Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
-
margaret thatcher
- Super Featherweight
- Posts: 39338
- Joined: 22 Jul 2019, 15:43
Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
I was watching some old Wlad fights, damn this dude used to be an aggressive offense juggernaut. This mofo was throwing like 5 punch combos with hooks and uppercuts, and hooking off the jab as much as he was throwing the right. He looked like a seriously talented offensive fighter who liked to beat guys up........then, obviously things changed. I know he's a well documented case but just seeing him from his early days it's like a totally different guy
What other fighters had notable style changes in their career?
What other fighters had notable style changes in their career?
-
SticknMove
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 6008
- Joined: 04 Aug 2006, 09:02
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
After they knew about it and made plenty of money and got out with their faculties in tact.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Barrera became a far smarter fighter post the Junior Jones loss.
People also forget Floyd was a lot more aggressive in his younger days.
I'd even say Benn as well to a degree post Watson - he remained agressive, but really honed his actual skills. No-one at that time would have anticipated him having such a long career and improving his boxing skills so much. He was understandably dismissed as a one-dimensional puncher in the wake of that loss.
People also forget Floyd was a lot more aggressive in his younger days.
I'd even say Benn as well to a degree post Watson - he remained agressive, but really honed his actual skills. No-one at that time would have anticipated him having such a long career and improving his boxing skills so much. He was understandably dismissed as a one-dimensional puncher in the wake of that loss.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Lennox changed his style under Steward.
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 103169
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Have any boxers gone the opposite?
Gone from being a defensive minded boxer to a roughhouse.
Apart from Fury.
Gone from being a defensive minded boxer to a roughhouse.
Apart from Fury.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Lloyd Honeyghan went from a smart boxer/puncher to a seek and destroy brawler after he beat Curry.Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 03:44 Have any boxers gone the opposite?
Gone from being a defensive minded boxer to a roughhouse.
Apart from Fury.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Yep, great call.banjo wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 04:00Lloyd Honeyghan went from a smart boxer/puncher to a seek and destroy brawler after he beat Curry.Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 03:44 Have any boxers gone the opposite?
Gone from being a defensive minded boxer to a roughhouse.
Apart from Fury.
To a lesser extent Naz also abandoned his elusive style as he fell in love with his power - Belcastro couldn't lay a glove on the original version of Naz, while the latter version ended up life and death with the likes of Paul Ingle.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
My immediate thought when I saw this post was Arturo Gatti
Agree on Nigel Benn and he changed it back again for the McClellan fight.
Agree on Nigel Benn and he changed it back again for the McClellan fight.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Calzaghe after his hand trouble, and he could even do it during fights, Kessler, Bika
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Big time with Barrera, the loss to Jones actually made him as an elite fighterDeserter wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 03:30 Barrera became a far smarter fighter post the Junior Jones loss.
People also forget Floyd was a lot more aggressive in his younger days.
I'd even say Benn as well to a degree post Watson - he remained agressive, but really honed his actual skills. No-one at that time would have anticipated him having such a long career and improving his boxing skills so much. He was understandably dismissed as a one-dimensional puncher in the wake of that loss.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Hector Camacho post-Edwin Rosario.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
But he still had his agressive nights - ask Morales on 2 out of the 3 times they fought.Coco wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 04:56Big time with Barrera, the loss to Jones actually made him as an elite fighterDeserter wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 03:30 Barrera became a far smarter fighter post the Junior Jones loss.
People also forget Floyd was a lot more aggressive in his younger days.
I'd even say Benn as well to a degree post Watson - he remained agressive, but really honed his actual skills. No-one at that time would have anticipated him having such a long career and improving his boxing skills so much. He was understandably dismissed as a one-dimensional puncher in the wake of that loss.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Steve Collins became a strong brawler from Eubank 2 onwardsbanjo wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 04:00Lloyd Honeyghan went from a smart boxer/puncher to a seek and destroy brawler after he beat Curry.Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 03:44 Have any boxers gone the opposite?
Gone from being a defensive minded boxer to a roughhouse.
Apart from Fury.
-
handsofstone
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 23199
- Joined: 11 Jan 2011, 17:28
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Barrera way and by far made the best transition, Camacho and Mayweather made their changes work for them but they were ultra defensive but Barrera went from brawler to not just a capable boxer but arguably the greatest box fighter of all time, also had that brawler still in him when necessary
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
I always thought Collins was crazy to fight the way he ended up doing. Early on he was a good smart capable boxer imo
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Gatti went from Boxer, to Slugger, back to Boxer.Shhhh wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 09:39 Johnny Nelson def changed something from the de Leon James Warring era
Arturo Gatti was a good boxer until he decided to become Rocky
Was Wilder always that Bloody wild? He won a bronze medal in Olympics and surely he didn’t fight that crazily then
Also - it’s only one fight but the Joshua of Ruiz 2 is different from other fights
John Ruiz changed his style immensely, though it was a horrible change. He moved and boxed a lot in his early days. After Tua, he fought like a guy who was deathly afraid of getting hit clean, and would grab constantly to null his opponents offense.
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Pacquiao changed his style a good bit really. Not that he ever became less aggressive, necessarily but he definitely got way smarter in how he went about it.
His early days he's jab, jab, straight left. Jab, straight left.
When he got to the upper echelon of the sport, and was finding himself having great difficulty with opponents, he started working on his right hook, and focused a lot more on his footwork, and using angles to get clean shots in.
Not necessarily a complete changing of a style, but certainly a vast improvement on one.
His early days he's jab, jab, straight left. Jab, straight left.
When he got to the upper echelon of the sport, and was finding himself having great difficulty with opponents, he started working on his right hook, and focused a lot more on his footwork, and using angles to get clean shots in.
Not necessarily a complete changing of a style, but certainly a vast improvement on one.
-
Wee Tommy
- Heavyweight

Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
JMM after Chris John he became a lot more aggressive.
-
Counter-puncher
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 39141
- Joined: 20 May 2008, 11:41
-
danconnollyeire
- Light Heavyweight
- Posts: 3576
- Joined: 24 May 2012, 10:31
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
Stupidest thing I've seen was how he changed, he could have been way better.banjo wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 04:00Lloyd Honeyghan went from a smart boxer/puncher to a seek and destroy brawler after he beat Curry.Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑06 May 2020, 03:44 Have any boxers gone the opposite?
Gone from being a defensive minded boxer to a roughhouse.
Apart from Fury.
Camacho must be an obvious one who changed, as with others realised he didn't like being hit that hard and could get away with being more defensive.
-
smiling assassin
- Light Heavyweight
- Posts: 3223
- Joined: 05 Jan 2012, 13:12
Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
He didn’t change his style do the rest of his career but Cotto completely changed his Style for the Margarito reamatch he stuck and moved that night and broke margocheato up lovely
-
Wee Tommy
- Heavyweight

Re: Fighters who changed their stylesa lot
I’m sure he said himself at the time he wasn’t leaving things in the judges hands again, I’m going simply on memory.