The Evolution from Low Gaurd to High Gaurd

I dont think that they used the low guard because of glove size. I think its because back then, once a fighter got in the inside... there were basically no rules. Thats why, as you can see in the pictures, a fighter would keep his left arm out (if hes right handed) To sort of keep the other guy at bay.

Thats what I read anyway.

 

Yes, and this is what the film shows us too.

While the thread is interesting, still photos do not tell the tale. Even fighters with high guard can be photoed once or twice with low guards. It is best not to draw conclusions from still photos. You have to watch the full fight.

Also, having a high or low guard does not translate to defense. Ali had a low guard, and he made them miss plenty.

 

While the high guard is the norm and best defense, the class and coolness factor of the low guard cannot be forgotten.

 

Crasch course: While standing the UFC-guard is a boxing one. It's meant to defend from punches. Comparing to kick-boxing is no good since they have the weight on the back foot to better defend against leg kicks and to being better able to kick themselves. That kind of stance give less movement and also less power behind the punches due to the straight legs and stiff knees. It does a boxer no good.

The better strikers use body blows in UFC. UFC-fighters also have to defend against kicks and flying knees to the body, so if a low guard was needed to protect the body they would defnitely use one.

 

I don't think kick boxers use straight legs and stiff knees, you still need to "spring" to get power I think kick boxers and muay thai which I train at stand at more of a 45 degree angle than boxers so they kick and defend better, almost all leg attacks come from the side, especially leg kicks, and this stance means a better balance and a quicker leg defence on low kicks which have a tremendous amount of power in them. Boxers tend to stand more straight on which produces more power of the back foot with their punches, you often here the term " this fight will be won of the back foot"

 

Some people here almost seem to be suggesting that for centuries fighters dithered round with their hands low getting hit, and they didnt much like getting hit but they couldnt do anything about it.

Then one day around 1936 a fighter had the idea of raising his hands a bit higher and found that he didnt get hit as much and everybody else coppied it.

That is obviously nonsense.

Once a high guard was used even for 30 seconds the posibility to use it constantly would be implicit. Once a fighter used his hands to intercept a punch the posibility of holding them high for protection would rather obviously present itself.

It seems much more sensible to asume that the style of an era is more or less optimum for that era. Perhaps it is optimum for 20 years earlier in some cases but there is method in the madness somwhere.

 

I see your point, Janitor, but I'm not 100% convinced, for reasons stated above.

Even if man has fought with his fists since time immemorial, boxing only became truly professionalised during the early 1900's, didn't it? Football (or "soccer", as some like to call it), for example, had been a huge sport for a long time when modern defensive tactics was adopted in the 1960's and 70's. Sometimes tradition is a very strong obstacle to change.

 

No, that was from Foreman, who was ineffective against all the 1970s heavyweights.

 

Because an MMA fighter couldn't land a good solar-plexus shot to save himself. Plus, going to the ground was not an option for the old timers. It's ridiculous to compare two different sports in this way.

Of course, given the changes in rules and equipment, comparing boxing across 100 years is just as silly an enterprise.

 

Good thread!!

I'd be intrigued to read some more like it, maybe the evolution of footwork... the evolution of the jab... body shots etc etc. Makes for an interesting comparison!

I've also pondered on the future evolution of the sport. Given the way that amateur boxers are scored at the moment (number of punches landed) do you think we will start to see less and less brawlers? Its already evident in the heavier divisions where the Eastern European stand-up amateur style is beginning to rule and obviously you have someone like Joe Calzaghe. Going forward I think this may be more common place unless amateur boxing is changed so as to be more score friendly towards sluggers and counter punchers.

 

I've already been over this, so one last time: There are MMA-fighters that are adept at bodypunching (Horodecki, for example), and since MMA-fightes also have knees and kicks to worry about they have every reason to defend their solar plexus, which the modern boxing guard cover quite well. The reason they use the modern boxing guard is to defend against punches, not take-downs. It's not a guard specifically used in MMA - they have just taken the modern boxing guard straight off. So obviously it works well also against very small gloves. Now I'm done with this!