The hangover from Ilia Topuria‘s victory last weekend is being very long, in a positive way for our interests. International mixed martial arts circles are still in awe after the masterful performance of the UFC champion, who managed to successfully defend his featherweight world title against a sports legend like Max Holloway. He knocked out someone who had never been knocked out before. and that he boasted of having the best boxing game within the company. But it all ended in one fell swoop when Topuria caught him with a left crochet.
With the waters calmer, one of the greatest national boxing coaches, Tinín Rodríguez, analyzes on ABC, from a boxing perspective, how Topuria was able to end up with the aforementioned Hawaiian fighter in that way. «It was damage provided by a accumulation of blows and the final definition. The right was where Ilia had the most conviction that she could go. A fighter of Topuria’s stature knows that he can define the fight only from above. “It’s out of this world,” he begins by pointing out.
Regarding the climactic moment, that of the winning combination of hands, Tinín points out that that left crochet “resulted in a few thousandths of a second.” «He did it with honors“He turned his foot well, he had a very good distribution of weights in the execution of the blow, the trajectory started up and ended down, it was an honorary note in that KO,” says the technician, who has been in the corner of the former world champion. Maravilla Martínez on several occasions.
But let’s go to the beginning, in which El Matador looked for a way to finish Holloway in a devastating way in the first round, but was unable to catch him clearly. «In the first round, I saw him emotionally as if talking to himself disappointed because I had not knocked him out in the first round, but he is very good, because Topuria put on his bricklayer’s overalls and was able to work like a worker. It is important because a champion, when he no longer feels like a champion, gets up from his chair and leaves. He continued with his worker’s overalls and behaved like a great champion,” analyzes Tinín.
Topuria’s movement was also important when the Hawaiian threw strong blows at him, the so-called heading. «The fly is not caught by its speed, but by its movement.what Ilia has is a constant movement in which he only has to change speed when his rival generates a stimulus on him. That change of speed is no longer just defensive, but it crosses his right hand,” details the coach.
Confidence in his punch
In addition to firm, constant work, Topuria has a key tool: the power in his blows. «He knows the great power of his punch and that gives a fighter convictionbecause if you lack punch, the normal thing is that you will collapse. You have the right to respect yourself in some mistakes, because you know it will come. For every three or four hands Holloway knows that one is enough for him. He was very firm and very serious in his combat strategy. His coach had warned that the definition of the fight would be with a left crochet,” says the trainer.
Tinín Rodríguez, boxer trainer
Furthermore, for Tinín, «Topuria is not just a fighter, but his own trainer, without, of course, detracting from the team that he has so professional, they are impressive as a team, but he also generates a number of ideas and readings that he makes when he sees a fight.” »Ilia has developed in her own self-knowledge, the coach can tell you that but it has to come from within to grow in that way in the boxing development she has had«, says the coach.
Regarding the definition of El Matador as a boxer, Tinín assures that He is “an aggressive stylist”. «My colleague Jaime Lera told me that definition, I really liked that definition. He was able to enjoy great tactical intelligence, both defensive and attacking,” he points out. Finally, asked if Topuria would be able to make a professional transition to boxing, and at what level he would be, Tinín is blunt: «He would have to generate a level to be European boxing champion. And I say would have because right now it is not enough because he has his adjustments for a sport like mixed martial arts, but I know that he has the ability to readjust for boxing. “He has an impressive level,” he concludes.
