Become Fighter
Beating the pressure fighter: Boxing guide
Stay off the ropes, make them miss, and make walking forward expensive.
A pressure fighter walks you down. They want to take away your space, get you on the ropes and win with volume and body shots. Their strength is relentlessness. Their weakness is that they are always coming forward, so they are predictable and often over-committed.
Your plan is to refuse the straight line. Make them chase angles, hit them as they enter, and use pivots to leave before they trap you. Do not back straight onto the ropes.
Key points
- Keep to the centre of the ring and circle off with a pivot when they get close.
- Meet them with a jab and a check hook on the way in.
- Use a short step back and an angle, never a long straight retreat.
- Attack their body when they stop. It slows a forward-moving fighter.
- Stay calm on the ropes: tie up, pivot out, or counter. Do not cover and hope.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Retreating in a straight line. Move off at an angle. Straight lines end at the ropes.
- Covering up on the ropes. Cover for a beat, then turn them or counter. Staying covered gives away the round.
- Standing in front and trading. You will lose the volume battle. Hit and move.
The rest is in the app
The step-by-step breakdown, the timed drill with the coach calling the shots and the quiz are part of Become Fighter Pro, where this lesson sits in the Style matchups module of Boxing fundamentals.
Get it on Google Play. Coming soon to the App Store.
More from Style matchups
- Beating the counterpuncher: Boxing guide
- Orthodox against southpaw: Boxing guide
- Tall against short: Boxing guide
Combat sports training is hard on the body. Warm up, stay within your limits and check with a doctor first if you have a health condition. Practise in a clear space and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. Learn partner work only under a qualified coach.