SHANE MCGUIGAN reckons Lawrence Okolie is too mentally weak to defend his world title against Chris Billam-Smith on Saturday.
The expert coach and son of Irish ring legend Barry trained both cruiserweights for around four years and oversaw around 300 rounds of sparring between them.
Shane McGuigan helped guide Lawrence Okolie to the WBO cruiserweight world title but is now in the opposite corner
The trainer and son of ring legend Barry McGuigan now picks Chris Billam-Smith to beat Okolie
Okolie, 30, left the gym on good terms at the start of the year to move to Dubai, with the WBO crown McGuigan helped him land in 2021.
And now he heads to Bournemouth’s Vitality stadium to face his 32-year-old former stablemate – at his boyhood club – and the good will and respect is starting to fade.
“Chris is naturally a tougher man than Lawrence,” McGuigan said at his Leyton gym. “He’s naturally more brave.
“Lawrence has ‘self preservation’ stamped on his forehead.
“He doesn’t want to go to the well and that’s why he boils himself down from 108kg to 90kg instead of moving to heavyweight, it’s so he has an advantage.
“In everything Lawrence does he always wants an advantage. He always wants to be one step ahead.
“He has a massive advantage, he’s physically a much bigger specimen than Chris. He’s stronger than him when you get him in the weights room, he punches harder than him.
“All of these things favour Lawrence but, in mindset, Chris is a much superior person. And, also, he can go in there and put himself on the line.”
Undefeated Okolie, now 19-0, has sensational knockout power in his right hand but has a fair reputation for being in a handful of underwhelming wins.
And McGuigan reckons his man will spring the surprise as long as he survives the first few rounds and drags Okolie down the stretch.
The 35-year-old coach said: “He is either boring the place out or knocking them out with one shot – because he’s got the power. There is no in between.
“He’s never thinking it through or breaking someone down. It’s always either he blitzes you or hits you with a few good shots, they weather it, and he wins in a boring, messy way.
“It’s up to us to ensure we can negate what he does well.
“First off, get through the first three or four rounds. If we do that we can chip away, land a few good shots and then make sure we negate what he does well.”
Lawrence Okolie beat David Light last time out and is now headed to Bournemouth and Billam-Smith’s backyard
McGuigan concedes a year ago it would have been tough to back CBS to beat the 6ft 5in Hackney ace.
But now his man is on a run and has the backing of the Prem side and the seaside town, he can only see a new British world champion emerging.
“I think you’d have to say ‘Okolie win’,” he said about a bout 12 months ago. “But at the same time he’s now finding a new style and Chris has got better.
“We know what we have to do. It’s a world title fight, at home in front of 15,000 people.
“Out of the champions at cruiserweight, I favour us against Lawrence because we know him well.
“I know what his weaknesses are mentally and physically. It means we can go in there with a structured game plan to give ourselves the best opportunity.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How can you improve your punching form?
Punching form is one of the most important parts of boxing. For you to become a better boxer, your punch technique must be perfected. These tips will help improve your punching skills.
- Keep your head straight. Your head should always be up while throwing punches.
- Punch from your shoulder. Use your shoulder to strike the target when you punch.
- Keep your eyes on your feet. Try not to move your feet when you’re punching.
- Throw short, quick punches. You will feel tired quicker if you throw longer punches.
- Don’t forget about defense! Remember to stop incoming punches.
- Use your elbows. Your elbows can be used to protect yourself.
- You can learn to use your legs. Learn to properly use your legs.
- Practice every day. Keep training even if it makes you tired. It takes practice to become proficient at anything.
- Have fun Enjoy what your doing.
- Breathe. Breathing correctly will make you stronger and give you energy.
- Relax. Don’t worry too much about making mistakes. Just focus on learning new things.
- Be patient. Boxing takes practice. It takes time to perfect your skills.
- Never stop learning. As long there is still room for improvement, there will continue to be improvement.
- Listen to music. You can relax and focus during training by listening to music.
- View videos of professional fighters. The fights can inspire you and motivate you to work harder.
- Read books. Reading books can help you better understand boxing techniques.
- It is important to take breaks. Sometimes it’s helpful to take a break when you are boxing. Play soccer or basketball outside.
- Find a coach. Having a coach who knows boxing well can help you improve faster.
- Push-ups: Push-ups can be a great way to increase strength and endurance.
How long does learning boxing take?
Boxing can be learned in 3 months. This includes learning the basics, such as footwork, stance, and balance. It’s important that you remember that boxing doesn’t only involve throwing punches. You need to learn how you can block and dodge attacks.
What is the best way to practice boxing punches in your home?
A punching bag is used for practicing boxing punches. You punch the bag until you feel like you’ve mastered the technique. Next, move on to the next section of your body. You can then move onto the next area once you are comfortable with that one.
Statistics
- This article received 39 testimonials and 89% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. (wikihow.com)
- You want to be running at roughly 75-80% of your top speed..5 mile slow, easy recovery jog at the end.[6]X Research source 2Mix in long runs, shadow boxing, and short sprints on non-interval days. (wikihow.com)
External Links
en.wikipedia.org
expertboxing.com
How To
Here are the Basic Skills of Boxing
How to box effectively
Boxing is a popular sport. It is made up of two competitors who aim to knock the head off each other. Different countries have different rules. There are three types generally of boxing: Amateur (Professional) and Olympic (Olympic).
Amateur boxing may be done at school, college, and university. This type of boxing includes sparring sessions with padded gloves and without any protection. Amateur boxing matches usually consist of three rounds lasting five minutes each. Amateur boxing can be done in many styles, including Kickboxing and Muay Thai, Taekwondo or Karate, Judo, Wrestling, and Muay Thai.
Boxing is often practiced in gyms or clubs. They are protected by protective equipment like a mouthpiece, nose protector, shinguards, elbow pads and knee pads, waist belt, and groin protection. Professional boxing competitions include six rounds of four minutes each. There are many styles of professional boxing: Boxing, MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), Kickboxing and Muay Thai.
Olympic boxing is practiced at the Olympics. Boxers are required to wear international standards-compliant protective gear. The competition lasts eight rounds of three minutes each. Olympic boxing is limited to two styles: Light Flyweight and Heavyweight.
Boxing’s fundamental skills are:
- Punching techniques
- Guarding techniques
- Footwork
- Stance
- Move your body
- Defense
- Combination
- Rotation
- Spare parts
Punching Techniques
There are seven types. Each punch has its own technique. Some punches require more strength than others. An example of this is an uppercut, which requires tremendous force. On the other hand, a straight punch requires less power but it is faster than other punches.
There are also different combinations. These are combinations which combine several punches in order to achieve a specific goal. One combination can have many parts. A left hook followed with a right-cross will cause injury to the opponent’s jaw.
Guard Techniques
Boxers protect themselves by protecting their bodies. He does this by using his legs.
Legs
Boxers must use their legs to defend themselves against kicks. After receiving a kick, he will raise his leg and move away from the attacker. If the attacker is coming from the front, he will bend at the knees to avoid getting kicked on either side. If the attack comes from behind, however, he can stand straight up and block the kick by his foot.
Elbows
Because they cause great pain, elbow strikes are extremely effective. You can either deliver an elbow strike directly, or indirectly. Directly means that you hit your opponent with your forearm while indirectly means that you hit him with another part of your arm.
Hands
Boxers use their hands to block incoming blows. To do this, they raise their fists higher than their heads and move their arms in the direction that the attack is coming. Then they make contact with the attacker’s fist.
Knees
A boxer should bend his knees in order to absorb any blows to his stomach, abdomen, chest or stomach. A lot of boxers use knee strikes to defend themselves.
Feet
If he is being attacked, a boxer must take a step back and counter-attack. This will help him gain distance from his opponent. In addition, when delivering a counter-attack, a boxer should keep his balance.
Stances
Boxing effectively requires a boxer to have a good stance. The way he defends him will be dictated by his stance. It determines where he will face his opponent and how he will position his body. There are many positions that boxers can adopt. Here are the most commonly used ones:
- Low stance
- High stance
- Southpaw stance
- Western stance
The Body Movement
In order to win a fight, a boxer must move around his opponent. This requires changing your position, speed, and rhythm.
Rotation
To increase his punching power, a boxer rotates when he throws a punch. The rotation is done at different speeds depending on the type of punch.
Combinations
The timing of each punch will determine the effectiveness and efficiency of a combination. A combination of strong and weak punches will produce a good result.
Spares
Sparring is a practice session designed to improve boxing skills . During sparring sessions, a boxer trains his mind as well as his body. The goal of sparring is to learn to fight, and not to get hurt.
You need to have patience and dedication in order to learn how boxing works. To become a better boxer, you must train hard and for a long time.
