BoxRec

Obviously it was a heavy defeat the other night and will have been a real confidence crusher. In all honesty the future doesn't look all that bright at this point, but rather than just look on the negative. I want to be constructive and give Larry some ideas on how to give himself the best chance at working his way back.


First off, all that muscle and bulk HAS to be slimmed off. Don't know if its weights or just genetic, but he desperately needs to streamline himself and its a must. He is always going to be a powerful man, so does not need to work on that area atall.

What he needs is a ton of cardio, lots of skipping and flexibility work to loosen him up. Maybe get some reggae playing in the gym, all rhythm work. Might sound daft but its needed.

I wouldn't even have him hitting the heavy bag, just no need to go punching holes in that. It adds nothing to his game. I'd only have him working on speed and relaxation work, get some fluidity going with work on floor to ceiling balls and light bags.

Padwork, but all about gaining smoothness and muscle memory. And nothing to do with power.

Sparring would be all about learning to relax in the ring. Can see in every fight he's just straining at the leash to just start bombing, but that'll only work upto a certain level. He has to learn to chill out, relax and wait things out. Patience and relaxation is key, opportunities to land will come, no need to force things.

I'd have him backing off and learning patience in sparring. He's an intimidating presence and i can imagine many of his sparring partners running for their lives in the gym as Larry advances on them, but he's not learning all that much.....learn to back away and wait for holes to appear rather than trying to make holes happen.

Biggest thing is his relaxation. The sheer tightness he fights with is clear to see. Need to lose that and lose the bulk thats slowing him down. Get loose Larry, learn to relax and let if flow.

The heavy bag is how you work on your punching technique, don't know why you would ever advise against that.

Honestly, I don't think there is a way back---that is his level. I think he could have done better than he did, but in hindsight I will say that he was not going to beat McD no matter what. Larry has very good power and he will blow away the Ferguson types, but his complete lack of technique and boxing skills (and perhaps a chin) will preclude him from success at a higher level. It's a common problem you see with the late comers. They can have the physical talents, but developing the skills is very difficult. The first post mentions a bunch of routines aimed at amerliorating these problems, but I highly doubt they would have any effect. It is just too late.

Scottrf wrote:The heavy bag is how you work on your punching technique, don't know why you would ever advise against that.

Because he'll just be putting big dents in it and learning jack about technique.....but no need to be so literal, he can still go on the heavybag but there's no need to think about power.

Technique comes from repetition, practise and observation. Not knocking lumps out of a heavybag.

crusader wrote:Honestly, I don't think there is a way back---that is his level. I think he could have done better than he did, but in hindsight I will say that he was not going to beat McD no matter what. Larry has very good power and he will blow away the Ferguson types, but his complete lack of technique and boxing skills (and perhaps a chin) will preclude him from success at a higher level. It's a common problem you see with the late comers. They can have the physical talents, but developing the skills is very difficult. The first post mentions a bunch of routines aimed at amerliorating these problems, but I highly doubt they would have any effect. It is just too late.

You may well be be right and i mentioned that in all honesty the future doesn't look too bright.

BUT....if Larry does want to go on, then the things i suggest are things he should try. He could say f*ck it at this point and walk away, but i have a feeling he won't do that. So i'd rather give him something constructive to work on, and some stuff to try out if he wants to attempt to better himself.

The heavy bag isn't about loading up and seeing how hard you can hit it, you use it for foot movement, body positioning, combinations, as well as the cardio benefits.

Of course if he doesn't have a decent trainer he will just be putting dents in it, but that problem isn't with the equipment.

Larry has already said he doesn't do weights - it's genetic. So that's a no-go.

MachoMan09 wrote:

lurkyshaka wrote:Obviously it was a heavy defeat the other night and will have been a real confidence crusher. In all honesty the future doesn't look all that bright at this point, but rather than just look on the negative. I want to be constructive and give Larry some ideas on how to give himself the best chance at working his way back.


First off, all that muscle and bulk HAS to be slimmed off. Don't know if its weights or just genetic, but he desperately needs to streamline himself and its a must. He is always going to be a powerful man, so does not need to work on that area atall.

What he needs is a ton of cardio, lots of skipping and flexibility work to loosen him up. Maybe get some reggae playing in the gym, all rhythm work. Might sound daft but its needed.

I wouldn't even have him hitting the heavy bag, just no need to go punching holes in that. It adds nothing to his game. I'd only have him working on speed and relaxation work, get some fluidity going with work on floor to ceiling balls and light bags.

Padwork, but all about gaining smoothness and muscle memory. And nothing to do with power.

Sparring would be all about learning to relax in the ring. Can see in every fight he's just straining at the leash to just start bombing, but that'll only work upto a certain level. He has to learn to chill out, relax and wait things out. Patience and relaxation is key, opportunities to land will come, no need to force things.

I'd have him backing off and learning patience in sparring. He's an intimidating presence and i can imagine many of his sparring partners running for their lives in the gym as Larry advances on them, but he's not learning all that much.....learn to back away and wait for holes to appear rather than trying to make holes happen.

Biggest thing is his relaxation. The sheer tightness he fights with is clear to see. Need to lose that and lose the bulk thats slowing him down. Get loose Larry, learn to relax and let if flow.

Hi, mate.

Larry is an intelligent guy and believe me he knew and recognised all of the things you mentioned above long before he fought Big John. He has a very difficult transition to make between being a well muscled hardman to a capable boxer. It's a transition that will take time, if it happens fully at all. It will take hundreds and hundreds of rounds of light sparring and the fact he is a late starter makes it even more of an uphill battle. Big John has been boxing since he was a boy, that makes a huge difference.

Saturday night was exactly what Larry needed. He got to experience what a quality domestic operator is capable of and his current limitations were well and truly highlighted. It's now that he will decide if the game is really for him, if he wants to dedicate himself to making the techinical improvements he will need to make if he really wants to push on and compete with the best in the country.

He should ignore the doubters, who will already be sniping for him and push on forward. Every single boxer that has ever gloved up has taken a pasting (either in the gym or in a match). Some can't handle it and give up others look at why it happened and work to correct the mistakes.

Dioufy wrote:Larry has already said he doesn't do weights - it's genetic. So that's a no-go.

OK....so he needs to concentrate on lots of cardio, lots of loosening and flexibilty exercises. He's always going to be a big lump, but he can certainly improve his mobility and overall fluidity with the correct approach. He really needs to learn to relax in the ring.

Think part of the problem is he's so keen to do damage and since most of his opposition have been taken out quickly, he's just not had the ring time. He's been missing out on part of his education process and just getting comfortable being in the ring. At any given moment Larry is thinking 'KO' and he needs to step away from that one track mindset. Just relax, let it flow and good things will happen.

MachoMan09 wrote:

lurkyshaka wrote:Obviously it was a heavy defeat the other night and will have been a real confidence crusher. In all honesty the future doesn't look all that bright at this point, but rather than just look on the negative. I want to be constructive and give Larry some ideas on how to give himself the best chance at working his way back.


First off, all that muscle and bulk HAS to be slimmed off. Don't know if its weights or just genetic, but he desperately needs to streamline himself and its a must. He is always going to be a powerful man, so does not need to work on that area atall.

What he needs is a ton of cardio, lots of skipping and flexibility work to loosen him up. Maybe get some reggae playing in the gym, all rhythm work. Might sound daft but its needed.

I wouldn't even have him hitting the heavy bag, just no need to go punching holes in that. It adds nothing to his game. I'd only have him working on speed and relaxation work, get some fluidity going with work on floor to ceiling balls and light bags.

Padwork, but all about gaining smoothness and muscle memory. And nothing to do with power.

Sparring would be all about learning to relax in the ring. Can see in every fight he's just straining at the leash to just start bombing, but that'll only work upto a certain level. He has to learn to chill out, relax and wait things out. Patience and relaxation is key, opportunities to land will come, no need to force things.

I'd have him backing off and learning patience in sparring. He's an intimidating presence and i can imagine many of his sparring partners running for their lives in the gym as Larry advances on them, but he's not learning all that much.....learn to back away and wait for holes to appear rather than trying to make holes happen.

Biggest thing is his relaxation. The sheer tightness he fights with is clear to see. Need to lose that and lose the bulk thats slowing him down. Get loose Larry, learn to relax and let if flow.

Hi, mate.

Larry is an intelligent guy and believe me he knew and recognised all of the things you mentioned above long before he fought Big John. He has a very difficult transition to make between being a well muscled hardman to a capable boxer. It's a transition that will take time, if it happens fully at all. It will take hundreds and hundreds of rounds of light sparring and the fact he is a late starter makes it even more of an uphill battle. Big John has been boxing since he was a boy, that makes a huge difference.

Saturday night was exactly what Larry needed. He got to experience what a quality domestic operator is capable of and his current limitations were well and truly highlighted. It's now that he will decide if the game is really for him, if he wants to dedicate himself to making the techinical improvements he will need to make if he really wants to push on and compete with the best in the country.

He should ignore the doubters, who will already be sniping for him and push on forward. Every single boxer that has ever gloved up has taken a pasting (either in the gym or in a match). Some can't handle it and give up others look at why it happened and work to correct the mistakes.

Yeah good post, and i know that Larry has always been open to constructive criticism. He comes across as a nice fella who is genuinely eager to learn and work on his flaws.

But a good look at his training routines is needed. Like you say he's got a hard transition to make and maybe he'll never fully make it. But he's always seemed to have the right attitude on here so i think he wants to learn. He's so raw, but there is obviously some potential to work with.

mcdermott hasnt boxed since a boy :!: he enterd the novices at 17-18 i think got sparked then came back to avenge the defeat while winning the aba title.he's a traveller with his dad an ex fighter so obviously he knows how to punch as they all do :!:

larry was at the repton were burns wanted him to enter the aba's were i think he refused or didnt feel ready, then turns pro.his roarness need's polishing up & staying am would of gave him abit more expieriance. he is with a good boxing man in cook, yet he still looks like a novice to me & that aint nothing to do with cook.

larry took big flush punches which most accomplished fighters would never take unless there senses were gone & most would go down from them.

Lets be realistic- With the greatest of respect Larry's dreams aren't probably world domination and a speedy loss to a good fighter in John McD is hardly going to hold him back from what he was always going to do! I think that Larry has a good shot at going on to be a British champion but he has to be prepared to take risks and work on his technique. He's got a chance with anyone because of his power and likewise any fighter with a good dig and good fundamentals is going to have a fair chance at him.

With Larry I think its going to be a case of enjoying a bit of a rollar coaster rather then discovering the next larry holmes. Put him in with Tom Dallas or Pricey and you've got a very exciting spectacle guranteed. But the time for building records is probably over. Good luck Larry look forward to watching how you progress i'm sure there are going to be plenty of ups and downs and if your prepared for that then this could be a fun 18 months.

Jeff Thomas wrote:Lets be realistic- With the greatest of respect Larry's dreams aren't probably world domination and a speedy loss to a good fighter in John McD is hardly going to hold him back from what he was always going to do! I think that Larry has a good shot at going on to be a British champion but he has to be prepared to take risks and work on his technique. He's got a chance with anyone because of his power and likewise any fighter with a good dig and good fundamentals is going to have a fair chance at him.

With Larry I think its going to be a case of enjoying a bit of a rollar coaster rather then discovering the next larry holmes. Put him in with Tom Dallas or Pricey and you've got a very exciting spectacle guranteed. But the time for building records is probably over. Good luck Larry look forward to watching how you progress i'm sure there are going to be plenty of ups and downs and if your prepared for that then this could be a fun 18 months.

I wouldn't put Larry in with Price or Dallas anytime soon, i think that'd be throwing him to the slaughter a bit to be honest. I think better for Larry would be to step in with some proper durable opposition where he is basically guaranteed to get some ring time, and work on his relaxation and fluidity in the ring. 3 fights over a 6 month period where he enters the ring knowing its not about power, and instead it'll be about working on the other areas of his game. Needs to change his ring mentality and learn to relax in the ring. Even after getting dropped the other night, he got up and was still trying to throw bombs himself. Just got to forget all about the power for now, and bring the others facets of his game upto scratch.

Lot of work to be done, but i think Larry going onto become a British champion is still very plausible IF he gets the right work done in the gym.

I met Dunstan later that night and he said that his training is problematic (my paraphrasing, not his exact words) and he's only doing it part time. That's got to be a contributing factor, although obviously fitness didn't come into it on Saturday.

orbtastic wrote:I met Dunstan later that night and he said that his training is problematic (my paraphrasing, not his exact words) and he's only doing it part time. That's got to be a contributing factor, although obviously fitness didn't come into it on Saturday.

Thats interesting. Seems to confirm that some changes are genuinely needed.

arent we forgetting that mcdermott himself was stopped in the first round by skelton and has come back himself and beat fury first time round imo, the history of heavyweight boxing amateur and pro is full of first round stoppages, when a 18 stone guy connects and catches the other guy cold its over.Ive also always thought that mcdermott despite sometimes ridiculed because of his excess, has good lateral movement and a nice style.
Yes Larry is older but ultimately its about how much he wants it he can adjust relax more but sometimes easier said than done if your that type of guy. i for one hope he sticks at it, a british title shot is not beyond him but it will take some changes.Anyway larry thanks for your honest contributions to the forum, whatever you decide to do.

Far to much nervous and not neccessary energy was being wasted from the get go against Big John, he literally allowed himself to be timed for the money shot with his jerky style moving forward. He showed heart getting off the floor twice, and will probably always be in exciting fights but im not sure how far he can go in the game.

Good thing is he has a punch that could wipe out a lot of men, so can pick up good scalps in his career, but i feel many will be able to outbox him, probably end up as a yardstick for domestic fighters.