Brock Lesnar's Boxing Coach Peter Welch Talks UFC 116

Brock Lesnar's boxing coach Peter Welch talked to Sherdog:

"I wasn't really concerned because I know there's always a chance for recovery," said Welch on the Sherdog Radio Network's "Beatdown" show on Wednesday. "If you can't punch in traffic then you're not ready...I've seen Brock do it on numerous occasions. He can punch in traffic and I know it's just a matter of setting the feet and turning it around."
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"Either you have it or you don't," said Welch. "But he has a ton of heart, a ton of balls and a good chin. You put those three together and you get the heavyweight champ of the world. You get through that and that's the difference between a guy that puts his tail between his legs and a guy that will jump up and do damage."
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"His strongest punch? He hasn't shown it yet," said the Boston-based trainer. "So I'll just leave that as a mystery. In training he's shown a lot of potential to unleash some serious leverage and good snap and good power on his punches. So, it's now a matter of getting Brock comfortable enough to get the repetitions in and he's going to be a force to be reckoned with, not only in striking, but in all areas. It's just a matter of getting the reps in. Once he gets the reps in, he's going to lock it in."

I wasn't especially impressed with Lesnar's boxing against Shane Carwin, but Carwin hits with incredible power so it will be more telling to see how Lesnar fares on his feet against Cain Velasquez whenever they eventually meet. 

That's a fight that I think may very well be decided on the feet because I expect the wrestling to end up a wash. Even if someone gets taken down, I expect they'll be back on their feet fairly quickly.  

More on Welch in the full entry, he's an interesting cat.

Here's a piece from UFC.com that talks about how Welch became the first boxing coach for The Ultimate Fighter and his approach to boxing for MMA:

...Welch's reputation circulated around MMA circles, and when an old buddy needed a boxing coach for a new reality show, UFC President Dana White called the man whom he once ran a local Boston boxing program with - Welch - to participate in Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter.

But unlike many in the boxing world, Welch didn't enter this new endeavor with a built-in prejudice towards MMA. And in fact, he made it a point to not only teach fundamental boxing technique, but to show the fighters moves that would be useful in MMA, and not just boxing.

"From watching these guys fight and seeing what naturally works for them, I was open to the fact that it was a different style and I opened myself up to what works for them. I talked to Forrest (Griffin) and his trainers - Adam and Rory Singer - about certain things. We worked a little bit after the season was over, and we had a two hour clinic where we went back and forth about why something that works in boxing won't work in MMA. We picked each others' brains, and we laid the groundwork for the new system that I put together. But it's almost like I had to re-program myself to break away from the old school of traditional boxing into what type of boxing works for MMA. It was a little bit of a transition."

Here's an interview that Heavy.com did with Welch talking about how he became involved with boxing and why he walked away from his pro boxing career with a 5-0 record:

"Whether you became a boxer or not, at some point in your life, your father brought you to that show and you participated in a boxing match. Anyone who has boxed from here usually got their start at the St. Patrick's Day boxing show."

Welch points to the tradition of older participants returning to volunteer as organizers and matchmakers, giving back to the community and contributing to the history and culture within the area. He also attributes his own success as a trainer as a direct product of this network.

Everyone knows that there are plenty of great fighters who never reach their full potential. It's not always because of a lack of talent-the fight promotions, television networks, managers, agents, media and an entire series of intangibles can play deciding factors in how a prospect's career can unfold.

"Fighting is the easy part," explains Welch of the extreme difficulty in getting through the politics of boxing to make headway with his career.

With this in mind, even though he was undefeated as a professional, Peter abandoned that road and became a trainer.