Technician versus Force of Nature

Harada was robbed.

 

It really depends on what flaws the "force of nature" presents to the "technician" and whether the technician reads them correctly and capitalizes.

Or whether the force of nature can successfully apply his unusual gifts, impose himself and ruffle the technician's composure.

Generally the technician will have to have considerable raw physical qualities himself, just to compete. And likewise, the force of nature will need a certain degree of boxing savvy and adaptability to compete. Otherwise it's a mismatch.

The way I see it Hamed-Barrera is an example of a fight going in favour of the technician.
Baer-Schmeling is the opposite.

I think.

 

Depends what you define by force of nature.

If you mean someone with sick speed and reflexes, then he beats the technician more often than not. James Toney, an excellent technician, couldn't win a single round against Jones. Clay vs Liston is another one.


But if by force of nature you mean big strong puncher, then it could be the other way around. For instance, Young beating Foreman.

 

I'd take the technician but I'm not very sure that this question is answerable. Most great fighters have a combination of athleticism and technical prowess. There are many otherwise average athletes who strongly favor the technical aspect, but there are few athletes who rely on their athleticism and scorn or overlook or don't rely on the foundation of fundamentals. The simple reason for that is that usually that is a big mistake.

Three greats I see who really tend towards their athleticism are Ali
and Jones. Hamed and Jermain Taylor, are two recent examples but while not greats they do or did rely on their athleticism. Much to Manny Steward's dismay.

Ali was a Ali and met better technicians than he, but not any superior ones like a Louis or a Tunney.

Jones was a phenomenon but there is a disconnect between his glorification and his record. Toney was not effective, but he wasn't inspired either. Either way, he was a counterpuncher at heart and that doesn't work against Jones. Hopkins hadn't hit his stride but he was more of a workman who would always be a day late and a dollar short against Jones. Who else was there? Gotta give him credit for both wins though. And he wouldn't have done it without the God-given talent. I would like to have seen Jones vs Hagler or Tarver a few years earlier. These would have told me more.


Barrera-Hamed is the best example of the question that I ever saw at the high levels. But again, it is hard to prove anything because great fighters are rarely as pure in terms of athleticism as Jones or Ali.

....

Perhaps the answer is found at the lower levels...the ESPN fights. The guys who are more technically sound almost always beat the guys who rely on speed and power at the expense of fundamentals.

 

Duran vs Ken Buchanan, Duran is the force of nature vs the very technical Buchanan, Buchanan is Destroyed. Duran did have lots of boxing savvy, but I believe this is a good example. Aaron Pryor was a force of Nature tremendous ability to take a punch and nonstop aggression. I would put Pacman vs Barrera in the category of force of nature vs Technical fighter.

Techinical fighters will give the force of nature the best fight when he has the sigificant height and reach advantage, But all things being equal the force of nature will usually take it when he is detemined and hungry.

 

Roberto Duran when his physical skill had eroded he could still count on his boxingt ability to beat men physically larger stronger and younger than he. I would say the same for Archie Moore

 

Jimmy Wilde was a force of nature too. His style reminds Naseem Hamed's, breaks every rule from the book, but still damn effective.

 

I think that both were close enough to their best that night. Barrera and Hamed I mean. As for Jones and Hopkins, I truly doubt that Hopkins would ever have beaten Jones... his style was simply ill-suited for that kind of speed and timing. Jones vs. Hagler, who I consider a technician, would be a different story... An athlete of Jones' caliber would whip most simple techicians... too much speed. Too much power. Unless of course, Futch was in the other corner. He had answers but needed the raw materials -namely power and a good chin to deliver the goods.

The answer is yes. But it is relatively rare. Ali is the example. Jones accentuated it. Hamed, well, he ran into Barrera. Ali and Jones were exceptional... in fact one could argue that Ali and Jones are the exceptions that prove the rule.

 

Harada WAS robbed in that first fight, with Willie Pep doing an abysmal job as a referee. Harada should have been a 3 division champ that night. In the second fight, however, Famechon put it together for his greatest career performance, probably aided by the fact that Harada was at the end of his trail as a fighter. Two great, and practically forgotten fighters, except by Classic boxing fans.

 

In the Barrera-Hamed fight, the classic technician easily beats the "phenom" and easily as well.