What are the disadvantages of having ridiculously long reach?

Infighting can be more awkward, though some make it work.

 

Yeah inside fighting

 

not always, LL for example had a great inside game despite his freakish reach

 

How bout not being able to parry with the glove when a counter is coming.

Guy with short arms like Tyson, or to an extent, Mike Perez.....when they miss with the jab and a counter comes back, the tight defense is exceptional....

Look at Fonfara vs Superbiitch.....everytime Fornfara misses a shot, he's horribly exposed to a massive counter......his surviving the distance vs Superbiitch goes only to show how aweful the hoe really is.:yep:yep:yep

 

That has, I think, more to do with one using proper technique - in both punching and retraction, both steps being equally important - and not so much reach.

You can be Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards and still responsibly get your hands up in position after punching.

Sure, guys with T-Rex stubs are going to inherently always have their fists closer and needing travel a shorter distance to cover their face, no matter what they are doing with them any given moment - but at the end of the day if you aren't reeling in that line posthaste after each shot and reforming some manner of guard - you are open. Whether your wingspan ranks among the biggest or smallest in the sport. :good

 

:nod

Perfect example of someone who made lemonade (which itself accepts the kind of silly premise that a boxer gifted with length has indeed been given 'lemons' - since really anywhere except right up close 'n' personal, from mid-range out, that is a distinct advantage...) and uppercuts are probably critical for anyone built that way to have inside success. Straights and hooks just aren't going to be as effective for them.

 

Obviously the jab has a greatly improved chance of landing, and can build up speed and deliver more snapping impact - but the caveat is that crosses are harder to disguise.

 

Infighting, balance, and bodyweight centering. When your arms hold so much weight you are more likely to be off balance and turn less of that weight into immediate momentum. JCC SR was 5'7 fought guys 5'11 and taller and was a monsterous puncher despite shorter reach.

 

It is not such a question of extending and retracting as you put it this way but the fact that they have to fight always at long range or at that range where they can combine their long shots, jabs to set up right hands and then holding their ground, taking steps back as guys rush underneath the jab, find themselves trapped with a high arm defense and semi-crouched body to uppercut and short hook in the inside, duck and slip step out off traffic. Something that Alexis Arguello and Aaron Pryor reminds us much of.

 

Good posts IB:good

 

One of the disadvantages isn't something that is necessarily dictated by physics, but habit...a lot of long-armed guys with reach advantages develop bad habits that they can get away with against most fighters (such as Liston commonly returning his left to a lower position after he jabs).

These habits can become ingrained and not so easy to fix on the fly against opponents with a good reach themselves or another advantage (such as speed). It's essentially the reach version of a fighter that falls in love with their power.

 

He was freakishly strong though which will have helped the reach / inside fighting issue.

Speed could be effected? Possible see the punches coming?