So not too many guys use the Philly Shell 100% of the time. It is mostly a defensive or counterpunching guard and difficult to jab effectively except for when throwing an up jab which works well against a taller opponent. The reason being is the lead arm is covering the body as opposed to being held up high in a conventional defensive position. That's why you see a lot of boxers use the shell when against the ropes. There are some exceptions but for the most part it's a great guard for a counterpuncher or especially for guys that comeback with right hands. It is also a difficult guard if you are trying to use your legs too move. It always baffles me when guys call Floyd Mayweather a runner. When he uses the shell, 9 times out of ten he is in the pocket and looking to counter. Same with James Toney and George Benton.
Absolutely on the right hand remark - McCallum was told not to finish on a right hand or Toney would get him.
why is it so hard to land the right hand when their own left is down? I don't think the shoulder provides enough of a cover so i am baffled when i see guys struggling to land the straight right hand.
Toney was the true master at catching with his lead left shoulder and coming right back with big right hands. The beauty of the Philly Shell is deception. It is hard to see counter right hands coming back because the upper body is twisted and the lead shoulder covers up the right hand on a conventional fighter. Also, the up jab is such a quick and effective punch when on the ropes especially against a taller opponent.
Against guys like Floyd and Toney, they are just so adept at catching with the lead shoulder and coming back with their own right hand. Very rarely did Toney get hit clean with right hands but he certainly would almost always come back with a right hand of his own. The harder you threw a right hand at him, the more he made you pay. This content is protected
It's not just about the shell in isolation. Guys like Mayweather and Toney use it in conjunction with a lot of knowledge about defensive upperbody positioning and tend to keep their heads just slightly angled away from the centre-line anyway. When you saw some stiff-ass like DLH try and use it without an understanding of other layers, you can easily it's not going to necessarily make right hands harder to land in itself. In fact it could make it easier to get hit with them if you're used to a more conventional both hands-high guard all the time. Similar thing if you watch Marlon Starling's high-shell guard...he's doing a lot of subtle things alongside having it in place compared to 95% of fighters who use it as their main hand position.
SRL opened up Floyd Sr by jabbing to his body from different angles. This forced Floyd to bring his right down and get him off balance leaving him open for those Vicious body shots Ray delivered all fight.
