Early versions of advanced techniques.

In the first complete round I saw Ketchel face Papke, he:

Let his feet leave the ground after punch.

Leaned into a jab over his front foot.

Backed straight up.

Shifted his weight completely to his back leg.

Hands at his waist.

Ducks straight down, looking at the floor.


Just looks unnatural as hell. But he wasn't a superior boxer, he was a fighter, that much is really obvious. Seek, destroy. Get close, whale away, manhandle, break down, beat up, dispatch. Not a lot of craft in that plan, doesn't mean it cant be highly effective for the right fighter; George Foreman, while in possession of better fundamentals, had essentially the same method of winning.

And yes, it's completely a sign of the times. Doesn't mean a fighter in front of me doing that same stuff is gonna make it out of the first round. 1900, 2013, no matter, the stuff is plain ugly, and a mistake is a mistake is a mistake. If no trainer in the world wouldn't admonish it in practice, I call it a mistake.

Ketchel was clearly a brute and a tremendously powerful brawler. It is underrated how tough it is to be constantly closing distance, in harms way, looking to administer punishment. It takes bravery, and eyes. Refined? I threw up a bit in my mouth using the word so close to his name :hey.

 

The hands down, I can buy. Fighter's back in the day did it ALL the time. It was sort of par for the course.

Backing straight up, you can follow a puncher. He has to plant his feet to generate a knockout shot, but I can see the argument that he wants guys to move into him.

The weight shifting, the jabbing...What Ketchel is doing isn't technical dispursement. It's flat out clumsy. Bernard Hopkins shift, but he keeps his center and his stance. I'm talking about the exagerrated leaning. Same with the jab. Yeah, putting some body into it, but lunging is just asking for it.

I don't think it matters, though. Calling him a master technician is laughable, because he isn't, and it's also clear he isn't trying to be. Some guys are just fighters: Their mission as simple as dealing as much damage as possible. I can totally buy that. I do NOT buy that he wouldn't have been in desperate trouble with guys like Hagler and Robinson, but he could clearly go to war.

 

He has a very distinct style of brawling...It's very imposing. He doesn't just want to hit you hard, he wants to get a hold of you and dominate you physically. He just ragdolls Papke. Not only would that be disheartening, but man, that would be exhausting. Think of how heavy the arms would get after 5 or 6 rounds German arm wrestling with a guy like that. Yikes.