In boxing, defense is every bit as important as throwing punches. Making your opponent miss causes frustration and fatigue, which can help you tip the scales in your favor. In order to get the most out of your defense in Undisputed, it’s important to understand some basic boxing fundamentals before you step into the ring.
Best Defending Techniques In Undisputed
Understanding Range
Before you frantically skip through the pre-fight cutscenes, take a look at the “Tale of the Tape,” specifically reach. Most of us boxing fans have a general idea who the bigger fighter is but looking at the reach can help you stay out of the reach of your opponent. If you’re serious about your boxing, you’ll want to spend the first round, maybe even first couple of rounds, feeling out your opponent and seeing if there’s a distance between you and your opponent where you’re out of his/her punch range but close enough to land some shots of your own.
There are a lot of Tyson Fury fighters out there, and for good reason, he’s replicated very well. If you come up against the likes of Fury or Wilder with say Joe Louis, you’re going to have to find that range where you can get in and throw some punches while jumping back out of range.
Controlling The Rhythm Of The Fight
The key to defense isn’t just about making your opponent miss, it’s about keeping them off-balance so they can’t time your attacks or react fast enough to evade your punches. Part of controlling the rhythm of the fight is understanding range, but there’s also an element of rhythm so that your movement around the ring has to be on point.
If you’re in with a bigger fighter, you’ll probably see your opponent chase you and vice versa with a smaller fighter. You’ll need to either cut the ring off or use “Loose Footwork” to control the fight. If you can perform this, you’ll usually see your opponent get frustrated and resort to predictable attacks that are easy to block, or wild swings and misses that drain stamina — although not as much as I would like as of now.
Staying Off The Center Line – Movement
In line with the previous two tips, staying off the center line with movement is paramount to your success. Those not familiar with the term “center line” should know that it’s essentially when two boxers are squared up and the middle of your bodies are in line.
The bottom line here is that when you’re standing directly in front of your opponent, you are are easier to hit. The toughest fights I’ve had are always against players who move and do so with the intention of using it as a way of defending. You can’t hit what you can’t see.
Know Your Opponent’s Strengths
So what do you do when you’re being dictated to, are in-range, and standing in front of your opponent? Protect yourself as best you can, and one way to do that is by knowing what your opponent’s best punches are. If you’re facing Canelo, you have to expect that left hook to the body. With Joe Frazier, it’s that looping left hand. And who can forget Deontay Wilder’s overhand right? Those punches end fights, so against them I tend to keep my block up or down accordingly.
Sure this will open you up to other punches, but if you’re going to get hit — and you will — you’d rather take their third or fourth best punch than their moneymaker.
Don’t Overdo The Weave & Slip
Once you’re within your opponent’s range, it’s not all bad news. Using your weave (L2/LT) can get you of harm’s way, but if you get too happy with it, it can lead you into some big shots. Roy Jones Jr. is one fighter in Undisputed that looks lifelike with his head movement, a testament to both the folks that mo-capped him and to Roy for still having the juice.
Conversely, slipping with the left stick is very effective, but overdoing it causes your stamina to take a hit. As you get more comfortable with the controls and/or a specific fighter, you can start to chain counters off these defensive actions. A slip to the lead side is a great way for Canelo players to land his best punch.
Bottom Line
The most successful fighters I’ve seen and encountered online in Undisputed all share a similar characteristic, good defense. Getting the most out of your defensive game isn’t solely about just blocking punches or making your opponent miss. It’s about keeping them off-balance and out of rhythm so that when they do throw punches, they don’t find their intended target.
Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your fighter and opponent is also vital as some boxers have stronger defensive qualities when compared to others. Understanding these nuances and working on implementing them into your fight game will see you reap instant rewards.
