Regarded as the best technical boxer of this age, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the man who perfected the ‘Philly Shell,’ a move typically regarded as a useful but situational weapon. The Philly Shell defense is constructed of 3 main factors:
The Philly Shell
-The lead hand is turned and tucked against the sternum in an ‘L’ shape, raising the shoulder to protect the chin.
-The rear hand is tucked tight against the chin on the other side, providing solid defense from both right and left-hand shots to the body and head.
-Twisting the hips to either side allows the boxer to deflect punches off his lead shoulder or rear hand, enabling quick counter shots.
The usual weakness of this defensive boxing technique is that punch selection from this position is generally limited, however, Floyd was able to negate this weakness by using his very high ring IQ and clever use of a flicking jab off the back foot to funnel opponents into the right ‘lines of fire’ to land his best punches and negate theirs. Watch his skills in full effect by watching the Mayweather vs. Mosley fight.