Sparring against Pro Boxer

[BuakawBanchamek]

I recently sparred against a 26 year old pro fighter in our Gym.

He has 50 amateur fights (russian champion) and has around 8 Pro Fights.

Hands down, I got my ass whooped. I could barely land any shots.

I really hesitated to throw anything because a)
I would instantly get countered and b) it seemed like he
was miles away even though I am the taller fighter.

I really struggled getting close to him while he easily got in range to connect with his shots.

Any tips to overcome this obstacle?


Gotta mention that he used 12oz Gloves while I used 18oz gloves. But even then, it should not be that much of a disadvantage.

[Rock&Roll]

Enjoy the experiene and learn what you can from him.

When you have far greater experience, it proves nothing by beating up a lesser fighter. What more experienced guys tend to do is counter punch and work on defense. The more the opponent throws, the more you counter.. so esentially, the less experienced guy is setting the pace.

See if you can find his rythm and counter him, try setting a trap.
Try to turn it into a calculated boxing chess match rather than throwing just because he isn't (and you feel someone needs to).

On the other hand, don't let him time you and feel your rythm, plenty of feints etc


Food for thought though:

I learnt a valuable lesson about styles making fights when i sparred a pro like you describe. The chess/tactical game didn't work because that's what he thrived on. About the 3rd of 4th time i sparred him, i thought '**** it - i am going to turn this into a brawl' (had no other choice - he beat me easily previous 3 times).

I got the better of him and gave him a blood nose which wouldn't stop bleeding so he had to quit. I learnt a great lesson that day about changing game plan for different fighters. I was the taller, rangier, heavier guy so you'd normally think i need to use my length and stay on the outside. It turned out that was his strength, being calculated and setting a steady pace, but fighting a war was not.

Be careful trying the latter on a tough russian - maybe the last round give something different a try.

[OctoberRed]

You need to do old school Hopkins, by staying on top of him, smothering when possible and then letting those hands go

[Richard P]

I recently sparred against a 26 year old pro fighter in our Gym.

He has 50 amateur fights (russian champion) and has around 8 Pro Fights.

Hands down, I got my ass whooped. I could barely land any shots.

I really hesitated to throw anything because a)
I would instantly get countered and b) it seemed like he
was miles away even though I am the taller fighter.

I really struggled getting close to him while he easily got in range to connect with his shots.

Any tips to overcome this obstacle?


Gotta mention that he used 12oz Gloves while I used 18oz gloves. But even then, it should not be that much of a disadvantage.

Never sparred with a pro, sparred a guy who is going to olympics (providing no freak injury) and he was nearly impossible to land clean, made me look like it was the first time i had ever walked into a boxing gym

[TaoistBoxer]

I recently sparred against a 26 year old pro fighter in our Gym.

He has 50 amateur fights (russian champion) and has around 8 Pro Fights.

Hands down, I got my ass whooped. I could barely land any shots.

I really hesitated to throw anything because a)
I would instantly get countered and b) it seemed like he
was miles away even though I am the taller fighter.

I really struggled getting close to him while he easily got in range to connect with his shots.

Any tips to overcome this obstacle?


Gotta mention that he used 12oz Gloves while I used 18oz gloves. But even then, it should not be that much of a disadvantage.

I never miss a opportunity to spar a pro. I always describe it like fighting under water while they are in the clouds. After a while I became pretty good and I was able to hold my ground against some of th pros I know.

[Boxfan83]

I recently sparred against a 26 year old pro fighter in our Gym.

He has 50 amateur fights (russian champion) and has around 8 Pro Fights.

Hands down, I got my ass whooped. I could barely land any shots.

I really hesitated to throw anything because a)
I would instantly get countered and b) it seemed like he
was miles away even though I am the taller fighter.

I really struggled getting close to him while he easily got in range to connect with his shots.

Any tips to overcome this obstacle?


Gotta mention that he used 12oz Gloves while I used 18oz gloves. But even then, it should not be that much of a disadvantage.

Throw 1st man. Thats all I can say...

[Mr.MojoRisin']

I know your problem exactly, I had it myself when I started sparring.

You need to find your range. On the heavy bag, stand at a distance where you only need to take one step in order to land your punches. If you are one step away, the other guy is going to need two steps because he is shorter. It's going to feel like you are too far away but trust yourself, you are at the perfect distance. Always maintain that distance too. If he steps forward then jab diagonally back. Never straight back.

Keep practicing on the bag until you feel comfortable to spar like that. That could be a day or a month.

[BuakawBanchamek]

I know your problem exactly, I had it myself when I started sparring.

You need to find your range. On the heavy bag, stand at a distance where you only need to take one step in order to land your punches. If you are one step away, the other guy is going to need two steps because he is shorter. It's going to feel like you are too far away but trust yourself, you are at the perfect distance. Always maintain that distance too. If he steps forward then jab diagonally back. Never straight back.

Keep practicing on the bag until you feel comfortable to spar like that. That could be a day or a month.

Thanks a lot!
I always had trouble finding the right distance maybe this will help me getting rid of it.

[michaeluad]

Always maintain that distance. If he steps forward then jab diagonally back