[1889] Richard Kyle Fox, Boxing, on the evolution of boxing "science"

I don't expect why you'd expect one person's feints to look the same as another. You could easilly find modern boxers like Tyson Fury doing totally different styles of feint. The exact movement doesn't even really matter, as long as you make, if only breifly, think you're throwing a punch, and you can see how they'll react and make them slower to react when you do throw as they might have to disginish it from a feint. With low hands, it's often more the shoulder moving etc. they'll see. How your holding your guard, where they are looking etc. all matter. What really matters is it works, and you can see from Fitz's reactions that it's feints.

 

Did Corbett actually write any manuels? I've seen one with his name on it, but it seemed it wasn't actually written by him. In truth a manuel by Corbett would be as much use as one by Roy Jones Jr., their styles relied so much on freakish reflexes.

 

TBH, I think the lines are somewhat blurred. Like even take Robinson, Burley or even Mayweather. Skilled? Yes. But there's no way an untalented joe could pull that off against anyone even semi-decent.

A skilled but not talented boxer would would probably just be a lot of old pro tricks, and spoiling, questionably legal moves etc. more like an old B.Hop or something, but even that requires some talent for a high level. You can't really seperate it entirely, it's all about what works. But with someone like Corbett or Roy Jones Jr. so few people could pull it off, and most on that level just create their own style. In fairness Corbett did have a few creative tricks etc. but I think how poorly he did in the second Jeffries fight, says a lot about how much he needed physical gifts.

A lot of it is making the best of your gifts and minimising your opponent's.

 

Does anybody know how to flash the Pollack Signal to see whether Corbett wrote the manual?

 

I just messaged Mr. Pollack. Hopefully we'll get a ref's ruling soon.

 

No word yet. Still hopeful though.

 

Yep. Boxing is from its inception is a training tool for swordplay invented by the Spartans. There was never a time when boxing didn't have direct relatives to swordfighting among other weapon types. Boxing is used to train the shield. Boxing is used to get rid of the helmet. Boxing is used to perfect the form of swordsman, axeman, mace-typer weapons and clubs, and even polearm/spear types.

So yes, 100%, they elaborated on fist fighting, in europe at least, when devising their weapon fighting techniques. Boxing is the base for weapon fighting in europe not the evolution. Which is why the "evolution" of boxing is kind of goofy.

It's circular and repetitive. The Greeks used soft gloves and praised skill and talent. The Romans went hard and had a bloodlust. The English brought back most of what the Greeks exalted. The Americans, at least in Dixie, hosted a form of boxing even the Romans might call disgusting and barbaric. Those are cycles not evolutions.

 

Download the book in PDF to see for yourself, Unforgiven. It's available free in the link I posted. The relevant picture is on p. 32, Plate No. 5. One of the boxers who posed for the book is drawing his left hand back just like Corbett describes.

By the way, here's a very clear extract of Corbett/McCoy demonstrating Corbett's telegraphed straight left. Loop it for added hilarity:

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I can sense your desperation. The myth of Gentleman Jim, boksing jenius, is dying right before your eyes.

Your only chance is to hope that a manual published by the main boxing publisher of Corbett's era, with Corbett's name on it, Corbett's picture in it, and Corbett's signature printed on the inside, wasn't written by Corbett.

I'll abide by Pollack's ruling either way. It would actually amuse me if Corbett's publishing career turns out to be as fraudulent as his boxing career.

 

Thank you.

If Mr. Pollack ever arrives, we'll see whether I closed the final escape hatch, or whether we are doomed to listen to more boxing bards singing about Brave Sir Corbett and his mighty jousting jab.

 

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Interestingly the Indian martial art Shastar Vidiya seems to still be along the same lines. With punching technique much more based off sword fighting.

 

Why would this be an unreasonable response, though?