How did Henry Armstrong avoid the clinch?

[JayID]

How did he avoid being tied up constantly? Any subtle techniques?

[GhostofDempsey]

He was perpetual motion. Always moving and punching. Bobbing weaving and sucking. That said, clinching wasn’t big in his day. In-fighting was much more common and is becoming a lost art today.

[JayID]

He was perpetual motion. Always moving and punching. Bobbing weaving and sucking. That said, clinching wasn’t big in his day. In-fighting was much more common and is becoming a lost art today.

So do you think that it's becoming a lost art due to the frequent clinching nowadays, perhaps nullifying infighting? Or do you think that it's because fighters are somewhat inadequate at infighting so the clinch can actually be utilised.

In other words, do you think that fighters today would successfully be able to clinch Armstrong and nullify his offense?

Surely if clinching would have stopped fighters from being pummelled when fighting Armstrong, they would have done it? Or does he do something to make it so it's difficult to initiate a clinch

[GhostofDempsey]

So do you think that it's becoming a lost art due to the frequent clinching nowadays, perhaps nullifying infighting? Or do you think that it's because fighters are somewhat inadequate at infighting so the clinch can actually be utilised.

In other words, do you think that fighters today would successfully be able to clinch Armstrong and nullify his offense?

Surely if clinching would have stopped fighters from being pummelled when fighting Armstrong, they would have done it? Or does he do something to make it so it's difficult to initiate a clinch

I think it’s a little of each. Hank was rough when he needed to be and could turn on the dirty tactics with the best of them. Some fighters are also harder to clinch. Look at Porter, a very physical fighter who muscles and bulls his way inside unlike Hank who could box his way in. In-fighting is risky and a lot of fighters today prefer distance, or running and clinching to having to really work for it. Fighters also fight less frequently now. Roman Gonzalez is a good example of a strong modern day in-fighter who was effective from inside or out and could box his wya out of clinches.

[The Old LefHook]

Marciano's arms were barely longer than your thumbs. Hard to clinch that.

[QueensburyRules]

--- Henry was not a good boxer.

He was a great fighter who thru the early school of hard knocks found a style niche to leverage his natural attributes.

He won his most acclaim as a welter, but that was not a great era of prime to prime welts for him to fight. He beat fading greats and then new greats beat him in his winter years.

The fighters wanted to get paid, and throwing punches insured steady purses, whereas clinching and spoiling put fighters last in line.

Even today look at how little a Saunders or Andrade clear as opposed to what Canelo or Golovkin harvest.

[Tom Cruise]

He was absolutely brilliant at manipulating his opponents balance, using his head, shoulders, arms to push and lever them out of position. His hands were also pretty low, as were his arms, so it was hard to get a grip on them like you can with most fighters.

He just wasn’t an easy fighter to clinch.

I disagree with an earlier poster, clinching was widely used back in the day, more so than now, but it tended to be a more active clinch with lots happening rather than a grab and break like you see today.

[OctoberRed]

Marciano's arms were barely longer than your thumbs. Hard to clinch that.

ahahhahahahaha

[billeau2]

Guys like Hank and Marciano represent the other way to box. Apollo versus Dionysis... Sugar was Apollo. An ordered package of talent with long levers for arms, speed, light feet and iron muscles and the will to command them with perfect technical precision. Hank was seemingly disordered, a windmill, a constant force of nature rising and coming forwards one way, or another always throwing punches in the process. But in fact Hank had as many tricks, they were just not obvious.

First thing: When a fighter does not want to be clinched, he does what a grappler does with his weight, he puts it forwards. When you clinch a man who is punching and has his weight, including his head (30 pounds) and chest and arms out in front of him, with his legs behind him, you will be supporting his weight and getting punched in the face.

When the Gracies were taking everybody down, the first thing wrestling guys taught the strikers was to shoot out the legs behind them, thats what wrestlers do... Either way if you make the clincher hold your weight and keep punching, he will not want to clinch very much. If you also loop the punches he will have problems stopping the attack because there is nothing to grab at this point.

[HOUDINI563]

Armstrong was not a good boxer? Why because he was black?

Held three titles at the same time at a time where there was only 8 divisions.

Universally rated as one of boxing all time greatest fighters.

Defended his welterweight title 19 times.

In reality won the middleweight title as most felt he won his bout with then middleweight champion Garcia. That would mean he would have held 50% of all the championships that were available to hold.