Patience, Relaxation & Mental Toughness are underrated attributes for boxers

Thanks, Duo. Good points on Mamby.

I love Tony Zale besting powerhouse Rocky Graziano. "Patience, relaxation and mental toughness" eventually overcoming unbridled raw force.

These qualities are essential for success in any endeavor, and even for just preserving life itself. This is a reason why I love boxing, because, in the ring, priorities become immediately crystal-clear. Such self-mastery is key whether approaching a girl for a first date, giving a business presentation or getting up and singing a song in public. And only practice makes perfect.

 

He was stopped on his feet as well, I'm pretty sure it was akin to the LaPorte/Zack Padilla stoppage. :think

 

I'd add Salvador Sanchez as one of the great relaxed thinkers.

Bravo to PowerPuncher. The first post is the best I've ever read from him and it's one of the best you'll read on any boxing forum.

 

I didn't know the details of Coley-Mamby, just that it was a weird and glaring anomaly in his career. (I figured he might simply have been caught cold.) He stood up to some sick shots to the body and head from Costello without flinching in that final bid to regain his lost title. When first rate chins are discussed, he can fit right into the conversation.

 

Indeed. I'll put forth Alexis Arguello.

 

No he wasn't .
He is one of the tensest fighters I have ever seen.
He always had drops of sweat even before the fight began , was tense , or otherwise his reflexes would not have been the same , was safety first really , looking to pull out of every incoming punch and sometimes to counter fast . A relaxed fighter with no significant range advantage (like Lewis had) can not do what Roy did .

Louis seems ultra patient indeed , the opposite of a pressure fighter I guess. Tua , McCall , Foreman , Tarver , Toney and Valuev were patient too. I think I will come out with many more names if I will think for 10 more seconds so I d better stop.

 

Relaxed ?
Tua and Toney are the most extreme examples I m certain about.

 

Tua, McCall, and Valuev??? Really? McCall is one of the most anxious fighters you'll ever see.

Toney is a great example. My man Emanuel Augustus is another, totally at home in the ring. Mike McCallum is another.

 

The sweat was from warming up properly, which they all should do of course.

The more tense you are the slower your reactions are! You've got it back to front. Relaxed doesn't mean half asleep or inattentive.

Have a look at the incredible defensive reflex of Wilfred Benitez, whom i am surprised has not been mentioned. He was very relaxed, and could pick punches up and react quicker than almost anyone ever.

 

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad on his best nights was another fine example.

 

hmm maybe too relaxed other times

 

Indeed.

 

At least Tua , I m very certain of . He was patient , never punched himself out , gassed much less than his opponents did which is like "did not gas" , rarely fouled .

Tua I m certain about and watched a lot of . Yes , Tua . Relaxed and patient.
McCall shows signs of facial tense when he enters the ring , but except of a few occasions (like the Diaz fight) he looked relatively relaxed to me.

 

Jake LaMotta seems fairly calm in there.

When I think of Jack Dempsey I think of this ferocious aggression. When hurt he would just fight his way back... in a sense he wasn't patient or relaxed but he seemed to manage the situation through sheer fury. Some fighters operate differently. I guess you could argue Dempsey needed to be more relaxed and patient against Tunney. Some fighters are just different, though.

 

Are you saying you have to be tense to have good reflexes? atsch

A relaxed boxer, like Benitez or Jones, doesn't have any tension to stop him from reacting instantly to what his opponent does. A tense fighter has to be more pensive and stiff, which is why even very fast boxers like Michael Dokes couldn't fight with the relaxed elusiveness of Ali or Jersey Joe Walcott.

Walcott is another example. He wasn't terrifically fast, especially in his later years, but his cool and experience gave him a clever grace and skill that resulted in the phrase "The Walcott Waltz" to describe his style.