Getting your ass kicked?
Step straight back, knowing that he may follow.
Step back on your heel.
Drag your lead foot like it’s a dead thing.
If he has the read on you and is coming down with some power shot [You would never do this against a dude like Ali that got more range on his rear hand than his jab.] then bend your rear knee and drop your head out of the strike zone, as you extend a safety jab, with arm partially bent, aimed at the top of his head, to catch his cross or over hand.
Now do a weak heel pivot off the lead foot and clear the hell out behind a high wing block or clinch. This is what Corbett was doing against Fitzsimmons when it looked like he was punching the sky. This is using the jab motion to block via interception.
If he does not have a read on this and is a puncher wading in with hooks, push off that rear foot, rocking off the leg and feeding him a power jab as he walks into it, turning this into a double jab sequence.
Chances are, neither of the above will happen and the punch stat geeks will credit you with a wasted punch. However, this punch may well have kept him from committing to a pursuit or counter.
To study the short man’s jab option, look up video on Orlin Norris, 1990s heavyweight contender, who competed in a field of giants and did a lot of good work behind the jab.
