The Art of Cutting

That was the key to the downfall of Arreola. Everything else that went wrong for him could just be considered the straws that broke the camels back. Why, to this day fighters insist on plotting forward with what they believe is a tight guard. While taking every jab and every combination to the face and body that follows is beyond me. All credit must be given to Klitschko who helped Arreola to take himself out of the fight. Round four along with several other spots throughout the course of the fight gave Arreola the illusion that at any moment that game changing punch was going to land. Or that if he continued to simply try his hardest, eventually the big man would deteriorate so badly that he would be plum for the picking.

Both ideologies were far from the truth. In fact it was the solid work to the body and head of Arreola that made Klitschko’s game plan of staying away from the fire while dosing it with water effective. Arreola in reality should be a fluid handed heavyweight, who with his size, if he were to discover the art of cutting off the ring, could in turn into a beast in this modern day version of the heavyweight division.

Fighters who are able to cut the ring off on their opponents are serious threats to land that game changing punch every second of every round. They make this possible by applying that aforementioned relentless pressure in a fashion that does not allow their opponents to break their concentration with jabs, lateral movement, or combinations off of that stiff jab. It allows you as to dictate the range of the fight and when and where in the ring the exchanges occur.

Cutting the ring off is a timeless part of the sport that has been used by champions in every division. Simply put, it is a part of learning how to fight if you want to be a pressure fighter. Two great heavyweight champions with the name Joe are two examples of fighters that used this style effectively. Smokin’ Joe Frazier used it in order to chop down fighters who were naturally bigger. In the case of Joe Louis, his opponents at times were simply too fast (Billy Conn I). Each of these two champions however used this style to draw his opponent in to exchanges on their terms. They never reached to find their faster or bigger opponents, something Arreola continued to do throughout the fight.

Now like everything else that deals with this sport, easier said than done right. Let’s get this straight before we take a dive into just what it means to cut off the ring on your opponent. In no way am I saying that had Arreola cut off the ring he would have been ensured victory. I’m just making the point that along with many other styles (Philly shell defense) we are entering a time where everyone is worried about the future of the sport. Yet they continue their concern without taking a look into the past and things that were done by champions who mastered aspects of their craft. They did this in order to be just that more effective each time that initial bell sounded.

With that out of the way, on to just what cutting off the ring entails and why it works against various styles. At its core, when a fighter cuts the ring off they are in essence stalking their opponent in a manner that will set up combination punching while they trap their opponent. While trapping a guy in the corner is the equivalent to first and goal on the one or that penalty kick or shot that should be scored on. Cutting the ring off may also have a fighter finding himself trapping his guy on the ropes as well.

Fighters make this possible by taking small steps to either side of their moving opponent. Which ever way you move be it right or left, it is not enough to simply walk after your opponent. Instead of following, with that small side step you are basically making the same move in the opposite direction, like a mirror image of your opponent. If he moves to your left behind a jab, make the move to your right in order to trap. Small pivots may also be used for defense or to trap a fast moving opponent. This all depends on the positioning of the guy you are fighting and how he is moving around the ring.

A fighter like Joe Louis was so effective due to his underrated balance and his ability to through accurate punches in bunches. It was how he was able to catch the light footed Billy Conn in the thirteenth round of their first fight. One that Louis was losing on the judge’s cards. Conn was a nice fighter who was at his best when he fought as a light heavyweight (where he beat Tony Zale). Due to his lack of power, Conn relied on speed to compete as a heavyweight. This is how he was able to work his way a head on the scorecards over Louis. Unfortunately for him though, Louis applied pure pressure by trapping him and getting off with his heavier shots. Eventually they took a toll and two well placed rights bounced off of Conn’s jaw, preventing a major upset.

A fighter like Smokin’ Joe was able to be effective by getting low on his opponents. Once low he would proceed to explode with combinations, working his way from their bodies up to their heads with hooks. He was able to work his way inside of his bigger opponents reach by using constant head movement, while mimicking his opponents moves and coming inside on angles, not straight in through the front door.

This style wore down most heavyweights, during the greatest era of heavyweights in the history of the sport. How many other heavyweights that were smaller than Muhammad Ali were able to cut off the ring and walk Ali to the ropes in order to dish out punishment to his body? Foreman did it, but that was due to the fact that he was bigger and stronger than Ali, which was not the case for Frazier. Instead Frazier used craft in order to accomplish the unthinkable in beating Ali for the first time.

If you watch Frazier, he never stopped bobbing and weaving. By doing this along with a high guard he was able to slip, parry, and pick off punches that were coming at him from rangier heavyweights. With this deadly approach to haunting down his pray, both Louis and Frazier have gone down as two of the most hardnosed heavyweights in history.

These are things that Arreola never incorporated into his fight approach. At times he would dodge some of Klitschko’s punches, but he never got into a rhythm of moving his head at all times when in range. He also never seemed to find a way to time the taller Klitschko, so that he could use faints and fakes in order to get Klitschko to open up his guard and make a mistake. We did get signs of Arreola’s talent and natural gifts. He did get a good bounce going at times, which gives me hope for the future.

So yes it’s true, does Arreola have a lot to do in order to gain some redemption after Saturday? Of course, but who doesn’t have to put in that work once they lose. It either makes or breaks you in this sport. You either come back with guns a blazing in order to show the world what you learned. Or you accept the fact that hey, I just can’t beat this guy and his style and there is nothing wrong with my approach to the sport. Getting and staying in shape is always part of the battle for professional fighters (Roberto Duran). In Arreola it’s not a battle but a war. In losing, Arreola showed after the fight that this is important to him. His success is of importance and now that he has come close to his dream he seems to be the type to want to right his wrong.

In Arreola you have a fighter with heart, desire, and what seems like the need to be a champion. To his benefit he had an excellent amateur career to rely on, along with tough professional experience, and don’t forget to add that he already is a good combination puncher. With all the aforementioned attributes I believe the learning curve may not be that large for Arreola to master the art of cutting.

Footnote: Check out Felix Trinidad during his time as a welterweight. Now there was a fighter that knew how to cut off the ring. Tremendous balance, sharp punching, constant head movement, man could that guy bang with any fighter in his day or what.