When it comes to boxing, the range is everything. Not only does it set the tempo of the fight, but it also determines how much damage you and your opponent can inflict on each other. For a taller boxer facing a shorter fighter, the battle will always be over distance. In simple terms, your opponent cannot hit you if he can’t get into range.
As a tall boxer, fighting on the inside requires you to be more aggressive, protect your head from striking range, swarm your opponents personal space, being light on your feet, and working on your stamina. It also requires that you fight your opponent at a very close range. This makes it less popular among tall fighters, who would be more comfortable keeping the opponent out of their coverage.
Read on for more tips on why tall boxers should fight on the inside and its advantages.
Tips for Fighting on the Inside
Inside fighting is not as easy as it seems. Many tall boxers, particularly, struggle when the opponent gets into range. Here are a few tips to help you go toe to toe effectively in your next fight.
- Be Aggressive
Nothing is more frustrating than trying to get close to a fighter who doesn’t want you to. Either they keep you away with stinging jabs, or they slip past your punches and run around the ring, trying to tire you out. You need to keep your guard up and remain aggressive at all times when fighting on the inside, as your opponent will be well within striking range.
Don’t let them get the drop on you. Also, don’t let them get comfortable. One good counterpunch is often all that’s needed to change the flow of a bout.
- Punch While Advancing
As you move towards your opponent, you should throw a series of steady punches. As he blocks, you move in closer and better position yourself for the finisher. Aim for the chest, gut, and ribs as body shots are far more difficult for a fighter to slip past. Your opponent can’t hit you if his hands are busy blocking your punches. He won’t have time to get away either.
- Box Him In
While punching your way in, try to get your opponent into the corner and keep him there. This is called “cutting off the ring.” You square your stance and plant yourself such that your opponent cannot escape from either side.
With their back against the ropes, you can keep them busy with a combination of light and heavy punches and force them into a close fight that they can’t get away from. It is a strategy that works with boxers of all fighting styles.
- Protect Your Head
Since you will be within striking range of your opponent, so will your head. As a taller fighter, you have the natural advantage because your head is usually closer to your hands than your opponent’s fists. A shorter fighter always has to swing up so you see their blows coming and can raise your hands to protect yourself.
However, infighting brings you much closer and so places you at risk of headshots. Fighting on the inside also makes it virtually impossible to keep your hands up by your head for any length of time as your opponent will simply target your body to knock the wind out of your sails.
That means the best way to protect your head when fighting on the inside is to keep moving it constantly. Bob and weave, anticipate your opponent’s punches, and try to slip past them. Don’t let them get a fix on you just because they’re close.
- Swarm Your Opponent
Your opponent should have no room to punch. Fighting on the inside is all about invading his personal space, unbalancing your opponent, and disrupting their stance and plans.
Give them no time to think of a counter. They must always be on the defensive. You can achieve this by always remaining in contact with your enemy. Use your height to stay on top of him; use a combination of pushing and punching to be all around them.
Not only will he be unable to retaliate, but the constant harassment will also make them feel tired and frustrated. They will be too busy to catch a breath to throw a punch at you. Use clinches to weigh them down and prevent them from hitting you. They can’t throw body shots because your elbows are in the way. They can’t throw headshots because your forearms are blocking them off.
Keep them busy trying to disentangle, and when they break free, keep going after them. Tie up his hands or lean on him to kill his momentum when they try coming back. It’s a simple but quite effective strategy to sap your opponent’s energy and motivation.
- Be Light on Your Feet
Fighting on the inside requires speed and agility. You will be close to your opponent, meaning you must be capable of moving fast and also changing direction quickly. Practice pivoting your body with a sparring partner so you can improve your agility and footwork.
Inside fighters tend to have quick feet because they need to step in, out, and around their opponents constantly, often changing their stances in a fraction of a second.
- Work on Your Stamina
Although the philosophy of fighting on the inside is psychological, the execution is very much physical. You are always moving towards and around your opponent, following them around the ring while throwing endless punches and moving your head from side-to-side. All of this non-stop activity will take its toll on your stamina, especially if the bout progresses into the later rounds.
The objective of inside fighting is to wear your opponent down with a flurry of punches and constant harassment that makes them feel helpless. To do this efficiently, you must have more gas in the tank than they do to ensure you see the journey through.
Fortunately, someone can always improve stamina. Your opponents, on the other hand, can do nothing about their height. Here are some ways you can improve your stamina:
- Skipping rope
- High-Intensity Interval Training
- High Repetition Calisthenics
- Swimming
- Heavy Bag Drills
Advantages of Fighting on the Inside
As a taller fighter, fighting on the inside gives you several advantages. Here are some.
- Unpredictability and Versatility
Because fighting on the inside is the go-to style for shorter fighters, as a tall boxer using this style, you will be both unpredictable and versatile. Taller fighters are expected to fight on the outside, where they use their superior range and height to keep their opponents at bay and avoid getting hit. If your opponent finds that you are a taller boxer who isn’t afraid to get up close and personal, they simply won’t have an answer for you.
Besides that, there is no bout where you will always be fighting on the outside. For example, you might be taller than your opponent, but they could be stronger or faster. In such a scenario, it would be useless trying to keep your distance.
Eventually, you would be forced to fight them on the inside. But inside fighting shouldn’t be an emergency option for taller boxers. Fighting on the inside can be effective when done right. The sheer proximity of you to your opponent will neutralize whatever advantages he may have in speed, strength, and even his ability to defend himself.
- Control the Flow of the Fight
One of the best things about inside fighting is that it gives you the ability to influence the flow of the fight. Not only do you control the distance between you and your opponent, but you also set the pace of the fight. If you are an aggressive and assertive boxer, you can press your opponent into a corner and simply hammer them into submission.
If you are the more patient and methodical type, you can use clinches as well as a combination of pushing and punching to slow them down, stall the fight, or just frustrate their efforts to get at you. Either way, the fight moves at your pace, and your opponent is always under pressure.
- Become a More Intelligent Fighter
When fighting up close, you won’t always see your opponent’s punches coming. This forces you to rely on reading their body movements and anticipating their next move, which makes for an intelligent fighter in the long run.
The objective of boxing, after all, is to hit your opponent without getting hit. The better you are at inside fighting, the better you are as a fighter overall. You learn to read your opponents, predict their strategy, and respond accordingly, all in a matter of seconds.
Indeed, the greatest fighters of all time like Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, and Floyd Mayweather were masters of inside fighting. It seemed they had an almost godlike ability to read their opponents and demolish them in the ring; with subtle sophistication, their adversaries just couldn’t match.
Get the Job Done
Fighting on the inside can be extremely beneficial even for taller boxers who are more accustomed to fighting from the outside. Inside fighting allows you to dominate the ring using your presence, frustrate your opponents, and neutralize their advantages in terms of speed, power, and height, as well as pressuring them both mentally and physically.
No matter how deadly your opponent is, you will always be comfortable with fighting them up close. Having inside fighting skills can do wonders for your fighting prowess.