The average reach of a professional boxer depends greatly on
the boxer’s overall size. Reach can be a make-or-break physical aspect of a
professional boxer and will somewhat dictate the best style for a boxer to use.
What is the average reach of a professional boxer? The average reach across the most
successful champions, past and present, in all 17 WBA boxing weight classes is
71 inches, or 180 centimeters (for which data was available).
Broken down by weight class, the average reaches look like this:
| Weightclass | Reach in inches | Reach in cm |
| Heavyweight (200+ lbs.) | 76.3 in | 194 cm |
| Cruiserweight (175-200 lbs.) | 77.4 in | 197 cm |
| Light Heavyweight (168-175 lbs.) | 74.0 in | 188 cm |
| Super Middleweight (160-168 lbs.) | 72.7 in | 185 cm |
| Middleweight (154-160 lbs.) | 72.9 in | 185 cm |
| Light Middleweight (147-154 lbs.) | 72.1 in | 183 cm |
| Welterweight (140-147 lbs.) | 71.2 in | 181 cm |
| Light Welterweight (135-140 lbs.) | 69.8 in | 177 cm |
| Lightweight (130-135 lbs.) | 68.4 in | 174 cm |
| Super Featherweight (126-130 lbs.) | 69.6 in | 177 cm |
| Featherweight (122-126 lbs.) | 66.7 in | 169 cm |
| Super Bantamweight (118-122 lbs.) | 70.8 in | 180 cm |
| Bantamweight (115-118 lbs.) | 67.7 in | 172 cm |
| Super Flyweight (112-115 lbs.) | 66.8 in | 170 cm |
| Flyweight (108-112 lbs.) | 64.6 in | 164 cm |
| Light Flyweight (105-108 lbs.) | 63.4 in | 161 cm |
| Strawweight (up to 105 lbs.) | 63.8 in | 162 cm |
If you want to know why the reach is so big of a factor check here: “Why Reach is Important in Boxing.”
To learn more about the colleration between the weight class, the height and the reach and how some boxers are successful even though their reach isn’t that long, or how the long-reach fighters use that in their boxing style, keep reading:
Reach, Height, and Weight Class
Reach is measured as the arm span, fingertip to fingertip
and is a major factor in determining a fighter’s style and approach to each
fight.
A boxer’s overall body composition includes reach and will a
determining factor in style and weight class.
For example, Fighter A is 5ft, 10in, and over 200 lbs.
Fighter B is 6ft, 6in and also in the heavyweight division.
Now, when it comes to reach, Fighter A has a reach of 75
inches and Fighter B has a reach of 80 inches. Fighter B will likely take an out-boxing
or boxer-puncher
approach while Fighter A will want to utilize swarming
tactics to get inside on Fighter B.
Most people would rightly bet on Fighter B winning the
match.
On the other hand, a shorter boxer could cut weight (within
reason) to get into a lower weight class where his/her reach is more
competitive as compared to the opponent.
There are many strategies for boxers with shorter reaches to gain small advantages on their opponents.
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Successful Boxers with Short Reaches (relative to weight class average)
Anthony Joshua vs.
Andy Ruiz Jr.
Most recently we may think of Anthony
Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. in a fight for the heavyweight title. The specs on
the match were:
- Anthony
Joshua – 22-0 (21 KOs), 247.8 lbs (lean), 6ft 6in, 82 in reach - Andy
Ruiz Jr. – 32-1 (21 KOs), 268 lbs (heavy), 6ft 2in, 74 in reach
On paper, Ruiz was between a 10/1 and 20/1 underdog before
the fight.
Anthony Joshua employs a boxer-puncher style – jabbing and
movement combined with power.
Andy Ruiz Jr. is a swarmer – getting inside his opponents,
taking away space and timing. He is always pressing and has tremendous power
and speed on his punches.
If you haven’t seen it, Ruiz Jr. won in round 7 by TKO.
He was able to get inside on Joshua and use his speed and power
to overwhelm his opponent.
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
was one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. In his career, he won
all 49 of his fights, 43 of them by knockout.
His reach was 68 inches.
He was a swarmer and got inside on his opponent a
LOT.
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson was
one of the most feared fighters of all time but he also had a reach of only 71 inches. His forte was
strength, power, and intimidation over his opponents.
To put this into perspective, Tyson beat Larry Holmes on January 1, 1988, and Holmes had a 10 in reach advantage at 81
inches.
Weight Classes Outside of Heavyweight
All the examples above are heavyweight examples. The nature
of the heavyweight division being anything above 200 lbs allows for a wide
discrepancy in reach.
Cruiserweight has a 25 lb range so that weight class can
have a large discrepancy in boxers’ reaches as well.
Once we get into the middleweight division, the gap in
reaches among the top champions is only 7 inches wide. All the way down at
strawweight the list of champions only has a gap of 3 inches from top to
bottom.
Overall, tighter
tolerances on weight correlate with less variation in the range in reaches.
Boxing Champions who Take (Took) Advantage of Reach
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather
Jr. is known as one of the best defensive boxers of all time. He is elusive
and keeps his opponents right at the edge of his reach so he always has the
advantage.
He has a reach of 72 inches and in one of his most famous
fights versus Manny Pacquiao he
had a 7-inch reach advantage.
Mayweather is the epitome of the out-boxer style in today’s
world and he has a record of 50-0-0 to show how good he really is at using his
reach.
Thomas Hearns
Thomas Hearns
had one of the best left
hand jabs of all time which allowed him to go up and down in weight classes
and remain highly successful.
He fought mainly in the light middleweight division and was
sporting a 78 inch reach. He was able to stay on the outside and work his
opponents with his masterful jab.
Strategies for Shorter Reaches
We have mentioned the swarming style of boxing but what that
really means is that the boxer needs to get inside on a larger opponent to take
away timing, space, and therefore the reach advantage.
Longer reaches have the range and jab advantage so the
shorter boxer should try to keep the opponent’s lead hand busy.
Once you have the opponent on their back foot, bobbing and
weaving is necessary to defend against any punches from the back hand. Once the
opponent leans in, then you can deliver combinations up top, to the body, and
uppercut.
It is about controlling and driving the fight and reacting
when the opponent is out of proper position.
Strategies for Longer Reaches
The out-boxing style is employed by many boxers with a reach
advantage. Jabs and straight combinations are key to an opponent with longer
reach winning their fights.
Understanding your range and feeling out your opponent’s range
is important with this style. If you keep outside of your range by a small
step, then your opponent will need to take a much larger step to close the
distance when you can take a shorter, quicker step to attack.
Many out-boxers also have great footwork. Keeping a more
sideways stance to nimbly dodge and block the opponent’s strikes is important
until you find an opportunity to reach in and use your range advantage with a
variety of combos.
It is important that when a fighter with longer range does
attack they are ready to jump back outside or bob and weave to avoid any
counters from the opponent.
Conclusion
Reach is extremely important in any boxing match. Longer
reaches tend to have the advantage, but boxers with shorter reaches can employ
some important strategies to shift the advantage their way.
The most successful boxers in history understand their
opponents’ strengths as well as their own. Along with their trainers, they can
utilize different strategies to shift any advantage their way.