Boxer vs. Wrestler – Who Would Win?


Wrestling

A boxer and a wrestler are both competent fighters, capable of beating anyone by executing various fighting techniques, such as grappling or punching. However, we can’t help but wonder: if they were to fight, who would come out on top?

A wrestler would beat a boxer because grappling counters punching, since it’s a close-range fighting technique. In such instance, boxing has no real effectiveness, especially when the boxer is on his back. That’s when the wrestling trainee shines, when the fight goes to the ground.

A boxer on his back is a white belt. There’s no option in boxing for the fight to go to the ground. As a result, there’s no real reason for boxing trainees to practice in such an instance. That’s, however, where wrestling shines, bringing a fight from a standing position to the ground.

If the wrestler can manage to do so, he’ll get the advantage immediately. Inevitably, there’s no instance where the boxer will win, unless he can land a fierce punch until he’s on the ground. If he’s unable of doing so, his chances of winning greatly diminish.

That said, wrestling and boxing are both solid martial arts, who teach effective and practical fighting techniques. The best case scenario is for you to learn both, so you’ll become an adaptive and competent fighter. However, if you had to choose one, follow the link to read about the differences between boxing and wrestling.

Can a boxer beat a wrestler?

Comparing two martial arts—is rather impossible. We can never know what the outcome of a fight will be, as anything can happen. For example, one fighter might suddenly land a fierce punch before the other has managed to do anything. As a result, he’ll be more probable of lifting the trophy.

A boxer can, indeed, beat a wrestler if he were to land a solid punch, preferably before the second had even had time to come close. As a result, the boxing trainee would cause massive damage and thus gain the advantage. Such a scenario—isn’t as probable, as a solid wrestler would be able to penetrate his defense.

Boxing coach
Photo by Xuan Nguyen on Unsplash

We can only assume what would happen in a real fight. However, we can never know what the outcome will be. It may even be that the boxer will land a punch when recovering from the ground, as he was able to break free from the offensive wrestling means.

Nonetheless, that scenario is unlikely, as you don’t learn grappling-defense in boxing. In wrestling, however, you don’t need to learn defense against punches, as the fight goes to the ground quickly. That means that punching—isn’t as effective, as, let’s say, more grappling.

I’ve seen many fights go down. From my experience, the boxer has almost no chances of winning, as he’s incapable of throwing punches when on the ground. That’s also why grappling—is the most effective fighting technique in the world of martial arts.

If you want to learn more about grappling and its effectiveness, follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.

What is the difference between a wrestler and a boxer?

There’s one primary difference when discussing various martial arts. I’ll start with what it is not. First, it’s not their purpose, as that it to teach others how to fight. Likewise, it’s not suitability for self-defense, as they both teach practical fighting techniques. But, it’s what they teach.

The difference between a wrestler and a boxer is the fighting techniques they use to teach their trainees. Wrestling is all about grappling, as its goal is to pin the opponent to the ground, while on his back. On the other hand, boxing is the art of punching, so it teaches everything to do with punching and evading punches.

Wrestling
Photo by Chris Chow on Unsplash

Because there’s no scenario where a boxing fight can turn to the ground, there’s no real reason to prepare for such a scenario. Therefore, a boxer will not know how to react while being on the ground.

Similarly, a wrestler doesn’t have to learn how to evade punches, as punching in wrestling—is deemed illegal. For that reason, if they were to fight, he would have to try to evade as many punches as possible, possibly throwing some of his own.

Of course, there are other differences between the two martial arts. That said, they’re not nearly as critical as the fighting techniques each teaches. If you want to choose one to learn, it’ll be best to see what you prefer learning, punching or grappling.

The advantages of wrestling over boxing

The primary advantage of wrestling over boxing—is the fact that it teaches grappling, which heavily counters punching. If the wrestler can get into the boxer’s defensive line, even if it means receiving a punch or two, he’s much more likely to win the fight.

Grappling is one of the best fighting techniques. Do you think you can kick or punch when you’re on the ground, on your back? In my eyes, such an action—is more difficult than it seems, as you don’t have any leverage to generate power or momentum.


If you want to learn about the differences between kickboxing and boxing, follow the link. It’ll help you better understand the art of punching.

The advantages of boxing over wrestling

Boxing is the simplest martial arts out there. Learning its basics, as a result, is much easier than learning how to grapple. For that reason, boxers are capable of learning to punch—quicker than wrestlers learning to grapple, since it’s much less intuitive.

Inside each person, there’s the punching reflex. Men and women as one know how to punch, even if they have never learned any martial art. That’s because it’s an automatic movement. Grappling, however, isn’t.

As such, if you’re looking to learn a simple martial art, I encourage you to consider learning to box.

Here’s why the wrestler would win against a boxer

When two martial artists fight, the encounter can go either way. We can never predict the outcome of any fight, as we don’t know what will happen. A single fierce punch is all it takes to cause massive damage and knock the opponent. Hence, the boxer has some chances of winning.

A wrestler is much more likely to win against a boxer because grappling counters punching, since it utilizes close-range movements. For that reason, punching is useless in such a scenario. As the old saying goes, a boxer on his back is a white belt.

However, the boxer does have some chances of winning. He’d have to try to throw a solid punch to the wrestling trainee. When the wrestler gets close to him, throwing a hook or an uppercut—is ideal. However, if he can’t manage to do so, his chances greatly slim down.


If you want to maximize your progression rate in the boxing gym, follow the link to see tips and tricks on that’ll help you do so.

Final words

Boxing and wrestling are both effective and practical martial arts for self-defense. If you want to learn how to fight, you can go ahead and choose either.

The primary difference between the two martial arts is what they teach as their primary fighting technique. While some wrestling gyms may teach punching—their primary focus is on grappling. If you want to learn grappling, pick wrestling.

On the other hand, if you desire to study punching techniques, boxing is more suitable to you. And, if none seem really attractive to you, follow the link to read about the 11 deadliest martial arts from all around the world.

Levi

I've served in the military as a special forces operator for 4-years. In that period, I've trained in many martial arts, including karate, MMA, BJJ, boxing, and even Krav Maga. I want to share my passion with you, so here it is!

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