When it comes to weight training for boxing, no other exercise has made as noticeable a difference in my boxing as heavy squats. When I started boxing, I was coming off years of weight training and had a decent amount of size and strength. Unfortunately, my 5’7″ height and 177 pound weight would not put me in an advantageous position to win fights. In my quest to lose weight and get down to 165 pounds for middleweight, I gave up most training with weights and just did cardio push ups burpees ab work and of course the boxing itself it took me about 4 months to slowly get to my target weight by the time I got there I felt great and very light I did funny was that even though I had sharpened my technique, my power on a single punch had taken a nosedive. I remember in the beginning I could really push guys back with the jab, and I could throw a right hook to the body that resonated in I didn’t worry too much about it at the time, my skills had improved and I thought that losing power was just a natural part of losing weight and becoming more precise with technique.
It wasn’t until I went to the gym with a friend one day about 2 years later that I was reintroduced to squats and deadlifts. I couldn’t believe how weak I had become, it was an ego blow that my strength had practically been cut in half. I made it a point to regain my strength in the fundamental lifts (squat, deadlift, and bench press). After about 6 weeks of steady work, most of my strength started to come back, particularly in the squat where I used to do 4-6 reps with 315lbs (3 plates each side).
I later sparred with that weakling to prepare a guy for the next Provincials, and after the second round, the trainer came up to my ringside and whispered, “Hey, take it easy, he says you’re hitting too hard.” “. That!? I laughed to myself, am I hitting too hard!? He hadn’t heard that in a long time, and especially not from a guy of this level. But I was on to something, I realized I wasn’t pushed as much in the ring, I could hold my stance, block shots and then shoot with more solid balance. It also became easy and natural to drop my levels to get low shots and body ripping. I found myself transitioning, stopping and starting with relative ease. Essentially, my Legacies carried me around like nothing. I hadn’t felt this solid since I started, but now I had a full arsenal of techniques to go with my new found strength.
There’s always the question of whether weight training slows you down, my belief is that it doesn’t and can actually speed you up. However, adding too much weight can eventually slow it down, and it takes more work on the part of the heart and lungs to support that weight. My advice to you, based on practical experience, is to take your squats seriously and build as much strength and power as you can in this exercise. Notice how much more solid and agile you become in the ring.