Roy Jones Tells Andre Ward How He Fought Gerald McClellan

Roy Jones Tells Andre Ward How He Fought Gerald Mcclellan

Gerald McClellan was one of the most dangerous super-middleweights in the 80s and 90s in America and worldwide until tragedy struck.

His fight with the UK’s Nigel Benn in 1995 left him fighting for his life with a serious brain injury.

American McClellan has made some repair though from injury from some help from those in boxing and is still alive today at 57.

Boxing legend and former middleweight and WBA heavyweight champion Roy Jones shared the ring with him in the amateurs (losing to McClellan).

Roy Jones Tells Andre Ward How He Fought Gerald McClellan

Speaking to Andre Ward on his show ‘All The Smoke Fight’ Roy Jones Jr said of his fight with Gerald McClellan:

“Yeah, Gerald was very difficult. His thing was that Gerald always wanted to land the right hand and would commit to it. If you threw a right hand and rolled out to your right, he would jump in with a right hand followed by a left hook—he did that a lot. Exactly, he did it frequently, so I understood his pattern. What I started doing against Gerald was keeping him on the outside, staying away from him, and forcing him to throw the right hand while moving to my right. Do you understand me? But you have to force him to throw it because that’s his best shot. If you let him wait and throw it when he chooses, he’ll catch you with it. But if you make him throw it by engaging him, he can’t help but do it—you’re forcing his hand. You see? By doing that, you make him act out of character since he’s used to hiding it and sneaking it in. If you make him throw it on your terms, you control the pace. That’s how it works, but with a guy like that, you have to let some of that early steam off because he comes out strong. You can’t get hit with that right hand in the first four rounds—not with a legitimate puncher like him.”

Some invaluable advise even in today’s times for fighters who face dangerous punchers on how to deal with them.

Good to see Roy Jones and Andre Ward doing more technical boxing segments on the science behind the sport.

Crucial in these times as boxing continues to grow and expand worldwide that new fans continue to be educated on the technical science behind the sweet science.


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