Insight: Setting traps

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by LoveThis, Apr 11, 2025.

  1. LoveThis

    LoveThis Sweet Science Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2025
    Messages:
    226
    Likes Received:
    298
    I often hear commentators and pundits talk about boxers being great at setting traps. When I hear that I think of the old Lee Wylie video where he explains how rigondeaux leads his opponents on a certain rhythm just to then punch in between the beats.

    What other traps are there that you know of? (Video would be amazing, too)
     
  2. rolzone

    rolzone Member Full Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2021
    Messages:
    355
    Likes Received:
    413
    Usyk - Joshua 1 has some examples of this rhythmic manipulation.
     
  3. Slyk

    Slyk Boxing Junkie Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2010
    Messages:
    8,666
    Likes Received:
    4,343
    The simplest and most straightforward trap is throwing a convincing feint to provoke a counter, then countering that counter.
     
  4. roughdiamond

    roughdiamond Ridin' the rails... Full Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2015
    Messages:
    10,062
    Likes Received:
    19,113
    Here's a basic one: jab to the body to the point it becomes a rhythm, then feint the jab and transition to a left hook upstairs.

    Mayweather Jr was brilliant at this specific one, especially against Corrales. Floyd being Floyd, he would then use the threat of the hook as a feint and land right hands instead. Great fighters like Floyd, Pac etc usually set one trap then build more traps off of it as the bout goes on.
     
  5. Bigcheese

    Bigcheese Well-Known Member Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2015
    Messages:
    1,883
    Likes Received:
    2,434
    Povetkin set a nice trap before the Whyte KO.
     
  6. roughdiamond

    roughdiamond Ridin' the rails... Full Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2015
    Messages:
    10,062
    Likes Received:
    19,113
    Another basic one you can do with positioning is to deliberately move to your opponents power hand for a time to get them to throw it, then suddenly change your movement pattern away from the power hand and work counters and hooks from that side.
     
    LoveThis likes this.
  7. LoveThis

    LoveThis Sweet Science Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2025
    Messages:
    226
    Likes Received:
    298
    Reminds me of canelo's ko vs khan
     
    roughdiamond likes this.
  8. miniq

    miniq AJ IS A BODYBUILDING BUM Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2011
    Messages:
    47,631
    Likes Received:
    27,457
    Fury basically spent the entire Whyte fight not throwing an uppercut and that eventually Whyte would plod into him then he'd throw it and that's what happened. To be fair Whyte was beaten before he even got in that ring.

    Fury Usyk had some real class gamesmanship by the 2nd bout the boxing was kind of irrelevent they had each other worked out very well and it came down to small physical differences with two men who are physical outliers.
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2025
    LoveThis likes this.
  9. OddR

    OddR Well-Known Member Full Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2025
    Messages:
    1,642
    Likes Received:
    1,699
    Joshua was missing quite a lot due to this. I don't think I have ever seen him miss so much.
     
  10. rolzone

    rolzone Member Full Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2021
    Messages:
    355
    Likes Received:
    413
    You could argue that wilder was trying to set a trap with his body work in the opening rounds of fury wilder 3. ;) couldn’t take advantage
     
  11. bjl12

    bjl12 Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2012
    Messages:
    5,794
    Likes Received:
    2,499
    On the broadcast of Floyd Ghost Paulie was doing color commentating and during the live broadcast Paulie had the editors put together a Floyd montage. It was just Floyd throwing right hands and after each right hand he did something different (left hook, dip out to right, jab, fall backward straight, dip out to left, double right hand, etc.) which demonstrated how hard it was to counter Floyd because he was steps ahead of you setting additional traps
     
    LoveThis likes this.
  12. The Cryptkeeper

    The Cryptkeeper Well-Known Member Full Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2023
    Messages:
    2,859
    Likes Received:
    5,385
    Foreman throwing a number of big left hooks at the start of the 10th round against Moorer in order to straighten him up and stop him moving to his right. Foreman then loads up on the right hand after he gets Moorer to stand in front of him.

    George was a cunning old *******.
     
    LoveThis likes this.