What tactical / technical reason is there for Alexander Povetkin to have his lead hand extended?

Can you point to an example?

@escudo may be able to help

 

It's a classic lead hand game for a southpaw. Jabbing in an open guard (Southpaw vs Orthodox) match means both of their jabs are on the same side. They get in each others way. You play with it. Try and slap their hand out of they way to get a jab through, try to get underneath to the body jab, use it to feint and create openings. It shuts down the orthodox jab when done well, and you have to be ready to get behind that right should if the righty throws his left hook, but it also puts your chin behind that lead shoulder. So even if he does throw that hook best he can get is an eye socket or temple, but never a shot to the button.

I'm going to stop here before I write another article. One is enough for today.

 

Good post but Povetkin isn't a southpaw bro haha. I also don't know if TC is talking about pawing, extended awkward feints, or just straight up measuring.

 

Nice, but Povetkin isn't a southpaw. I know what the topic starter means, it's his first decent topic though. Would like this to know as well.

 

possibly to occupy the right hand so he can advance without being nailed by a right

either that or pull down his opponents hand to throw the right.

 

Lol for some I thought you were talking about Usyk. It was 8 Am and I'd just finished writing an article and my brain was fried. My bad folks.

 

You cant stablish the jabgame for **** when you are a drawf in your weight. I dont know what fight are you talking about but 99% sure povetkin didnt have the reach advantage if he was fighting like you say.

If you dont have the reach advantage your jab is not very usefull. You can keep your lead hand extended, though, to occupy your oponent's right hand space, or to play the jab-the-jab game, a very useful strategy when you dont have the reach advantage plus you are the one putting pressure (when you jab the jab you make your oponent to pay a toll for jabbing, even if you pay it too, you put more pressure on him at the cost of putting more pressure on you too, very very very effective strategy used by a lot of champions).

But it would be better if you tell us a specific fight, I guess, it would make it easier to answer your question.

EDIT: escudo was right too, if he was fighting a soutpaw, the jab-game changes A LOT, and the way it is used has nothing to do with the regular orthodox jab-game. If you are fighting a southpaw you can use your lead hand like ants use their antenneas, as soon as you feel something with your lead hand you react. Rigo is a master of this, tbw.

 

bingo

 

Oh. And dont forget he'es from EE. EE fighters fight "by the book". No peekaboo, no philly, no anything... just by-the-book. And what does the book say about lead hand? hence, they do it.

The same goes for every EE fighter, gg, usyz, wlad, lomo... they are all ultraorthodox in their guards, not in the sense of right-handed, but in the sense of fighting following what the book says. I think they do the right thing, you need to be extremelly good to fight off-the-book, and you pay it expensive in terms of balance if you have not mayweather-esque skills.

 

Read my first post again.

PS: OK, i'll elaborate. You are not less protected if you put your lead hand extended. You can use the lead hand to occupy the space of your oponent's right hand and make it impossible to your oponent to use it. That way you deflect the punch, instead of blocking it with your guard, in those weights there is always a part of the blocked punch that will be transmited to your head, we are not talking about flyweight where you can block anything paying no toll at all. We all have seen wilder knocking that guy out with a punch that was actually blocked, and koed him anyway. Nowadays nearly every HW choses to deflect his oponent's right hand instead of blocking it, Hughie, tyson,AJ, wilder, you will see all of the deflecting his oponent's right hand with his left hand. Probably that's what povektin was doing. I insist it will be easier if you specify a given fight, because every fight is different.