Vetyeka ringcraft shows how finesse is great tool

OF RECENT, boxing lovers have familiarised themselves with settling for below-par performances in a boxing ring with many technical errors thrown in.

But along came Simphiwe Vetyeka to change that, with one of his best performances of his career, and certainly one that true boxing enthusiasts enjoyed and, in so doing, restoring the faith of many boxing enthusiasts.

Boxing is most enjoyable when it is made to look easy and effortless and, most importantly, when it is driven by purpose. What is meant by purpose though?

Purpose means being aware of everything you do in the ring and having an end-result-orientated mentality where you know the reason–and result–of every single action in the ring and knowing how to take ownership of the ring and use it to your advantage.

Our boxers tend to just go through the motions and without actually being aware of why and when to do certain things. For example, it’s not a rare sight to see a boxer throwing a jab and not actually being aware of why he is throwing that jab.

There should be a reason behind throwing every single jab. It could either be to set up a follow-up blow or it could be used to gauge the target, so that one is able to stay within range to land a shot.

It is also important to note that purpose and discipline in the ring go hand-in-hand. One quality cannot be fully effective without the other.

One has to be disciplined in the execution of a plan because when the fight takes a bad turn, one still has to remain within the fight plan and maintain the same amount of purpose and drive to carry a boxer to victory.

Vetyeka also reminded us of how important movement is – and how it can enable one to take ownership of the ring.

At all times one should strive to be in control of the ring.

The smarter boxer has to decide at what pace the fight is fought and his movements have to be executed in a way that enables him to land.

In most instances, when avoiding punches, our boxers tend to move far off the target and end up unable to land punches and when they try to land them, they get caught with counter-punches.

Last Friday, we were reminded of the options that a boxer has when he or she is under attack from an opponent.

One need not always move backwards when under attack, but can simply slip the punches and counter with solid shots of your own.

Although some boxers have a natural sense of purpose in the ring, purpose – and alertness – are qualities that can be worked on over time.

There is nothing more tragic than a boxer who does not know when to do the right thing in the ring.

It is therefore imperative that fights are planned thoroughly in the gym and fighters are taught these things because it is so easy to lose an easy fight by not knowing how to go about doing the right things.

Boxers like Vetyeka are the last of the kind referred to as “old school” where the emphasis is on the actuall “beauty” of the game – basics and accurate punching.

It is therefore very important that we preserve the beauty of the “sweet science” by making sure that we continue to instill good habits in our boxers’ make-up, so as to come up with more world-beaters like the Tetes and the Vetyekas.