This vid shows how effective Fullmer`s revderse cross-armed guard was, should fighters be taught this type of defense in modern gyms? haNZAgod This content is protected
Where you hold your arms is really an afterthought compared to the important parts of defence like timing, awareness, distance etc.. Fullmer wasnt an atg because of a reverse cross arm defense or however you call it
no, the shell defense is superior in every way unless your cross guard is at least as good as Archie Moore's
It`s better to have an active guard, keep moving your head, hands or feet so your opponent can`t predict where to punch, a clever fighter would have picke holes in Fulmer`s defense.
Better to use both at times, layer your defense so opponents can`t predict where to hit you or get info and figure out how to penetrate your defense.
I would use the cross guard only to defend against uppercuts, and even then I believe it is better to pull back (like Mayweather against Cotto) than to use the cross guard. The cross guard leaves too many openings. Only Archie Moore used it effectively, everyone else got hit so much when using it. I typically use a stance similar to the Blackburn crouch when I'm not in the pocket and I use the shell defense when I'm in the pocket.
Gene Fullmer was good at the cross arm defense...but the guy you really wanna watch is Tim Witherspoon ....Witherspoon is a modern day trainer ,so I would assume he’d say yes to your question
