What is the Fitzsimmon's shift?

[Solo322]

I read about it a lot, with boxer's describing their moves, but I can't find a definition of it anywhere. I'd appreciate any help.

[Slipx]

The Fitzsimmon's Shift is when a fighter moves from conventional stance into southpaw stance. Something you rarely see a heavyweight do properly.

[Kid Achilles]

Fitzsimmons was a badass. He weighed only 160 lbs yet he knocked out heavyweights with frightening ease. I recall hearing about one fight where he KO'ed a 300 lber known as Ed "The Human Freight Car" Dunkhorst in two rounds. He also KO'ed Tom Sharky (an iron chinned brawler who went 45 rounds with the powerhouse of a man Jim Jeffries) in just two rounds.

Along with Ketchel and Jimmy Wilde, Fitzs was one of the hardest P4P hitters of all time.

Anyway the Fitzsimmons shift was a little cooler than him just shifting to southpaw, it involved him punching to the solar plexus (I think) the same time. It was a technique to get more bodyweight into the punch as he shifted. I'm sure there are some old trainers that still know it but I don't think it's been used in a professional fight in years.

[Solo322]

Fitzsimmons was a badass. He weighed only 160 lbs yet he knocked out heavyweights with frightening ease. I recall hearing about one fight where he KO'ed a 300 lber known as Ed "The Human Freight Car" Dunkhorst in two rounds. He also KO'ed Tom Sharky (an iron chinned brawler who went 45 rounds with the powerhouse of a man Jim Jeffries) in just two rounds.

Along with Ketchel and Jimmy Wilde, Fitzs was one of the hardest P4P hitters of all time.

Anyway the Fitzsimmons shift was a little cooler than him just shifting to southpaw, it involved him punching to the solar plexus (I think) the same time. It was a technique to get more bodyweight into the punch as he shifted. I'm sure there are some old trainers that still know it but I don't think it's been used in a professional fight in years.

what hand did he use to throw the punch to the body? is the shift into southpaw a way to get more power on a left hand punch for a right hander?

[grayfist]

The way it was described to me was that from an orthodox stance, a fighter leads with his right, slides his right foot forward, thereby shifting fluidly to a southpaw stance then delivering a left to the body, with so much power put behind the punch coming all the way from the pivoting left foot and leg, which spring and push the body weight forward and behind the punch.

Cely Villanueva, a Filipino who won an Olympic bronze, taught the move --with slight variations-- to Gabriel Flash Elorde, who had so much success with it, the variant was sometimes referred to as the "Elorde Shift". It required great footwork. So, with age, Elorde used it less and less later in his career.

The adjustments were necessary as Elorde fought out of a southpaw stance. Elorde was actually a converted orthodox fighter and put to sleep many of his opponents with his right. He was most effective using the shift when he had his back to the ropes. He begun by slipping a punch, countered with the left, shifted stance and delivered a blow with his right. Elorde, unlike, Fitz, looked for the head, not the plexus.

[Slipx]

He was most effective using the shift when he had his back to the ropes.

Interesting. That reminds me of what Hearns did in the Hagler bout, if you'll watch that first round over you'll notice he uses the ropes to slingshot himself, and the leverage did carry into his punches, and also made him a difficult target. Very interesting.

[jack_the_rippuh]

Interesting. That reminds me of what Hearns did in the Hagler bout, if you'll watch that first round over you'll notice he uses the ropes to slingshot himself, and the leverage did carry into his punches, and also made him a difficult target. Very interesting.

I just watched it...he did indeed. Everytime Hagler would push him into the ropes, Hearns would use to ropes as a slingshot to deliver a punch, the thing about it was that Hagler ate those shots for breakfast..

[Slipx]

I just watched it...he did indeed. Everytime Hagler would push him into the ropes, Hearns would use to ropes as a slingshot to deliver a punch, the thing about it was that Hagler ate those shots for breakfast..

Hagler had a granite chin, he never got KO'd in his entire career. In the Hearns bout, Hearns landed this right hook and Hagler's head moved like a foot, he wasn't the least bit dazed, kept coming in for the kill.

I noticed on that Legendary Nights that he had a pool at the Petronelli's where he trained, I wonder what kind of pool work he did.