Boxer vs kickboxer

[Kenpoguy123]

Now this is something a lot of my friends say and some of them even do martial arts they think a boxer is more likely to beat a kickboxer. I just don't see how. And yes I know that it depends on the fighter not the art and I'm not talking down on boxing as it is a great style but kickboxing has the same punches and defences as boxing but also with kicks and knees so a kickboxer is more well rounded. That's just my take on it I'm interested to here other opinions.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Now this is something a lot of my friends say and some of them even do martial arts they think a boxer is more likely to beat a kickboxer. I just don't see how. And yes I know that it depends on the fighter not the art and I'm not talking down on boxing as it is a great style but kickboxing has the same punches and defences as boxing but also with kicks and knees so a kickboxer is more well rounded. That's just my take on it I'm interested to here other opinions.

I think you already said it; "it depends on the fighter not the art." They are both excellent martial arts and I'm not interested in taking part in an uniformed contretemps over what people who know next to nothing about either art assume to be true. In other words, I don't know enough to comment on either art, let alone judge between them; and unless a person is an expert in both, they're ignorant of at least one of them as well. Why poke the bear with a stick? Leave it be.

 

[Buka]

You guys are right, it depends on the fighter not the art. I'll expound a bit if I may.

If you first train in kickboxing your sense of distance (through repetitive training) is longer than that of a boxer's. Which may work for you but may very well work against you. It may work for you if you understand that kicking often takes you out of an ideal punching stance/distance and approach kicking with that in mind. (remember, we're talking about a kickboxer against a boxer and NOT self defense)

If the boxer has worked against kicking he's going to close distance to get inside your circle and get to work when/where you are out of stance.

If you're a kickboxer and haven't done any boxing training you likely won't be prepared for the way a boxer punches, for boxing and the punching of a kickboxer are not the same. There may be exceptions to this but they are exactly that, exceptions.

If you're a boxer and have never worked against a skilled Martial Artist you may very well be in for a surprise. IMO, the best first use of your feet against a boxer is to fake with the hands as a lead, and sweep his front leg.(real, real easy) Boxers hate this, it so shakes them up and most consider it dirty fighting. Once you've swept, especially if it drops him on his *** he's going to associate any leg movement with getting knocked down. He'll take time to adjust. You, of course, will take advantage of that time.

I could talk about the boxing vs kickboxing thing forever.

 

[Buka]

By the way, the reason I'm passionate about this subject is this - In the nineteen seventies Massachusetts made professional kickboxing illegal. It remained that way for several years. This came about because kickboxing shows were outselling boxing shows. Just about ran them out of business. The Athletic Commission in MA had several old boxers on board. So they held a meeting at the State House. They concluded that kicking was "dirty fighting" (yes, you read that right) And so....the clowns at the State House outlawed pro kickboxing. And, at the time, I was training in a boxing gym as well as at my dojo.

The outlawing of kickboxing cost some of us money and forced us to compete out of state. And it really p'd us off. If I remember correctly it was outlawed for about five years. Interestingly enough, when MMA came around some thirty something years later, I was part of a group that had to train some of those very boxing jerks in how to judge MMA. Oy.

The folks who run boxing - I still hate their guts. And although I love boxers, I love sparring them using Martial Arts. It's like Christmas every day.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Another thing to consider is that while the kickboxer may have a broader range of techniques to draw from, the boxer has a deeper understanding of his tools, which comes from being more specialized.

Boxing has a relatively small pool of techniques compared to most martial arts, but the study of them goes very deep. I've barely scratched the surface of what there is to learn about boxing.

 

[Koshiki]

On top of that, it depends where. All else being equal:
-Under boxing rules, the boxer will almost certainly win, because they train for that.
-Under kickboxing rules, the kickboxer will almost certainly win, they train for that.
-Under the rules of another sport, who knows? Both of them are probably pretty much equal at Wrestling...
-Outside of a ruleset, I dunno, the guy who slugs the other one in the jaw first, while he's not paying attention? Probably depends more on who starts the fight, what range the fight starts at, whether or not both of them know there's going to be a fight...

Now, to step outside of what's considered polite, I will say this:

1. Generally, I think it's easier to stay safe at longer range, if you're out matched than at a closer range. Point one for the boxer.
2. Generally, I think it's easier to press and maintain a close range than it is to keep a a committed opponent at bay. In other words, I think it's easier for a boxer to keep a kickboxer at boxing range, than it is for a kickboxer to keep a boxer at kickboxing range. Point two for the boxer.

So, while it's no way a decided thing, and while I have no experience in kickboxing, and like 3 months of boxing from when I was about 15, (in other words, I have no idea what I'm talking about), I think that, all else being equal, in a sporting match with somehow mutually favourable rules, that the advantage, on average, might tend towards the boxer slightly. Like, I dunno, maybe 55-45 or something...

 

[drop bear]

You will not find many people who enter a kicboxing match who just never bothered to learn to kick. And if you do they don't get very far.

 

[Tez3]

It depends on what they are fighting for and who wants to win the most in other words it depends on the fighter as has already been said here and a dozen times on similar threads.