Is it wise for a tall Boxer to focus on the body?

It depends a lot on how the opponent fights. If it's one of those turtle-cover up types, i like to throw hard right hands / left hooks to the body. If they stay on the outside unless they use some head movement / punch slipping way to get inside, then i'd stay away from the body except the odd jab.

If you have better footspeed than him, and the stamina to keep it up, then just use his head as a speedbag from the outside, and move away. Why give him a chance by going to the body?

To summarize, unless you can completely control him from the outside, going to the body is a very strong move, if not just for variation and becoming unpredictable.

 

Very good post.

 

Im tall 6ft5 and i find that in sparring i have a hard time landing good body shots, id rather stay on the outside and land solid jabs and right crosses, against a shorter guy i feel my footwork is to slow for me to move in quick, land the body shot and avoid getting tagged...so i use it if have to, but i try to avoid it working on it though....

 

i'm pretty tall for my weight

5'7 @57kg but im pretty welll built

and im sparring my mate alot at the moment who is about 5'5 i know its not as extreme difference but a 1,2 left hook to the body punishes him

also Gavin you said you tried brawling it out, i went to war (as i all it) last night and instead of brawling it, i kept a tight guard and threw lots of hard straights down the middle followed by a left hook to the liver

 

i cant imagine that working im only 5`7 box 70 walk round 74 so im always against a taller guy and i think ive only been hit once or twice to the body and both time i just steped back countered with a left hook to the head

 

butler watch Alexis Arguello

 

Arguello is the perfect model to study.
Hearns had an under-rated left hook to the body.

The problem for a tall fighter is that he always risks walking into a punch if he reaches with a body shot.

 

I'm the exact same height and weight as you and I go after the body as much as possible. Actually, being taller can make it even more effective because they won't be expecting you to go after them like that. Just be careful not to lean forward and give up your height with the punches and walk face first into a shorter guy's punch. Make sure your head isn't going out in front of your lead knee when you do it if it's a straight punch.

 

But you have to be able to move in and out quickly if you do that as well. If I was boxing you, and you threw a bodypunch that didn't land in a way that stopped me or at least properly phased me, and didn't get into your own range quick enough, I would step forward and flury with bent arm shots on the inside, taking advantage of you reducing your height for me. The shorter guys will usually (but not always!) feel more comfortable at that distance since they are more compact and usually physically stronger to outwork you at that distance. That said, I've recently been sparring a superheavy that throws long range head-body-head type left hooks which are very effective. He has very fast handspeed to pull that off though.

 

watch Arguello but do what you feel comfortable with

when im the taller boxer i rely on movement, keeping opponents at range and parries for a defence

 

You're one tall and probably long armed middle. Develop all your game but never lose track of the fact that your opponent will be in your range a lot of the time when you're out of his - jab, jab, jab!