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The history behind Soviet-style boxing
Not only did this school of fighting create champions in Eastern Europe, it influenced boxers across the entire world, explains JOHN WIGHT
kapow: Oleksandr Usyk (left) lands a punch on Tyson Fury during ninth round of the Heavyweight Championship fight in Riyadh, May 18, 2024

THE SOVIET school/style of boxing — think Bivol, think Usyk, think Golovkin, think Kovalev, and think the Klitschko brothers — traces its roots to the famed boxing schools of the now non-existent communist state.

These were the breeding grounds for the development of the tactical acumen and technical precision within a fighter’s armoury.

It was devised as a response to the challenges posed by opponents, rather than the reliance on sheer personal toughness and determination.

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