Cross Guard Users

Schmeling's was sublime at times.

 

Locking both your arms to bob and weave, work inside, or crush punches is really an extreme if most recognizable aspect of how you would implement a crossguard in my book. Schmeling, Norton, Witherspoon all had great jabs. If anything the reallocation of majority of the defense to the right hand (which will often cross the centreline and rest at the should while the left hand works) can make for an incredibly frustrating match-up for outside boxers who are not familiar with the crossguard, and the lock/barring makes for an almost abusive panic button move, especially since it favours ducking and inside entry, and obscures the countering lead hand while at it.

I think what most Instagram/Online coaches get wrong about the crossguard is that you are not supposed to work out of the crossed position all the time and at all distances.

 

FW champ Battling Battalino used what looks to be an early prototype of the cross-armed defense at times:

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Packey McFarland fought at LW and WW in the very early 1900s and was using it.

 

Was a habit of his

 

Well said.

 

It's interesting that the lower weight examples are from way back, it's like they had no reluctance to be in the line of fire

 

You need thick arms to be able to pull this off. Also combination punchers can find holes in the defense. Guys in lighter weight divisions are faster and generally can throw more combinations.

So this is harder to use at lighter divisions due to guys having thinner arms and opponents being faster and better combo punchers.

 

Look at @Glass City Cobra 's post on my old thread where he explains the advantages and disadvantages of the crab defense / cross guard:

Crab defense | Boxing News 24 Forum (boxingforum24.com)


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Advantages:

unless you hit as hard as King Kong, a straight punch toward a properly done cross arm block isn't going to accomplish anything. Crabs have a very hard exterior and the guard isn't just called that because of the way the arms are held, it is not easy to land a clean hit. Your opponent may even end up hurting their hands landing on an elbow, top of the skull, shoulder, or fist as you bring up the guard up or shift around with it to deflect blows like a tough ancient shield. When used by a boxer with good eye sight and head movement it can be extremely difficult to land anything, let alone do any damage. Add in good footwork and pivoting ability it can make you a mobile fortress with nigh impenetrable walls. A prime Witherspoon was very hard to hit due to having all these advantages. The slick and cunning Moore had all sorts of traps prepared, like a soldier setting up land mines and booby traps to catch opponents off guard setting up shots while rolling with them and discouraging opponents with a tight guard, sometimes intentionally blocking with the bony parts of his arms. An iron chinned slugger like Foreman benefited greatly from it as he lacked fancy footwork and head movement so this made him even harder to damage while also allowing him to create openings as his huge arms and shoulders would shield him from almost anything and he could then punish an unsafe blow.

On offense, the cross arm block was great for guys who liked to dig in to the body. Shifting weight to the left generated momentum for a powerful left hook to the body. It could also set up nasty left uppercuts or overhand rights as your hands are already in this position and one simply needs to see an opening and counter. The jab comes up from the waist at an odd angle and Norton was able to time a fast boxer like Ali with his own jab despite being the slower boxer firing from an odd stance. He was also good at throwing nasty hooks upstairs.

Disadvantages:

The strong tight guard is good at deflecting single shots or fending off one shot at a time, but it can leave you open to combinations. A skilled fighter can find the small gaps and land there. If you're fast enough you can slip a straight jab or right in the small gap between arms. With good timing and hand speed you can land hooks before the opponent has a chance to deflect with their right hand.

The guard isn't always able to deal with constant changes in elevation. A fighter who is able to constantly shift between body and head mid combination or threaten with feints may have an easy time landing. If you are relatively slow of foot or hand you can become a sitting duck as you aren't able to put the guard in the correct position in time.

A common weakness ive seen in fighters using this guard is that it isn't as effective as a defensive tool while fighting on the outside or while using lateral movement. Because you need to lean forward a bit and bring both arms together almost as if you are crossing them over, you are in a bad position to use a stick and move or outside game plan. A jab from long range will be seen from a mile away and so will any quick flurries. It is better from close or mid range used by guys who have decent power and come forward aggressively Anatomically, if you have very thin bony arms or short stubby arms the guard will not be as effective as it'll leave big obvious gaps that the opponent can find. You can also forget about any fancy fast footwork while holding this position as you are leaning forward awkwardly with both hands out and your balance would become horrible.

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