Lost Arts and Crafts of Boxing

[The Old LefHook]

Are there really lost arts and techniques of boxing, or is the mere idea just boxing's equivalent of an urban myth?

If there are some lost arts of pugilism, then you had ought to be able to name a few, right?

Go ahead, see if you can think of one or a few lost arts.

[Willie Pep 229]

Twisting punches with leather gloves to cause cuts; pre-kidney belt, low blows well measured to cause distraction without getting one DQed by a flopper; pre-MQB glove rules, neck punches.

[Flickergrab98]

I wouldn’t describe them as lost, merely not used anymore; but that’s being a bit pedantic on my part.

The extended guard is a very old tactic that you rarely ever saw beyond the earliest years of gloved boxing back when it had more in common with wrestling. Some of the later famous examples of someone employing this guard was George Foreman and Larry Holmes, but even then it was considered a long forgotten tactic.

I’ve mentioned the cross guard a few times on this site. I’m still curious whether one day a new talented boxer will come along and not only bring it back but really make it work for them. We need diversity of tactics and styles.

I want to say the Gazelle Punch is another one that has fallen out of favor, but I’m pretty sure it was never that commonly used to begin with. There might also be more people using leaping gazelle punches, than I’m assuming; they definitely aren’t KO’s or KD’s with them though. It’s not like I can blame anyone for not bothering with this tactic though. It’s very high risk and tricky to use to its fullest effectiveness, you have to be 100% sure that it will land and that you won’t get countered if you’re ready to use it.

[Flickergrab98]

Twisting punches with leather gloves to cause cuts;

Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t they call those corkscrew punches?

[Willie Pep 229]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t they call those corkscrew punches?

Yea they do . . . The smaller looser fitting gloves back in the day, with less wrappings, allowed the fighter to play more 'games' with his fists as there was more movment opportunity inside the glove.

Somewhat like the accusations being thrown at Tyson Fury today.

But yeah I guess fighters still use the tactic today but I suspect it is less effective today as the wrappings and the tighter fitting glove don't allow too much hand movement inside the glove.

But yea maybe it doesn't actually meet the criteria of the OP.

[Willie Pep 229]

Another one that comes to mind is Fitzsimmons 'solar plexus' punch.

Certainly fighters today use it (as in, aim for that target) and have delivered many a KO blow with it. E.g. Patterson vs. Green ended with Patterson landing a viscous solar plexus punch.

But Fitzsimmons never liked the term solar plexus punch and referred to the punch as his "shift punch." Thus the phrase 'the Fitzsimmons shift.

In short the punch gained its ausome power from Fitz shifting his domate leg forward and stepping through the punch. It was, according to Fitz, all in the footwork.

I wonder today if fighters still make that shift when looking to land a hard body blow or are they too well trained not to risk putting themselves out of position?

[The Old LefHook]

Good posts, lads. We never mind a bit of pedantry.

The thing I believe I do not see anymore is the open-handed parry. With today's giant gloves the technique seems to not be needed anymore. Is there anyone doing it?

[billeau2]

Are there really lost arts and techniques of boxing, or is the mere idea just boxing's equivalent of an urban myth?

If there are some lost arts of pugilism, then you had ought to be able to name a few, right?

Go ahead, see if you can think of one or a few lost arts.

Where to start?

1. Feinting properly
2. Footwork and creating/maintaining a sword's length distance in relation to opponent... (watch Fury do so against Klitsko).
3. parrying blows with the gloves JJ and Roy Jones
4. false centerline Hopkins did it
5. Punching through body dynamics and not generated force. Not part of classical style
6. Punching to vital areas. Not part of classical style
7. Grappling... for example trapping one glove of the other fighter Watch Corbet instruct Tunney in the technique
8. Using angles instead of long lines back and fourth & lateral movements Again, Fury does this a lot.
9. Body positioning using the head and shoulders to control opponent Ali, Armstrong.

Those are a few.

[billeau2]

Good posts, lads. We never mind a bit of pedantry.

The thing I believe I do not see anymore is the open-handed parry. With today's giant gloves the technique seems to not be needed anymore. Is there anyone doing it?

Jones used it.

[billeau2]

Another one that comes to mind is Fitzsimmons 'solar plexus' punch.

Certainly fighters today use it (as in, aim for that target) and have delivered many a KO blow with it. E.g. Patterson vs. Green ended with Patterson landing a viscous solar plexus punch.

But Fitzsimmons never liked the term solar plexus punch and referred to the punch as his "shift punch." Thus the phrase 'the Fitzsimmons shift.

In short the punch gained its ausome power from Fitz shifting his domate leg forward and stepping through the punch. It was, according to Fitz, all in the footwork.

I wonder today if fighters still make that shift when looking to land a hard body blow or are they too well trained not to risk putting themselves out of position?

The problem is with bigger gloves the transfer of power is not the same. The force just disperses too much... A smaller glove allows the hit to transfer through the hand directly, bone to Plexis, or Zhyphoid process.