What was the Kronk Style?

It isn't one style. Very few coaches have one distinct style they'll force anybody who enlists their services to use.

Steward used to play to a guys strengths and then have them fight however would get them the win.

 

Off the front foot, looking for the knock out.

 

House styles is how these guys are usually trained when filling the parameters and the appropiate mindset.

Not every US boxer uses the US house style (would be very dull), and not every Mexican boxer is fighting Mexican style.

 

I never heard of a "Kronk style" during Kronk's heyday.

 

I've always seen it as a style about controlling distance and controlling your opponent, often with the lead hand, as we saw with Lewis, Hearns and Wlad. But not just jabbing to maintain punching range but, framing, collar ties and clinching. Then using that control of distance as the main form of defence and the control of the opponent as the avenue for offence.

Even with Holyfield's 2nd fight with Bowe we saw Evander fight up close less where he wasn't as effective vs Bowe, Steward had him jab, move and push Bowe off with his forearm when then did get up close, where in the first fight Holyfield would all too often trade inside, basically ensuring Holyfield controlled the distance the fight was fought at. By getting Holyfield to do this he ensured Holyfield was defensively tougher to get to for Bowe. This is similar to what Steward had Lewis, Hearns and Wlad do despite the difference in dimensions, they all physically manhandled opponents to maintain their optimal distance. Pushing opponents off by framing, using collar ties to push opponents down if they tried to get under and then clinching if they did get up close so their opponent couldn't fight at their preferred distance.

Steward with further use these distance controlling tactics to also control the opponents position and therefore line them up for shots from his fighter. Collar ties pushing them into the uppercuts, framing and posting with the lead hand to set up the right hand. Use of the lead hand was very important to the Kronk Style in general to set up their offence.

 

What is thought of as being archetypically "Kronkesque" is the mold that Emanuel Steward would imprint on fighters IF they had the anatomical dimensions and natural talent for it ...and the few that really thrived within that style became his most famous and successful pupils and the ones most closely associated with the style, the gym, and its head coach. But really if you weren't Tommy or Wlad or a handful more, they just taught you the fundamentals of how to box, or refined those basic skills.

In short, there isn't a set universal Kronk modus operandi to be found as common thread in all of their alumni, but if you mention a "Kronk style" in conversation with most knowledgeable boxing fans they're going to get what you mean as it conjures images of some long-armed great doing similar things.

Very jabby and very crossy from a distance whenever possible. Almost diametrically opposed to what you might call the "Cus D'Amato" style of Tyson and Patterson, which prioritizes getting in close and ripping hooks & uppercuts.

 

Basically Fury in the 2nd Wilder bout

Nobody should learn a set "style"

Good and bad news is most boxers have their weak/strong points sussed out before they even turn pro. Should be smart enough to know what will work for them or not. Many aren't smart enough though. And that's really the difference physical aspects aside is the mental side of boxing. All the tops dogs were intelligent. It's a thinking mans game.

Imagine if Wilder was conditioned to throw his right hand down the pipe from the get go like he did against Ortiz instead of telegraphing it all the time? He'd be formidable.

 

There are several versions of Kronk style. However it consists in toggling the control of the distance from the opponent with sudden outbursts above all in the prime rounds for the KO. More or less like did Spinks v Holmes fight 1 or Usyk v Joshua but you gotta have good stamina and a good defence to adopt it otherwise you could gas soon and could take dangerous blows for example in the middle of the fight like happened to Fury in Wilder III.

Kronk by Fury in the second fight with Wilder was perfect imo.

 

Would love to seen how steward would of trained wlad for the fury fight feel like we missed out with steward dying shame he was a great coach n commentator

 

The "Kronk Style" during their heyday was the style Hearns and Kenty used ... left hand low or down by your side ... right hand cocked ... keep your distance ... use the left to measure as you move forward ... throw the jab ... hook off the jab ... throw the jab and a straight right ... but keep the left low or down to your side once you've got the proper distance.

The left at the side was supposed to invite the opponent to come in and throw the right hand. If you kept your distance, you could catch him coming in with the right hand or the left hook.

Everyone who fought at Kronk didn't fight like that. But Kenty and Hearns were Kronk's first two champions. And they both employed that style, for the most part.

And longtime boxing people thought keeping your left hand low or even down at your side was suicidal. Fighters were taught, if an opponent has his left hand down, throw right hands.

Basically, it was to invite the opponent to throw a right by keeping your left hand down ... but you were keeping it down to set him up.

Once Kenty and Hearns both used that style to win titles ... it became known for a time as the "Kronk style."

 

I never heard anyone say Kronk style until about 2019

 

Absolutely not true, it has been a phrase in use for decades now. Whether or not you guys have never heard it doesn't change that. (see: faulty generalization bias fallacy).

For years I've been calling Tony Harrison the "last scion of the iconic Kronk style" in many ways, as he is the last Detroit fighter to be weaned at Manny Steward's teat firsthand...and when you watch him, at his best, if you squint and/or have maybe sucked down a few, you could maybe fleetingly convince yourself it was the Hitman.

 

Strong, active, controlling, intelligent jab to set up a right hand that you really sit down on.

 

That is the meat and potatoes of what the phrase is meant to conjure, yes.