending is an art and it truly makes Boxing beautiful. Here we look at the best defensive experts there is in Boxing today.
5.Erislandy Lara:
A product of the famous Cuban amateur system, Lara is truly a defensive genius. The former Amateur world champion is sometimes invincible as most of his competitors have found out. Lara is quick as hell and relies on his defence to create his offence. Lara has excellent movement by which he is able to create space and apply shots with great accuracy.
His counter punching ability is on par with the best there is and due credit should go to the Cuban amateur system which is producing Olympic medalists time and time again. Lara’s best work came when he faced Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez in a fight which he lost by split decision, many thought he won the fight. He frustrated Canelo throughout the match with his good movement and counter punching so much that Canelo after the match said that he doesn't want any part of Lara again.
4.Juan Manuel Marquez :
The 41 yr old veteran has been involved in wars inside the ring and is still in the top pound for pound list. The former four-division world champion is a master counter puncher which Manny Pacquiao found out in their fourth fight when he got caught with a counter right which put him to sleep.
After a lengthy lay off on the sidelines due to injury, Marquez is back in training with a potential bout in the offering against current IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook. Marquez’s victories against boxers like Marco Antonio Barrera, Mike Alvarado, Juan Diaz has his defensive approach written all over it.
3.Andre Ward:
The Olympic gold medallist like most of them on the list carried his amateur boxing skills into the pro-boxing arena. Ward according to most boxing experts is one of the most complete fighters today possessing the necessary skill and technique to outmanoeuvre any opponent. Ward’s versatility and movement helps him move out of range of the opponent and makes him get good shots inside. Ward is perfect in his basics and his jab is one of the main assets in his offence as well as his defence.
2.Guillermo Rigondeaux:
Like Lara, he is a product of the famous Cuban amateur system. A fighter who has certainly transferred his amateur style to his pro boxing career. Rigondeaux is the current WBA, WBO and The Ring Super Bantamweight title holder. He has fast hands and is excellent at controlling distance, has excellent footwork and the angle that he creates makes it very difficult for the opponent to hit him as Nonito Donaire one of Boxing’s most aggressive fighter found out in his defeat to Rigondeaux. Rigondeaux is undefeated at the moment and certainly will propel to greater heights with the skills he possesses.
1.Floyd Mayweather Jr. :
The current pound for pound king has certainly reached the top of the pile with his unique defence. Mayweather Jr. Inherited his unique defensive style from his father and trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. His shoulder roll movement with his right hand held up makes it very difficult for the fighters to find range. He dosen’t throw a lot of punches but lands a good number of them and that is due to his good counter punching skills and movement.
Manny Pacquiao found out in his “fight of the century” against Floyd that it is not about throwing a lot it’s about landing them and certainly Floyd showed Manny how to do it when he picked the spots and landed effectively with his good counterpunching. Floyd is a strong advocate for showing how beautiful Boxing can be without the slug fests and bloodbaths.
