With the rising popularity of the UFC and mixed martial arts, fans get to see athletes compete against each other with different fighting styles.
Wrestling and boxing are two of the oldest combat sports, both born out of Ancient Greece. Today, each has become a very popular sport.
So is boxing harder than wrestling? Keep reading to find out!
Is Boxing Harder Than Wrestling?
Both boxing and wrestling are difficult in unique ways. Before you decide, ask yourself:
Harder in what sense?
Otherwise, it’s like comparing apples to oranges since they are two completely different forms of self-defense.
In terms of power and conditioning, we’d say wrestling is more difficult than boxing. Wrestling is a grueling sprint, while boxing is often like a marathon.
On the other hand, in terms of timing, speed, and precision, boxing is more difficult than wrestling. Boxing is won by a matter of inches and seconds.
We’ll discuss more reasons why each sport could be harder than the other.
Reasons Why Wrestling is Harder Than Boxing
Some of the reasons why wrestling is harder than boxing include:
- Wrestling Is Constant Close-Contact Combat
- Your Whole Body Is A Target In Wrestling
- You Can Have Multiple Wrestling Bouts On The Same Day
Wrestling Is Constant Close-Contact Combat
First, wrestling is harder than boxing because it’s constant close-contact combat.
In boxing, you can always get out of your opponent’s range and move around the boxing ring.
The closest thing to grappling is a clinch, but the referee will break that up after a certain amount of time.
In a wrestling match, you are constantly pressing your weight on your opponent or having your opponent press his weight on you.
A wrestler strikes with his whole body, while a boxer primarily strikes with just his hands.
This leads into the next reason why wrestling can be considered harder than boxing.
Your Whole Body Is A Target In Wrestling
Next, wrestling is harder than boxing because your whole body is a target.
In boxing, you’re trained to aim for the head and the body with your punches. You can also aim for the arms and chest, but many boxers don’t focus on those.
You’re also not allowed to attack your opponent’s legs or back with a kidney punch.
In Greco-Roman wrestling, controlling your opponent’s back and legs are foundational techniques, while head movement is less important.
To get a dominant position on your opponent, you have to manipulate his bodyweight while making sure you don’t get pinned.
You Can Have Multiple Wrestling Bouts On The Same Day
Lastly, wrestlers often have multiple bouts on the same day.
In boxing, a fighter can spend months preparing for one professional boxing match, which could be over in seconds with a knockout.
On the other hand, according to the NFHS, high school wrestlers can have up to six bouts in a day.
In high school and collegiate wrestling, athletes go through a season of many matches and tournaments in a short amount of time which can be exhausting.
Reasons Why Boxing Is Harder Than Wrestling
On the other hand, some of the reasons why boxing is harder than wrestling include:
- Boxers Focus On Attacking The Head
- Boxers Don’t Have Protective Gear
- Boxers Focus On Speed and Precision
Boxers Focus On Attacking The Head
First, boxing is harder than wrestling because boxers focus on attacking the head.
In modern wrestling, you don’t focus on the head. Instead, you use any part of your opponent’s body (arm, leg, or back) to introduce your attack.
On the other hand, boxers are taught to always move their head before and after an attack.
When paired with footwork and hand defense, good head movement makes a boxer elusive and frustrating to his opponent.
Boxers Don’t Have Protective Gear
Next, boxing is harder than wrestling because there is no protective gear.
This applies more to professional boxing, rather than amateur boxing and sparring sessions.
In wrestling, both competitors have standard protective equipment. If you don’t have the right equipment ready, you’ll have points deducted even before the match starts.
On the other hand, professional boxers only have boxing gloves, which are meant more to protect the hands than the opponent’s head.
Because boxing gloves hurt more than fists, many long-time boxers suffer from concussions and cuts.
The longer you box without protective gear, the higher the risk of suffering from common boxing injuries.
Boxers Focus On Speed and Precision
Lastly, boxing is harder than wrestling because of the focus on speed and precision.
Timing and accuracy matter less in wrestling, while boxing is a sport of inches and seconds.
You can throw the hardest punch with perfect form, but if you’re out of range it won’t land.
On the other hand, you can throw the fastest combinations, but if your opponent figures out your timing, he can counter you.
Conclusion
After reading this article, now you know the unique facets of boxing and wrestling.
Both boxing and wrestling are difficult in unique ways; each is an effective martial art and way of self-defense.
Recently, people imagine matchups between their favorite fighters in different martial arts. Perhaps this is why MMA has become a popular combat sport.
If the question is if boxing would work in a street fight against wrestling, it depends.
If a boxer can keep range and stay off the ground, he has a good chance.
But once a wrestler gets to a boxer’s back and pins him to the ground, the fight is over.
Since weight matters more with wrestling and its use of body leverage, we think a smaller boxer could never beat a heavier wrestler, while a smaller wrestler could defeat a heavier boxer.
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