Boxing vs Kickboxing

[Reyaj]

Is it safe to say that a good kickboxer would beat a good boxer? Since a kickboxer uses both legs and fists can we assume the style is better?


It seems like kickboxing is used more in MMA, yet most knockouts occur by the fist.... so I'm confused.

Take Chuck Lidell. He is a kickboxer but usually ends u knocking poeple out by boxing......

Want to hear some feedback from the experts

 

[mexican_player2]

depends, a boxer is more about clean technique, the kickboxer is more street

but it depends on who is better, if you get a better boxer he'll win, and viceversa

 

[wolf116]

the more weapons you use, the more your apponent has to focus on. So you can confuse him.

Eg. Kick him in the legs. His attension is now on his legs. then punch him in the face

If a dude knows he's versin a boxer, he can then place all his attension on the fists

 

[underdog]

shoot, im practicing both at the moment. I guess they both can be good.

 

[PuroDeAgave]

chuck Lidell KO's by punching but he throws kicks to the legs and stuff too. People do get knocked out by kicks too if you saw Matt Hughes and George St Pierre 2.
I would say if you put chuck lidell with boxing gloves in the ring with a pro boxer like Roy Jones in his good days I think chuck would lose but vice versa if you put him and Roy in the octagon with the little leather gloves

 

[Unregistered]

One advantage kickboxing has is clinch work. A boxer is trained to protect himself in the clinch and maybe throw a few shots before the referee breaks the fighters apart.

If you've never seen a really good Muay Thai clinch, try watching Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin. Franklin simply can't escape Silva's clinch until he gets bludgeoned with about 5 or 6 good knees.

Overall, kickboxing is more versatile. It teaches elbow, knee, and leg strikes. It teaches to defend below the belt. However, the most effective strike is still a punch, because it can be used long or short range, can be thrown in quick combination, allows you to retain your balance, and allows you to quickly maintain your defense.

So a boxer could handle himself against a kickboxer (assuming neither one has ground skills), but Muay Thai is the more practical art for street defense.

 

[howardalex]

I've gotta say kickboxer for the elbows, knees and low kicks...

oh yeah and I do kickboxing and jiu jitsu but I'm switching from kickboxing to boxing (bored) and I've started capoeira too, so that's an informed view :rockon:

 

[Reyaj]

but i thought kickboxing wasn't practically for street fights...

see like everything on here, conflicting information!

 

[howardalex]

but i thought kickboxing wasn't practically for street fights...

see like everything on here, conflicting information!

well the 2 sides of it are:

boxers - better at punching, much better - high kicks not practical in the steet

kickboxers - elbows are really useful, low kicks are useful, kick in the nuts is always good

 

[Adone]

One advantage kickboxing has is clinch work. A boxer is trained to protect himself in the clinch and maybe throw a few shots before the referee breaks the fighters apart.

If you've never seen a really good Muay Thai clinch, try watching Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin. Franklin simply can't escape Silva's clinch until he gets bludgeoned with about 5 or 6 good knees.

Overall, kickboxing is more versatile. It teaches elbow, knee, and leg strikes. It teaches to defend below the belt. However, the most effective strike is still a punch, because it can be used long or short range, can be thrown in quick combination, allows you to retain your balance, and allows you to quickly maintain your defense.

So a boxer could handle himself against a kickboxer (assuming neither one has ground skills), but Muay Thai is the more practical art for street defense.

1. Kickboxing hasn't got clinches.
2. Kickboxing DOESN'T teach elbow and knee strikes.
3. Kickboxing is not Muay Thai.


IMO, in a real fight you don't need kicking skills, so kickboxing hasn't got anything more useful than boxing. Actually, a good kickboxer throws lighter punches than a good boxer, so boxing would be a better choice.

Usually, in a street fight, you only need to be fast (Muay Thai is the best here), powerful (Muay Thai and boxing) and maybe to avoid your opponent's strikes (Judo, BJJ and Krav Maga are the best for this).

 

[Teflon_Mcgee]

1. Kickboxing hasn't got clinches.
2. Kickboxing DOESN'T teach elbow and knee strikes.
3. Kickboxing is not Muay Thai.


IMO, in a real fight you don't need kicking skills, so kickboxing hasn't got anything more useful than boxing. Actually, a good kickboxer throws lighter punches than a good boxer, so boxing would be a better choice.

You can generate so much power from a kick if you are profecient. Kicking is a very good skill to have in a street fight.

But most fights will end up on the ground anyway and kicking and punching become secondary thoughts.

I think any street fight can be won by a mastery of fundamental fighting skills and proper aggression. People make it more complicated than it needs to be.

A well trained p^ssy boxer with no agression will lose to a beginner kick boxer with strong agression.

A well trained p^ssy kickboxer with no agression will lose to a beginner boxer with strong agression.

Of course strength does have a lot to do with it but does not always make up for a solid understanding of fundamental fighting skills and a will to win.

There is ALOT more to fighting than being able to throw a punch or kick.

 

[Ice Cold]

1) There's no "better"
2) The guys here aren't experts
3) Better guy wins

Kickboxing puts your legs in place. Boxing is all about the hands. When I was boxing there were quite a few kickboxers boxing just to make sure their "handwork" is good.

I've never seen a kickboxer fight a boxer. IMHO the boxer is open for legs and couldn't handle the kickboxer at a distance.

Kickboxer is trained to defend himself from both arms and legs. His stance and defences are more suitable for a streetfight. So if the kickboxer uses the legs, he'll probably win.

A wrestler will kick both their asses.

 

[Teflon_Mcgee]

A wrestler will kick both their asses.

I've seen it. It's true.
But if you're only skill is wrestling/grappling/ground fighting and you have more than one opponant or can't get him on the ground then you are f^cked.

 

[Adone]

Kickboxer is trained to defend himself from both arms and legs.

That's the problem. Your typical bar brawler will never kick you, so what's the need of defending yourself from legs? In a brawl, it's just punches and grounding skills, that's why kickboxing hasn't got anything more useful than boxing in a brawling context.

 

[MrS]

My bullsh1t meter for this thread is at an alltime high, which is generally the case when people discuss "fighting".

KICKBOXING isn't elbows, knees, it's LEG strikes. MUAY THAI, THAI BOXING use elbows and knees, Kickboxing was just boxing with kicks, developed in America. People confuse a lot of sh1t.

Bottom line is, you will generally never come across someone who knows a martial art well enough, who goes looking for fights in the street. If he does, he's not very good, is out to prove something, and can get his ass whooped.

So all this "that's useful in the street!" crap is just that.
ANYONE on the street who can JAB, the most basic boxing punch of them all, will beat the other guy silly. So don't come in with the "boxing sucks, it's all on the ground, wrestler wins!". Wrestler doesn't strike, boxer doesn't cuddle around on the ground, locking arms, heads, whatever.

And a someone good enough at boxing will have better defence up top and to the body than someone who kickboxes to the same level, kickboxers aren't the best fighters in the world and suddenly are just as good as what other people do at another "martial art". Just like boxers can't kick for **** as well as kickboxers.

I don't think a kickboxer would stand a chance in a real fight against a boxer. There isn't much room for high kicks in public places and if the kickboxer manages to throw one, he wouldn't hit the boxer because of the distance. I'd put my money on the boxer any day.

I'm sorry, but that's quite.. wrong. A REAL fight is a professional, amateur fight, with rules. Your so called "real" fight can be ended when one guy shoves that piece of glass from the bar top into the other guy's eye, or one of them runs away (MOST SENSIBLE), or a 200 pound guy sits on top of the 110 pound kid, or it GOES TO THE FLOOR IN 10 seconds and the other guy can't see what's going on because his gangster hoody is over his eyes, or his 5 buddies come and jump the other dude. So, to judge the merit of any contact sport, you have to play by the rules with two skilled individuals, not two bums drunk in a bar, who will inevitably be broken up and thrown out at some point.

 

[Adone]

I'm sorry, but that's quite.. wrong. A REAL fight is a professional, amateur fight, with rules. Your so called "real" fight can be ended when one guy shoves that piece of glass from the bar top into the other guy's eye, or one of them runs away (MOST SENSIBLE), or a 200 pound guy sits on top of the 110 pound kid, or it GOES TO THE FLOOR IN 10 seconds and the other guy can't see what's going on because his gangster hoody is over his eyes, or his 5 buddies come and jump the other dude. So, to judge the merit of any contact sport, you have to play by the rules with two skilled individuals, not two bums drunk in a bar, who will inevitably be broken up and thrown out at some point.

I think that by "real fight", he refers to something like fight club. Meaning, you can do anything to your opponent, but you can only use your body, not foreign objects (this sounds gay). In this context, I'd put my money on the boxer. Better yet, Muay Thai or BJJ.

 

[MrS]

I don't think you can find that kind of fight club in your immediate area

Boxing would be great at the start, Muay Thai would have a tough time getting close enough to throw those elbows/knees, BJJ it would have to reach the floor.

Just depends on how much distance is closed, since we're not talking about trained athletes most likely it will end with a good strike.

 

[Ice Cold]

I've seen it. It's true.
But if you're only skill is wrestling/grappling/ground fighting and you have more than one opponant or can't get him on the ground then you are f^cked.

I think with multiple opponents, I'm ****ed unless I have a gun. Maybe some military style where you tear their arms off while standing...

That's the problem. Your typical bar brawler will never kick you, so what's the need of defending yourself from legs? In a brawl, it's just punches and grounding skills, that's why kickboxing hasn't got anything more useful than boxing in a brawling context.

I dunno man. People who are trained to fight with legs go to bars just the same.

 

[Adone]

I don't think you can find that kind of fight club in your immediate area

Boxing would be great at the start, Muay Thai would have a tough time getting close enough to throw those elbows/knees, BJJ it would have to reach the floor.

Just depends on how much distance is closed, since we're not talking about trained athletes most likely it will end with a good strike.

Really well put. That's why I said boxing is superior to kickboxing in such kind of setting. A good boxer usually punches harder than a good kickboxer, which means you'll have more chances to KO your opponent

I dunno man. People who are trained to fight with legs go to bars just the same.

Many people who are not trained at all can harm you by punching you, while very few untrained people can harm you by kicking you.

 

[Ice Cold]

Many people who are not trained at all can harm you by punching you, while very few untrained people can harm you by kicking you.

I think for untrained drunks it doesn't matter what MA you know. As long as you have SOME training, you'll be able to deal with them.

On the other hand if your drunk had a boxing career...