The traditional boxing stance - whether orthodox or southpaw - has always been to have the weaker hand held out in front (the lead hand or jabbing hand) with the heavy artillery being held back in the other hand. Now and then though, we see a fighter leading with the power hand, where his lead hand is the one containing the power. Razor Ruddock is but one example. What are the benefits and disadvantages of this and, in an effort to keep the discussion here and not have it moved, which other fighters historically have led with the power hand with success?
Well you if you with your better hand your probeblygoing to have an excellent and be able to control distance well, opponents who have seen much you can fooled by the level of power in your lead hand and be hurt by it You see a lot of amatuers doing this or switch hitting too
One of the disadvantages is that it's traveling distance is very long, hence if the rear hand had not been set up (either with other punches or feints) it's easy to see, react and counter immediately. One way to avoid being countered is to step with your front foot to the left, shoot the right hand and pivot off your lead foot to your left. Second solution is to throw a looping follow up right behind the right hand. Third is to clinch. Chavez had a good lead straight right, and the most famous use of it is in the first round of The Rumble in The Jungle, where Ali lands a couple of those on befuddled Foreman. Mayweather does it too, but he is very quick so he can get away with it, Hopkins uses it too.
Traditionaly the hardest punch you can throw is one off your rear foot with your best hand. This is why traditionally right handed fighters are taught to have their left hand forward to make room for the fullest leverage required with the right hand. Good punching is simply a matter of shifting weight from one side of the body to the other. The more weight coming forward with a punch the harder it is. However fighters soon learn that the front hand does all the work and the best hand, being further away is harder to land. Early on some fighters impatient to land with their best hand turn around and lead with it leaving the weaker hand over the back foot making a right handed southpaw or left handed orthodox boxer. And it works well for many fighters. There are advantages and disadvantages for both. The advantage to stay traditional is that you have a natural back hand that requires less development and your weaker hand being forward (and used more often) is developed. So you end up with two good hands because properly developed punching with the weaker hand is still levered from the shoulder and foot from the side of your best hand anyway. An example of this would be how the left hook off a right hand can often be a right handed boxers best punch. Having your best hand forward means you lead with your power but it also means more weight is on the front foot and less weight is pivoted off the back foot. The rear hand has less weight following through. But some fighters feel it is a fair trade off since if they were the right way around there is less openings for their best hand. Interestingly some "wrong way round" fighters have a faster than normal back hand where as a best handed fighter the "right way around" has more speed with his lead hand. One way of looking at it is "do you want power up front with speed at the back or do you want speed up front with power at the back"? There is no right or wrong. Like everything else in boxing it is the choice between being successful or unsuccessful that is most important.
Traditionally, every boxing coach teaches you a lead right. (Is this **** new to you anyone?) Roy Jones could land a lead right uppercut… and not just because of his speed but how he set it up. Any punch can be prepared to land. It's just how you use your tools to set the table.
Most of the best left hooks in boxing were from right handed orthodox fighters with the left held out in front. It really depends on the fighter. If you have a good 1-2 do not screw around with it, and keep your power hand in the rear.
Laying out a right hand also leaves you more open for a counter than a jab or hook no matter how much practice snapping that ***** back. Again, if you can set the table correctly with the jab and/or footwork, the right doesn't leave you as vulnerable (see: Floyd) I think it's all about comfort zone for the particular fighter. Waldo, for instance, who has a great jab and hook has slowly regained his frail, doe-like confidence in throwing the right earlier in fights. He used to throw it with abandon.
In Wlad's case his right hand is very high to guard against a hook. And it works for him. Wlad has a world class right hand, and very damaging hook. He doesn't throw them as often as he once did, but they have such an effect when they land, he can get away with it. Once a fighter gets caught flush with Wlad's cross or hook, they respect / fear this punch for the rest of the fight. Regarding the counter, speedy fighters with better reach and height can get away with sloppy technique for the most part as an out fighter.
Great thread.. Tyrell Biggs is left handed converted southpaw..strongest side was left but lead with it.Had little in the way of a right hand which held career back. You find alot of naturally left sided people find it hard to lead with their left so the left naturally feels right as the jab yet its also the side you would want for your big shots like left hook etc.. when i boxed it took forever to learn a right hand that felt ok...even then only a straight right following a jab...yet my left could do anything jab hook power punch uppercut...all felt powerful and comfortable . If you watch Tyrell beating Jeff Simm on u tube with one hand due to breaking his right collar bone early on..he did it easily because using his left for every type of shot came so natural...maybe its a left handers thing ? As a lefty i can only speak from that point.
Loads of fighters most powerful punch is the left hook from the orthodox stance. They lead/jab with the same hand. Loads of decent fighters have two 'power hands'.
