Working with MMA Fighters Has Taught Freddie Roach About Using Angles in Boxing

Freddie Roach, on “Rewind,” discussing how his work with MMA fighters has helped him train boxers:

“I was working with [B.J. Penn]. He came in from Hawaii. One of the best strikers I’ve ever taught. A very good striker. Very clean puncher. After his combinations, I’d have him bobbing and weaving, and then he told me, he said, ‘Freddie, in my sport, that bobbing and weaving, I’m going to run into a knee or a kick and it’s going to be over.’ We started working on under and out. Now, when we go under, we go out. We put ourselves on the angle with the opponent and then from that angle we can strike him or take him down or go with a leg kick. The options were so wide open. I said to myself, I said, my [boxers], this is going to work really great for them also. ... Usually boxers just bob and weave right in front of each other, but with the under and out, it really creates a great angle. You’re really blindsiding the opponent pretty much. He’s turning into you, and you’re coming with it full force. ... Stuff like that’s really helped me. I work a lot more on angles with my fighters now because when you can create an angle, it’s so much easier to attack an opponent. It’s really not that hard to create actually and it’s very effective.”