Let's discuss Ring Generalship

i like this one a lot. ring generalship is discussed quite a bit but hardly defined.

ricardo lopez imo was a great ring general because:
1)he rarely if ever fought his opponents fight
2)he controlled the pace and distance masterfully
3)he was able to reset the fight when needed, in order to re-establish control
4)he controlled the texture of the fights cater to his OWN strengths
5)he would minimize his opponents strengths or take them away

those are aside from strict offense and defense but tells "the story" of the fight. ricardo lopez was always the author of his own fight, his opponent merely a character

 

Yes, of course Monzon, he was a master at controlling a fight via the 15 round distance and NEVER getting ruffled or out of control, but you can also include Sal Sanchez here as well. He was another cool customer who stayed in control and seemed to dictate the tempo and events of a fight. I'll think of some others later. Great basic thread idea LR!

 

I guess the best way I could describe ring generalship is simply getting your opponent to move and act the way you want him to. Make him react to what you do.

Sanchez was great at this, as was Napoles, Chavez........god, so many. Too many to name, really.

 

No, I think it's telling that we've all (perhaps incorrectly) mentioned only boxers. Armstrong is a fantastic mention. Maybe we think of ring generalship as a thinking-man's quality, and when we think of "thinking-man's fighters" we assume he is a boxer because it's perceived that is the way an intelligent man would approach things.......hit and not be hit.

 

lopez got in **** a bit by only have one way of fighting, he was just such a great ring general who could always get others to play right into his hands and fight the way he wanted them to.

you have a good point and it's similar to what duran did with leonard: he swarmed him and forced him into a short/middle distance shoot out.

frazier forced ali in the first and the third fights to battle in close, an all frazier fight. in fact the third fight was done wth frazier head almost constantly in ali's chest. ali, even at that stage, wanted distance. wanted to move and frazier took away his legs and made him fight a brawl damn good accomplishment against the greatest heavy ever

 

An example of an underrated ring general would be Eusabio Pedroza. His well known dirty tactics were just part of the mechanics he used in steering a fight his way. He did this so well for the nearly 7 years of his reign.
Napoles and Carlos Ortiz were two other great examples, but as it's been noted alrady, there were so many others that I'm sure will be named. Eder Jofre is yet another.

 

Ring General is vastly underused as an insult against homosexuals.

 

he won didn't he

 

still say dick in the mouth makes more sense...