As a boxing geek I am loving how many talented current fighters are going back 100 years to develop their tool kit. Honestly, among the top young prospects and some of the champions—particularly out of the Wild Card Gym—we are seeing much more ‘old-time’ boxing technique than we did when I was a kid in the 1970s. I suspect that perhaps the need to train MMA fighters has encouraged some of the current trainers to look at boxing as a more nuanced art.
As Max ‘The Snark’ Kellerman said, Rose—a British prospect—was ‘two levels below’ Andrade. There was no way this was going to be a fight. This was an exhibition of 1910 style American pro boxing against 2010 style European Amateur boxing, which was mercifully stopped just after Rose’s nose was broken. To Rose’s credit, he was brave, overmatched, and much lighter at fight time. But if they had been the same size it probably would have resulted in him taking a longer beating.
Young fighters should watch this fight so that they can see what a bad idea it is to keep your gloves up against your face, particularly the lead one. Rose was so overmatched in speed and movement that he took away his best weapon [the jab] by giving up his hand span and pulling it back to his face, which meant Demetrius could see every jab coming a mile away.
Andrade uses a modified Philly shell and does some interesting and highly effective things with it, aided by the fact that he is a righty fighting as a southpaw.
1. He uses a blind jab from a lopsided crouch, keeping his rear knee bent. You need long arms to make this work.
2. This sets him up for a wicked uppercut that he throws from the same guard as he does the overhand right, using his quads to put some additional heft into the delivery. This dude is a puzzle in boxing shoes.
3. He measures, which is a foul, but a good idea when you can get away with it, and very intimidating to the other guy once he finds out about that sick uppercut and lead overhand right, that both come from the same place.
For my money, Andrade eats Floyd Money alive. I think it would be as nasty as De Lahoya dethroning Chavez back in the 90s.
