The Philly Shell Or The Mayweather Defence?
No one is certain as to who invented the ‘Philly Shell’ or when it came into existence. What is certain however according to boxing purists is it is not a fighting style as such, but a defensive tactic.
Origins:
The ‘Philly Shell’ is largely believed to have initially been used in the boxing gyms of the city of Philadelphia, hence its name. Philadelphia a renowned fighting city of endless raw talent which has produced legendary fighters such as George Benton, Joe Frazier and Bernard Hopkins mainly because the gyms there, like Joe Hand’s, always had no end of talent.
So replete with boxing talent and skill has Philadelphia traditionally been, that it is widely believed that it was those that did not make it as professionals who developed the Philly Shell. The theory being that though these fighters did not go pro themselves they nevertheless did not stop boxing. Many just carried on earning a living as sparring partners or sparred regularly just to stay in shape. It was thereby these fighters who developed the Philly Shell because some couldn’t train as often as professional fighters, so as a result of being a bit older and due to a decrease in stamina they established the tactic out of necessity.
Probably the best exponent of the Philly Shell:
The fighter who perhaps best demonstrated and illustrated why and how the Philly Shell was invented is Bernard Hopkins. If you take a look at his later fights (when he was older) you can see how the tactic would play out. In the early parts of a fight, Hopkins would use the Philly Shell intermittently to lure his opponents with his movement, frustrating them as they couldn’t land any solid punches of their own offense and would open themselves up to sharp counters. During the mid to later rounds, Hopkins would then go onto the ropes to “Shell Up” with his opponent now fearful of ‘taking the bait’ because of a possible counter. Hopkins knowing this, would use it along with feints to take advantage of the clock and get a ‘second wind’ before mounting his major offense later in the fight… a tactic some have called boxing genius! Which it may very well be, but in this writer’s opinion particularly regarding Hopkins, it wasn’t great to watch!
Other exponents of the Philly Shell:
Other great fighters have also mastered the Philly Shell but applied it differently; maybe even more so in its purest form. Yet such guys have often been overlooked in their utilisation of it. Fighters like George Benton (who later went on to become a great trainer) and more recently and entertainingly James Toney. Both Toney and Benton applied the Philly Shell as the main part of their arsenal. Standing in front of you, flat-footed, they almost dared you to hit them for especially in Toney’s case he was a devastating counter-puncher.
Nevertheless, take a look at George Benton in action as he is often credited with being one of the foremost proponents of the tactic.
Boxing is often said to be ‘a game of inches’; whereby a subtle variation or adjustment can make the difference. The Mayweather defence and Mayweather shoulder roll are great examples of this and of how these differences from the Philly Shell can make all the difference! Floyd taking less punishment due to the angles he created with his body when at a defensive posture, with those same angles then allowing him to create escape routes if on the ropes or even from the centre of the ring!
The Mayweather Defence:
The Mayweather defence originated with Dale Williams. Williams was a trainer in the Detroit area who worked with Mayweather Sr. early on in his boxing career. Mayweather Sr. credited Williams with teaching him much of what he knew initially about defence. Indeed, it is said Williams later taught Mayweather Sr. how to roll, block and counter punch whilst all the time remaining in a defensive pocket. The reason: Mayweather Sr had decreased mobility was due to a prior gunshot wound to the leg! And like that, the famed ‘Mayweather Defence’ was born!
How do the Mayweather Defence and the Phil Shell differ?
There are basically 3 important differences between the two defences;
- Footwork- fundamentally the Mayweather defence relies on footwork, whilst the Philly Shell does not. Fighters using the Philly Shell are often flat footed and ‘in the pocket’ (in range of each other’s power shots). Conversely, Mayweather Jr uses his defence to get himself out of ‘the pocket’ and or trouble, limiting the shot options he gives opponents. Indeed as soon as there is an angle Mayweather Jr counters when he can and skirts away. Mayweather Jr’s counters are also usually reliant on footwork with his stance also changing according to his opponents stance and the punch that was thrown.
- ‘Knees-in’ – with the Philly Shell a fighter’s knees often aren’t bent. To compensate he uses his hands, head and upper body to evade, block and catch punches on his gloves. With the Mayweather defence Floyd’s’ knees are bent and he bends his right knee before pulling his body away from his opponent and dipping downward (all the while remaining upright) so that the opponent’s punches have much less chance of connecting. Flexible knee(s) movement also allows Floyd to be more mobile and elusive, often evading his opponents punches at will, such is his footwork mastery.
- Shoulder – the posture of a Philly Shells fighter is not primarily different from a fighter who fights square up (both shoulders facing forward). Just they take a quarter or half step back on the back foot as they “Shell up”. Floyds lead shoulder however is always directly in front of him (and usually high) when in the Mayweather defence. This gives Floyd’s opponent a smaller target to hit and even allows Floyd to take punches to his shoulder whilst all the while hiding his right hand counter to the opponents’ jabs. The famed ‘Mayweather shoulder roll’ occurs when Mayweather decides not to take the jab on his shoulder but instead deflects it by turning his shoulder before coming back almost instantaneously with usually a hard straight right.
These three combined factors are what marks out the Mayweather defence as being essentially different from the Philly Shell. Moreover, they are a major reason why Mayweather Jr was able to last so long in the sport and stay undefeated. As he got older he changed as a fighter from the young ‘pretty boy Floyd’ of phenomenal hand speed, combination punching and mesmerising footwork (a’ la Ray Leonard) to someone who became a counter punching master of defence who rarely got hit, yet still hit his opponent frequently. In this respect he began to learn to manage and bide his activity level differently – a bit like Hopkins did with the Philly Shell, he managed his time and energy levels, allowing him the option to ‘turn it on’ at any point he decided to.
Which one is better? (opinion)
So now you are aware of the differences between the two styles which one is better you might ask? Well obviously it is subjective but I offer the following opinion and observations. Some great fighters have used versions of the Philly Shell or tweaked it and incorporated it into their fighting style. Beside the already mentioned fighters others such as Joe Louis and Joe Frazier utilised the Philly Shell in its more purist form and the bobbing and weaving aspect of it has been used from fighters as great as Ali to Tyson. So its impact and contribution to Boxing’s evolution is undeniable.
Some have used parts of it to great effect in their own inimitable way, Roy Jones Jr for example. Conversely, however few fighters have managed to fully employ anything like the Mayweather defence. Which took parts of the Philly Shell and improved upon it and was also used to good effect by Floyd Sr and Roger Mayweather. Pernell Whitaker who has frequently been referred to as the best defensive fighter ever perhaps comes closest to having done so. Indeed in 2015 Ring Magazine referred to him as “a southpaw version of Floyd Mayweather Jr”. However Whitaker was trained by Shell pioneer George Benton and great defensive fighter that he was didn’t have Mayweather’s footwork.
Ultimately, therefore I would proffer that it is possible to teach a lot of talented fighters the Philly Shell and lead them to good success. However, unless the ‘God given’ talent is there to incorporate all the aspects of the Mayweather defence then trying to is doomed to failure. Perhaps have a look at the following clip and decide for yourselves.
