I've noticed that most of Wlad's opponents do this when they're clinching... if they have a free hand they bang away to the body (sometimes the head) as best they can while it lasts. Of course there isn't a lot of power in them because of the clinch. I'd like to get some thoughts on this and I have a real question about it. 1. Over a fight I think this tactic would have at least some effect. Again it's not hard punches, but they would accumulate. How much do you think it factors in? 2. I find it interesting that Wlad doesn't do it himself even if he has an opportunity. Do you think he considers it a waste of time and prefers the punches with some force behind it? 3. The real question: Does Compubox (since they're the big guys) consider these to be landed punches/power punches and do they figure into the number results? I've wondered about it because technically they land and count, but don't count for a whole lot compared to a solid power punch. Someone doing a lot of these could look like they're landing a whole lot more than the opponent if you only looked at the raw statistics. Please give your thoughts without hating, I really don't like the hate.
1. Depends on who's throwing the punches and where they're landing. See Benn-Mcclellan for effective punches to the back of the head in the clinch 2. Klitschko clinches to force a reset so he can continue fighting from the outside. He probably doesn't throw punches, because he is trying to stop the action to force a reset 3. No
You are making a good point many people over look... The accumillation of punches, particularly to the body and especially my favourite, the left hook to the liver, will wear on an opponent over time... And don't be fooled, you can do some damage while throwing punches in the clinch.. I think Wlad is too busy holding when he's in the clinch and if he were to let go of the hold and throw punches, he would be defeating the purpose of clinching in the 1st place, but that's just my opinion, it really isn't based on much.... Finally I don't know how compubox scores the punches in the clinch, so I really can't say, though I am also interested in finding that out... Personally I would like to see the compubox numbers for every single round posted during the 1 minute rest period for every single fight... It's by no means the only stat(s) that matter, but I think it would help educate fans about how many punches are actually blocked in a fight. I believe that many casual fans would be suprised by the compubox numbers for Klitschko Vs. Thompson in the early rounds for example, as Wlad was hitting a lot of leather yet the fans in Germany were going off like he just landed a Suzie Q or something... lol
also it helps prevent the opponant from taking a full breath. one lost breath can do alot to weardown and prevent the op from recovering energy
1) I think even in clinches, there is a certain amount of force you can put behind those punches. I think if a fighter really puts a lot behind his punches, they can play a factor. 2) I think you're right on this one. 3) I think compubox counts them. Not as power punches though.
