how important is technique?

Well, look at James Toney (during his expedition into the upper weight classes).
He's old, fat, and slow. And yet, he was able to get by just using his superb technique.

If you take a 5'10, 160 lb man who has solid boxing technique and put him in the ring with a 5'10, 160 lb man who "never took formal boxing lessons in his life" but is "fast and strong", I'm willing to bet that the man with skill wins the fight most of the time.

 

Seeing as boxing is a load of techniques put together into a fighting art I'd say technique is very important.

Then you'll suck as a boxer. You can have perfect mechanics but if you're slow and weak you'll suck.

Depends, an athlete would have an advantage over an average joe because of speed and strength. If you mean you're a boxer vs some random athlete in a boxing match then the answer is fairly obvious, at least the boxer would most likely win.

There's too many variables in this question. It always comes down to the individual practitioner.

 

Technique is extremely important. In my last fight I had more power than my opponent, I knocked one of his teeth out, and my hooks bothered him, but he won by split decision because he was a good counter puncher and had pracriced a wider range of technical training than I had.

 

Look at Gennady Golovkin. Not the quickest of guys in terms of handspeed or anything, but he beat the likes of Andre Dirrell in the amateurs with technical skills and timing. And he will probably rise to the top of the middleweight division thanks to his technical skills, same with Pirog. They are of vital importance, it's the most important thing in boxing. Nobody gets to the top of tree without technique. People like to claim somebody like Roy didn't have technique and was all speed and power; his timing was exceptional and he threw accuracy punches, even as a single leads. You will get nowhere without good technique. You seriously needed somebody to tell you this?

 

Its important, with better technique you get MORE strength and speed in your punches.

 

good inputs...its the be all n end all my man

 

two guys both with the same experience, athleticism, training etc. The guy with technique, tight guard, twisting his hips, everything coming from in tight, hands coming right back etc.. Wins every time. Because he is faster, more powerful, doesn't get hit as much etc

 

only guys with super human attributes can ignore technique, guys with RJJ's athleticism, or guys with super human chins and relentless pressure like andrade.
Also having proper technique is one of the best ways to preserve your self in and out of the ring, look at hopkins and jones.

 

You can get strong and fast. To a degree but you can learn to use what you have aswell.

Technique the more important thing, You will depend on the muscle memory when your body and mind get tired during a fight, if you're too tired to think at the end of the fight you won't have to worry about technique as much as the guy who hasn't learned it. You will land more often, block more of his and not to mention technique preserves your energy in some ways being sloppy doesn't.

Solid fundamentals also let a boxer to follow a critical fight that especially judges like.

 

Technique is everything.

 

technique IS incredibly important. However, strength and speed alone are also incredibly difficult to deal with

If two guys are of the same athletic attributes then the better technitian should win.
However, if two guys are of the same level of technique then the stronger faster guy should win.

There is no dichotomy, a good boxer is an athlete.

 

Boxing itself is a technique. It is everything. Just anything extra counts as icing. Some people have more icing but it can't replace the cake.

 

Technique and skill are pivotal to the sweet science. Many don't know the difference. However both should be standard teaching in our sport but sadly they are not and this is why we see such terrible fighters in the amateurs and pros.

Smarts/execution should decide the victor but poor coaches breeds poor fighters who become coaches who breed more poor fighters. Guys like Pac, Floyd, Roach, Steward etc should not be considered special (as crazy as that sounds). I think in boxing our standards are too low.

We are human and thus flawed so we will always make technical mistakes however if we are perfectionists in our approach then we will be as perfect technically as humanly possible. There will always be that unaccountable element in combat but in practicing good technique it is minimised.

 

This

James Toney has unbelievable skill and technique, but got completely dominated by Roy Jones, who doesn't embody any of boxing's fundamentals but has incredible speed