What did you make of Rico's forward moving hunched in style?

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by MixedMartialLaw, May 24, 2026.


Page 2 of 2
  1. Serge

    Serge Ginger Dracula Staff Member

    83,916
    139,336
    Jul 21, 2009
    A big size advantage coupled with speed is a problem

    But coupled with speed, power, and skills and craftiness and it gets a whole lot tougher

    Throw in athleticism, a good game plan, and unshakable self-belief and effectiveness.

    It might not look pretty but it doesn't have to if it's effective and Rico is very effective. A 11 year unbeaten run and 12 year title reign will attest to that

    This content is protected
     
    Serge, May 24, 2026
    Serge, May 24, 2026
    #16
    Kiwi Casual and MixedMartialLaw like this.
  2. Darni187

    Darni187 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    15,549
    825
    Nov 13, 2008
    That hunched neck was asking for some uppercuts lol
     
    Darni187, May 24, 2026
    Darni187, May 24, 2026
    #17
  3. kirk

    kirk l l l Staff Member

    71,687
    29,261
    Jul 26, 2004
    Fair point.
     
    kirk, May 24, 2026
    kirk, May 24, 2026
    #18
  4. Flo_Raiden

    Flo_Raiden Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    21,813
    34,957
    Oct 12, 2010
    Rico speaks on about his style. Such a good respectful guy I love that he has a sense of humor about people making fun of his style. If that Jim Carrey style helped him win the most rounds against Usyk he did something right.

    This content is protected
     
    Flo_Raiden, May 30, 2026
    Flo_Raiden, May 30, 2026
    #19
    roughdiamond and MixedMartialLaw like this.
  5. Babality

    Babality KTFO!!!!!!! Full Member

    30,222
    16,287
    Dec 6, 2008
    Troubled Usyk like Chisora did. Rico did his homework.
     
    Babality, May 30, 2026
    Babality, May 30, 2026
    #20
  6. MixedMartialLaw

    MixedMartialLaw Combat sports enthusiast Full Member

    2,278
    3,633
    Jun 30, 2021
    He's a very stand-up guy, regardless of his hunched style.

    In all honesty, I think unorthodox styles can work for very large men like Rico, and not every giant man has to fight like a 'proper boxer' to be damaging.
     
    MixedMartialLaw, May 30, 2026
    MixedMartialLaw, May 30, 2026
    #21
  7. vargasfan1985

    vargasfan1985 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    18,362
    5,699
    Mar 8, 2008
    sounds like a Usyk problem
     
    vargasfan1985, May 30, 2026
    vargasfan1985, May 30, 2026
    #22
  8. roughdiamond

    roughdiamond Ridin' the rails... Full Member

    10,626
    20,684
    Jul 25, 2015
    Reminiscent of fellow Kickboxer Troy Dorsey against the athletic Paez. Strong focus on crowding and conditioning. Lots of volume.

    This content is protected
     
    roughdiamond, May 30, 2026
    roughdiamond, May 30, 2026
    #23
    MixedMartialLaw likes this.
  9. TowelThrower

    TowelThrower Y'all must've forgot Full Member

    508
    512
    Feb 26, 2023
    Peter Fury explained it a little regarding how him being crouched and hunched whilst constantly pressuring created confusion as to just how far away he actually was, reminds me of the shifting thing Golovkin used to employ where he'd close the gap so intelligently.
     
    TowelThrower, May 30, 2026
    TowelThrower, May 30, 2026
    #24
  10. brb

    brb Boxing Addict Full Member

    3,678
    537
    Sep 14, 2010
    Fury crafted a perfect gameplan. Rico's style was so unorthodox and with his stamina it almost worked. I don't follow kickboxing, but I guess it is similar to MMA where there are 5 rounds with 3 minutes in each. It's amazing to me that he lasted as long as he did and winning 7 of the 10 rounds (on my scorecard). I guess the arm punching was key since he wasn't really tired until the 10th round.
     
    brb, May 30, 2026
    brb, May 30, 2026
    #25
    MixedMartialLaw and Kiwi Casual like this.
  11. tragedy

    tragedy Active Member Full Member

    1,133
    811
    Mar 18, 2024
    Mihai Nistor gave him absolute hell in the amateurs with that same get low fidgeting about head movement Joe Frazier style as well. Its pretty clear that Usyk needs to etablish his jab and he can't if your head is always moving about unable to have the jab placed onto it. It throws his whole style off.
     
    tragedy, May 30, 2026
    tragedy, May 30, 2026
    #26
    TowelThrower likes this.
  12. Camps

    Camps Active Member Full Member

    916
    948
    Oct 29, 2023
    Amazingly, in R1 I was getting Jimmy Smith flashbacks .... but for Rico it worked pretty well for the first 10 rounds....

    This content is protected
     
    Camps, May 30, 2026
    Camps, May 30, 2026
    #27
  13. chacal

    chacal F*** the new normal Full Member

    9,479
    6,375
    Jun 21, 2015
    Fighters with that size should never fight like that. It may work, but it is suboptimal.
     
    chacal, May 30, 2026
    chacal, May 30, 2026
    #28
  14. Barrf

    Barrf Boxing Addict Full Member

    7,155
    10,796
    Sep 19, 2021
    he was more effective against Usyk than AJ was. So how was it suboptimal?
     
    Barrf, May 30, 2026
    Barrf, May 30, 2026
    #29
    Kiwi Casual likes this.
Page 2 of 2