Boxing Footwork Training

18.08.2025

As the title indicates, the ninth hour of my senior client's 10-hour course also concerned footwork training. This is the current theme for him, as well as my teenage client, my couple client and just recently my client who is recovering from a motorbike injury. Footwork and upper body mobility are the foundations for Boxing more than anything else. With these principles effectively in place, everything else makes more sense. Good positioning creates better opportunities, making techniques self-evident for fighters.

Due to the fact that, like the other previously mentioned clients, my senior client is learning pendulum step, L-step, V-step or pivot step and shift step, I will not go over this in detail. Instead I will share my views on how it is adapted for this client.

If we look at the careers of older successful fighters, such as George Foreman, Jersey Joe Walcott, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Bernard Hopkins, Muhammad Ali, Archie Moore and even the current undisputed world heavyweight champion, Olesksandr Usyk, we note they didn't elongate their careers without an effective defensive strategy. However, not all these strategies are advisable for most clients.

George Foreman - His youthful style employed a long guard. When he returned to Boxing, he used a cross-arm guard. Mocked by Muhammad Ali for a limping plod reminiscent of the main antagonist in Universal Pictures' Mummy sequels, some Boxing coaches have seen the value in the way Foreman would cut off the ring. Rated highly in most lists of the greatest sluggers, Foreman is now considered a far better technician than was originally thought. Nevertheless, his use of guard coupled with his incredible strength far outweighed most of what we can draw from his footwork.

Jersey Joe Walcott - The oldest man to win the world heavyweight before Foreman did it four decades later, he is still the oldest man to win the undisputed version. He won it with one of the greatest knockouts in Boxing history on his remarkable fifth attempt. Walcott might be considered as something of an outlier when it comes to old man footwork. His style was unorthodox in the extreme and very difficult to copy. Keeping his guard at chest level, Walcott could deflect shots with both of his huge shoulders yet seemed to have the legs of a welterweight. His style of movement often collectively dubbed the cakewalk after the African American "prize dance" developed on plantations and into minstrel shows, involved clever faints such as the "walkaway" and the Walcott shuffle. It was often considered magical because of the way he would strike on the half-beat. Again, great inspiration, but quite difficult to replicate.

Lennox Lewis - The first Briton to win the undisputed World Heavyweight championship in over a century was known for his high ring IQ. He was also known for blooming quite late in his career. Although he didn't have much in the way of signature steps, Lewis's footwork was a masterclass in retaining balance and keeping a fight at range. His jab was his primary offensive and defensive weapon, which he utilised in tandem with great foot positioning. Lewis is a more useful source for inspiration for this particular client.

Evander Holyfield - Before Usyk cleaned up the cruiserweight division and claimed heavyweight gold there was Holyfield. "The Real Deal" is a good example of intelligent adaption as he aged and went up a division. In dramatic fashion, he went from being a fleet-footed in-fighter to a measured out-fighter. Age and weight might have slowed him down, but experience and intelligence allowed him to dictate the fight at greater range by becoming an effective counter puncher. He took longer steps than previously and relied a lot on the pivot step. This type of footwork demonstrates that you don't need to be Sugar Ray Leonard, Willie Pep, Sugar Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali to work the outside. Likewise, being a natural cruiserweight, it shows you didn't need to rely on a big ape index to work at this range. Holyfield's actual style doesn't contain much in the way of signature moves. He is very much a text-book fighter, which makes him an excellent example for my client.

Bernard Hopkins - The oldest man to win a world championship in any weight division, Hopkins was a master of upper body defensive movements. He utilised the Philly shell, a method I have encouraged my client to use a lot as opposed to his original helmeted approach. Hopkins used it with effective slipping and rolling. However, his footwork was very sophisticated. Rather than back-peddling and circling he used lateral steps and pivots to work a counter-punch strategy. Hopkins's methods definitely have value for my client.

Muhammad Ali - Despite clearly being a hero of my client's Ali is perhaps the worst fit next to Walcott. In his youth - shall we say all his career until his three-year ban - Ali's footwork was extraordinary. The influence of Sugar Ray Robinson, Ali's hero, was evident and he paid unashamed homage to his idol. However, he also made it his own making the back-peddle even more flamboyant and including such trademark moves as the Ali shuffle. To this day Ali is often considered to be the all-round fastest boxer in the heavyweight division. However, after his hiatus he was a very different fighter. Ali discovered he had lost his speed and, having never been a hard hitter, he had to dig deep into his resources. With a high ring IQ, he was always strategic. His biggest new asset would also prove to his undoing: he had a granite chin. Like many elderly statesmen of the sport, Ali wore his opponents down. He did it using such tactics as the rope-a-dope. Little of this can be directly applied to my client nor would I would advise given what we know about CTE. The best thing any fighter might draw from Ali comes from his earlier days: his range sensitivity. This then aligns with the positional genius of Holyfield and Hopkins.

Archie Moore - The Old Mongoose defended the light-heavyweight world championship for 10 years, the longest in history. He had a record of 131 official knockouts and some say he had as many as 138. However, Moore was far from being a straight slugger. He was a boxer-puncher to be counted with Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis of whose era he shared. Ancient Archie's career stretched from 1935 to 1963, fighting 220 recorded fights but definitely fought many unrecorded bouts, including sometimes twice in one night. Moore's cross-arm guard is a highly sophisticated defensive tactic, which he employed with clinical procession. Under his co-guidance, Foreman would adopt it to regain the world heavyweight championship two decades after he lost it. They don't come with a high ring IQ. In terms of style, Moore's footwork isn't readily embraced at least not for this client. The bunny hops are just not suitable. Although I teach and use cross-arm guard defences, again, it isn't really that suitable for this client. The Philly shell, the cross-arm's cousin, is a better fit.

Olesksandr Usyk - The current undisputed world heavyweight champion's contribution is very evident in our use of the pendulum step. Usyk is not a typical example of an older fighter despite being amongst the eldest win the world title. He is very energetic, keeps on the balls of his feet and moves in and out of range with great fluidity. The style has its roots in the Soviet amateur approach, which also has its DNA in Cuban boxing. However, recent discussions have revealed that there is some strong influence from Brendan Ingle's school, a distinctively unorthodox variation on the the British school. Anyway, Usyk's in and out, shifting and pivoting exemplifies the hit and don't get hit maxim. Although the pendulum step might appear to be a little too energetic for older fighters, the rhythmic to and fro action can be taught relatively easily, teaching effective drawing techniques at mid-range as well as long-range.

Relevant podcasts:

• "Big George: One for the Ages"

• "Cakewalker"

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