what makes a good jab?

[Counter-puncher]

Eubank out-jabbed Watson (first fight) and Malinga in terrific chess matches, largely down to his acute head slips.

I remember Harry Carpenter saying ‘there are head slips and there are acute head slips. That was an acute head slip.’

[maverick23]

True, the Evans Ashira fight. Evans was 5ft6 and a half.

It happened in other fights too but he fought Ashira (who wasn’t up to much) for most of the fight with just his jab.

Ashira was taller than that too.

Kessler was jabbing really well against Calzaghe early doors but Joe did well to reestablish his jab in the second half of the fight. He also used it really well against Lacy and in several other fights.

[coghaugen11]

Yeah it was a spearing right jab wasn’t it. Not bad at all.

[bennie]

Early rounds of Leonard against Benitez in Vegas in 1979 sees Leonard use a brilliant jab. He actually floored Benitez with a jab.

[maverick23]

Yeah it was a spearing right jab wasn’t it. Not bad at all.

Not all good jabs need to spearing and powerful.

[ironbeard]

Eubank out-jabbed Watson (first fight) and Malinga in terrific chess matches, largely down to his acute head slips.

I remember Harry Carpenter saying ‘there are head slips and there are acute head slips. That was an acute head slip.’

Acute head slipping is an art unto itself.

[Old bones Ian]

Duke McKenzie had a superb jab

[coghaugen11]

Both Jim Watt and Duke McKenzie used Duff’s instruction to just slide an inch or two back when Davis Jr and Canizales were setting to sharpshoot or let go a combo, leaving them falling short slightly to take the sting off anything. Great wins, great tactics.

Duff also masterminded Mike Watson’s win over a 22-0 Benn (100% KO ratio) by telling Mike to pull his gloves up whenever Benn was setting to load, and open the hand and fingers to prevent damage/impact even from blocked shots.

The one he got totally wrong was Watson v McCallum. Insisting Watson just kept leading off all night moving forward, ‘Trust me Michael’. McCallum was getting on sure but the body shots sunk in hard a few times and he was experienced enough to pace and keep Watson turning.

Watson loved to ‘work behind his left hand’, it was natural and habitual, yet he needed a high output (v MM) he was told, so against MM the beautiful looking jab would fall short as MM predicted it and then he’d be countered to the body. Against Benn he just kept his right glove up if his own left was working (more hooks because Benn was so close).