When did boxers start using higher guards with regularity?

I'd say in the last couple of years. Lomachenko mainly. Or other Russians/Ukrainians maybe pre-date him a few years. Certainly no earlier than 2010.
It's an amateur thing, seeing the top pros fight that way took me some getting used to.

 

Considered poor by who?

Klitschko discusses how there is no "proper stance" for all fighters, and even mocks the high guard stance.
And then talks about his hands low stance.

A 10 year long modern HW champion.

 

I think it's happened since Wladimir. Maybe the pioneers of the high guard superiority movement turned professional while Wladimir was still in his prime, but Wladimir started professional back in 1996 - which is years before it occurred, surely.

 

Of course, you had the old "peek a boo" from Patterson in 1950s - and other D'amato fighters later. But that was never considered a universal superior hand position. It was an idiosyncracy of D'amato's, fit for that complete style - and only proved really successful for three or four top levek fighters across several decades.

 

I not with the earlier fighters, that they often adopt a higher guard when they go into a crouch, but use a lower one when in a more upright stance.

It should also be noted that the more offset stance floured by many earlier fighters, presented a smaller target, and a greater distance of travel anyway.

 

When folk got scared of getting hit.......

 

Do you count the cross / crab guard as a high guard?

As that is a guard that can be traced back to the bare knuckle days.

 

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Interesting article that traces back the cross guard from archie Moore. There are also images of Gus Ruhlin using cross guard.

 

Wouldn't it be the start of the Queensbury Rules? Which is the foundation of boxing as we know it. Isn't that part of what is the foundation, but the guard was what was probably seen as necessary without the wrestling which they talk about. It made it more logical with that stance to win a match with the rules. It was not part of the rules, but it was modern style needed to win with those limiting factors.

 

Actually I just re-watched Lomachenko and he uses all sorts of hand positions, different heights. So I must have been thinking of someone else.

 

And the high guard is something totally the choice of the fighter. Some guys like Hearns keep the left low and it baits the other fight to step in so he can counter, also the view is better with a low guard in many ways and easier to land punches sometimes if you jab to the body. Marlon Starling had high hands and blocked punches, although I saw him hit so many times and rocked on the top of the head. I am not sure why guys did not try that move often, but he was strong.