Boxing
Understanding the Various Types of Boxers
What makes a brawler a brawler? Check out our guide to understanding the various types of boxers and the styles they typify, using multiple examples of legendary boxing champions to demonstrate exactly what the styles involve.
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Understanding the Various Types of Boxers and Styles
The best way to really understand the various types of boxing styles is by using examples of the boxers that perfected them.
This guide takes a look into the various types of boxing styles and the many examples of the boxers that fit into those groups, which provides a far better understanding of how they work and what they look like.
Out-Boxer
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Marcos Maidana//Getty Images
The out-boxer opts to fight at a distance, standing at range to engage, often avoiding clinches and in-fighting, and always aiming to maintain a gap between them and their opponents in order to work.
This safer style of boxing takes less risks, but requires a degree of control and ring generalship. To keep a safe distance needs a good jab and long-range punches to maintain the range, and to control the pace and action to keep their counterparts at the exact place the out-boxer wants them to be.
Notable Out-Boxers:
Muhammad Ali
In his early days, Ali was so quick that he could outpunch his foes from range, with his lightning-fast jab that he would flick out from all different angles, as well as the one-two straight down the middle, all whilst using deft footwork to dance away from trouble and to get in and out of range seamlessly.
Thomas Hearns
With such an outstanding range, using his 78” reach, Detroit’s Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns would box from a distance where he could land on his opponents with little chance of them landing back. He kept his bouncy, in-and-out amateur style during his pro career, and his second-round stoppage over Roberto Duran in 1984 perfectly typifies why using a height and reach advantage works so well. Duran was 5’7” tall, so Hearns used his 6” height and whopping 12” reach advantage to fire shots at range to secure a second-round knockout. Despite being one of the greatest lightweights of all-time, Duran was battered from pillar to post in a very one-sided showdown.
Floyd Mayweather
Retiring unbeaten after 50 fights is proof that Floyd perfected a style that was almost invincible. Using a Philly Shell, where he would protect his midriff with his lead left arm, with his backhand right covering his chin, which was also protected by a shoulder roll, Mayweather would shoot out his counter backhand to win a majority of his contests comfortably on points. He wouldn’t allow himself to get trapped in any place for too long, as that was the only time his opponents could get to him.
Dmitriy Bivol
The Russian stylist is one of the best, if not the best, out-fighters in the world today. The six-foot-tall former light-heavyweight world champion is a master of range, he can judge the distance perfectly, which is how he deserved an undisputed title shot after going 23 bouts unbeaten.
Other examples
Tyson Fury / Sunny Edwards / Willie Pep
In-Boxer
An in-fighter requires incredible speed, skill and stamina. They will mostly be on the frontfoot, pressuring their opponents, always looking to attack. If they are able to close the gap and stay there, then they will be required to tuck up tight, bob, weave, slip and roll, and find angles to land their short shots in close; all of which requires constant movement and hard work.
This style also requires pressure, power and strength. The idea of swarming opponents and never allowing them to come up for air is so that you finish the fight early, which is welcomed when fighting at such an energetic, non-stop pace.
Notable In-Boxers:
Manny Pacquiao
The “Pac-Man” is always one of the first boxers you can think of when describing a pressure-fighter. His high-octane, very quick, energetic, bouncy style required so much output, activity and endurance. He was relentless for the entirety of his fights, and was always pressing forward with high intensity.
Henry Armstrong
“Homicide Hank” made history when he simultaneously held word titles in three different weight classes – feather, light, welterweight. Armstrong was known for his high workrate, relentless pressure and punching power, which is why he was also known as “Hurricane Hank”.
Julio Cesar Chavez
Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez was a master of pressure-fighting. He had an exceptional chin, which is a must for this style of boxing, incredible body punching skills and a never-back-down attitude. It’s that mental and physical toughness that made him such a successful pressure-fighter.
Other examples
Roman Gonzalez / Roberto Duran / Ricky Hatton / Jake LaMotta / Dwight Qawi
Brawler
A brawler is a punching style that requires power over everything else. Also known as a slugger or a puncher, this style insists on power to get the upper hand and win contests, where their other boxing skills may be more limited, such as their movement or footwork.
Their defensive skills can require more intelligence and manipulation than movement and evasiveness, using arms and holds to defend, while staying in position to attack.
Notable Brawlers:
Nick Ball
An example of an active brawler is WBA World featherweight champion Nick Ball. The Liverpool “Wrecking Ball” will hunt his opponents down from the first bell to the last, throwing power punches for the entire 12-rounds. Ball is able to keep this energy up due to his extraordinary fitness and endurance, where he has been quoted calling himself a 15-round throwback fighter.
Mike Tyson
“Iron Mike” was known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet” due to his ferociousness where he would bob and weave his way forward into leaping left and right hooks, scoring 24 first-round KOs during his career.
George Foreman
“Big George” was like a Venus flytrap in how he would entice his opponents to fight him in close. Foreman was a formidable puncher, but he lacked any kind of upper trunk movement, instead using his lanky arms to block attacks and tie up his opponents awkwardly, whilst launching his own damaging punches, which resulted in 68 knockouts from his 76 wins.
Rocky Marciano
Retiring with 49 fights unbeaten, the former heavyweight world champion was well known for his roughhouse tactics and aggressive style that saw him KO 43 of his foes. His battered face and broken nose tells the story of his life as a fighter, where he would crouch low to throw looping bombs from awkward angles after stalking his opponents around the ring. He intended to end his fights with every single punch he threw, his intensity, persistence and strength helping him to successfully defeat his opponents while relying on his toughness and durability to not lose a single fight.
Other Examples
Isaac Cruz / Deontay Wilder / Joe Frazier / Sonny Liston
Boxer-Puncher
The boxer-puncher style encompasses a wide range of boxing skill, where the well-rounded boxer will possess fantastic footwork and boxing quality like an out-boxer, plus potent power like a brawler.
The examples of this all-round boxing style has produced many of the best boxers in history because it involves such an expansive amount of expertise and quality.
Notable Boxer-Punchers:
Gennadiy Golovkin
“GGG” was the perfect fighter who could do it all. Golovkin could box on the outside and on the inside, he could set traps because of his high IQ, and counter quickly with his cat-like reflexes, plus he could punch – he had an 88% KO ratio!
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis is regarded as one of the best heavyweight boxers in history. Intelligence is one of the defining characteristics to a boxer-puncher and Lewis had a big boxing brain, able to manipulate opponents, dictate the action and set traps, leading him to becoming an undisputed heavyweight champion.
Sugar Ray Robinson
Widely regarded as the greatest boxer of all-time, Sugar Ray Robinson is No.1 on nearly everybody’s list, even Muhammad Ali’s. He is seen as being the most complete fighter with the widest ranges of skills ever seen in the sport.
Tim has over 27 years experience within the sports industry, working for football clubs Arsenal FC and Millwall FC, and boxing news websites British Boxing News, Boxing Social and Global Boxing News. His boxing articles have been published in Boxing News Magazine, national newspapers, plus many other major news outlets.