Boxers who managed to adapt their style

[Deserter]

The Ritson debate on the RbR thread got me thinking... how many boxers have actually been able to make significant adaptations to their style and progress their career as a result?
The reason I ask is that somewhat cynically I can imagine Ritson making a few adjustments that see him manage to win a rematch etc, but there's just no way I can envisage the type of changes he'd need to make a case for kicking on to world level - the lack of head movement, for example, seems endemic in British/Euro boxers of a certain level.
I always remember Benn working hard at his style post-Watson and on the global stage Barrera really refining his game after the loss to Junior Jones, more recently you can make a case for Luke Campbell tightening things up, but in general I'm struggling quite a bit to name others. Thoughts gents?

[jamamb]

wlad klit use to be an aggresive offense machine. he would throw like 5 punch combos which included uppercuts, double hooks, body shots, etc. some real impressive stuff actually for such a big man, but then he punched himself out twice and got caught early by sanders

thing is, maybe he honed his holding and his quick back step, but it felt like a big component of his transformation was simply doing less, whereas rits needs to add completely new skills.

[semtexreilly]

Nigel Benn

[Deserter]

wlad klit use to be an aggresive offense machine. he would throw like 5 punch combos which included uppercuts, double hooks, body shots, etc. some real impressive stuff actually for such a big man, but then he punched himself out twice and got caught early by sanders

thing is, maybe he honed his holding and his quick back step, but it felt like a big component of his transformation was simply doing less, whereas rits needs to add completely new skills.

Yep, good points mate. I know it's an extreme example, but I guess you can't mention Steve Robinson either, as he really refined that 'peek-a-boo' style to go from journeyman to someone who could operate at world level.
The ones I'm racking my brains about are those who looked like they had found their level at Brit/Euro stage, but were able to make adjustments to their game and as a result kick on... so not obvious things like Haye getting more cautious and preserving stamina after the Thompson lesson, but where you could actually see technical adjustments, if you see what I mean?

[Counter-puncher]

Froch definitely got tactically and technically cuter the longer he boxed at world level? At least in certain fights Kessler 2/Abraham. I mean I don't think anyone seeing him before his world title run would have predicted he'd box and move the way he did against AA

[orbtastic]

Probably not as perceptible as say, Benn but Calzaghe certainly changed his style due to his hands. He was also capable of shifting mid-fight too, Kessler probably being the best example.

[Wee Tommy]

Floyd changed his style after the hand injuries. He was a boxer puncher in his earlier fights.

[littlepug]

Dennis Andries with the help of Manny Steward managed to tidy up his style and even learned to jab !

[bennie]

Bobby Neill famously changed the style of Alan Minter's, making him a much better boxer and much less impetuous. The Crawley southpaw looked destined for the scrapheap after losing on cuts to Gratien Tonna and Ronnie Harris within the space of five months in 1977 but Neill was brought on board and Minter never looked back. He was crowned undisputed world middleweight champion in 1980.

[leejonesjnr]

Not REALLY what the thread is looking for but FMJ got to the top with one style and stayed there as he moved up through the weight divisions by adopting a much more defensive style

[bigjack]

Dennis Andries with the help of Manny Steward managed to tidy up his style and even learned to jab !

Was going to say that,watch him box Bobby Czyz,amazing transformation.

[ElJefe]

Not that he ever looked like he wouldn't make it at world level, but I think Frampton holds his feet more than he used to down at Super Bantam.

Will be interested to see what effect Adam Booth has on Mick Conlan's style.

[Deserter]

Some great responses gents - had honestly thought about Froch and Calzaghe, as agree they both altered (for different reasons), but discounted them purely because there wasn't really a suggestion they'd hit their level lower down and that was the driver of the need to change style... maybe Froch versus Adamu at a push?
Andries and Minter are fantastic shouts though.

[Deserter]

I guess what I'm getting at is that people are saying Ritson needs to add more head movement etc and then he can kick on as if it's a pretty straightforward fix, but I just think this is so much harder to do in practice, hence there being so few examples and people instead referring to greats who made adjustments to either stay at the top or keep on rising. Make sense?

[bigjack]

Some just can't adjust no matter how they try,several different trainers down the line and they still make the same mistakes,Khan for instance.

[BitPlayer]

Joe Louis fixed the defensive flaw that Schemling exploited pretty quickly

Canelo has also adapted a lot to be more of a well rounded boxer, since his loss to Mayweather.

[Boxing Prospect]

Pacquiao? From a dynamite puncher at the lower weights, but a fighter who was pretty much 1 handed to a rounded boxer puncher

[ironbeard]

JMM
WKlit

[Oiky]

Marquez did didn't he in the middle stages of his career

[ironbeard]

Marquez did didn't he in the middle stages of his career

Yep. He went from super slick American style Mexican version of Sweet Pea to classic Mexican tearup artist. Made his career and fortune. Never would have become the legend that he is with that early style.

[Oiky]

Marquez did didn't he in the middle stages of his career

Yep. He went from super slick American style Mexican version of Sweet Pea to classic Mexican tearup artist. Made his career and fortune. Never would have become the legend that he is with that early style.

Fairplay to him

[Coco]

Calzaghe

[Kit]

Bernard Hopkins (originally an aggressive pressure fighter in his early career to turn to master tactician and slowing the pace)

George Foreman ( from all out crude fighter to clever ring general)

Michael Moorer (move to heavyweight, turned from KO artist to boxer)

Rocky Balboa (Laing 2, all out heart and thunder slugger to southpaw slickster)

[ALI]

Barrera is the best example that comes to my mind.

Hopkins is another good shout, but with him it was not simply a concious choice to switch up, age played its factor in it.

[jamamb]

floyd changed his style but i dont really agree that he was ever a boxer puncher. even when he was younger he was more of a measured counter puncher and hed spend tons of time on the ropes looking for guys to open up so he could potshot them. and most his stoppages were from hitting guys over and over and over.

the biggest difference was maybe that he would throw in combo more (hes a single shot specalist later on) and he did have some more power for the weight, but never really imo a genuine puncher