The Best Footwork in Boxing -- Training and Fight Footage

Tunney, Floyd, JMM, Cotto when he wants to box, Hopkins, Napoles, Walcott, Ezzard, Lara, Gomez, to name a few

ESPECIALLY Napoles, Hagler, Gomez, SRR, SRL, and Pep

Joe Louis is criminally underrated with footwork because he wasn't fast but that's the misconception, that's footspeed. Footwork is about getting to the spots you need to in order to mount an offense or avoid shots and Joe was legendary at both but very subtle. Have to really look for the pivots he does to fire from different angles. Not a great finisher just for his great power as footwork was the major reason for this.

 

:deal

Love watching Louis work.

 

:-( Had to mention Joe before I did, lol.

True. I can appreciate brawlers but bum fights don't do much for me. Hagler-Duran remains one of my fav fights because of the skill and great footwork between two legends. Brains usually triumph over brawn.

:-(Had to mention Hagler before I did, lol

True. If you're not in range you can't attack. If you can't circle properly you'll be predicatable in moving in straight lines. Terrible when facing punchers who can time that.

True. Duran, Joe Louis, and JMM had great footwork but moved less frequently than say a Pep or Walcott.

:deal Small, but insightful stuff

 

Its great to watch unless to those standing opposite to him in the ring when Louis was in a "ready to kill" mode

 

You'd have to put RJJ in there as well. His movement was partly used to bait people to lunge at him so he could counter. For example:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXSxvqO7jXM[/ame]

 

Roy's movement was always superb. He could do anything from any angle and set up a lot of his most dangerous shots with educated foot placement.

 

Great Video

 

While on the subject of footwork, one of my all time favorite little tricks/techniques was one Pernell Whitaker used. He would pick his lead foot up higher than normal and flash that white sole of his shoe. The opponents eyes would naturally take a peek down and Sweet Pea would crack him in the face with a jab.

He did this several times per fight, normally to close distance. When I did kenpo, in which you are allowed to kick, I used the same move and it almost always worked.

 

:yep

Man I loved Pea.

 

Agreed on this.

 

If you can't move your feet properly then you'll never make it as a Boxer.

Sorry kids, it's true.

 

He backs up in a straight line and allows himself to get pushed back to the ropes when he should be using more lateral movement. His footwork is calculated, but designed towards his counter-punching. It's not always fundamentally a good.

Ward is probably a better example.

 

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Never seen a boxer ever duplicate this...

Oh and it's missing the combo flurry during/after.