Inside fighting...is it a dying art?

It's considered Illegal in floyds fights.

:bsflag::bsflag::bsflag::bsflag: Yes, we should trust boxing's almost religious sect on the issue and ignore common sense.

Of course not, still very much a part of boxing. a phonebooth fight with slips and counters is where it's at, my favorite aspect of boxing. People make the mistake and think that if it's inside it isn't boxing, true tacticians can put it together and defend well inside and outside, the elite boxers can get hit the same or less on the inside as on the outside, and fighting in the inside you actually conserve energy since you aren't using your legs to stay away from punches and you can use your opponents weight against them.

Like other said, hopefully we see a revival of this with the AM rule changes. All I could think of right now: Lamont Peterson is still pretty good at it... Nicholas Walters, I was late on him... he's damn good. Lanky and looks a little sloppy sometimes but he's got some great inside ability. Rough, throwback sort of fighter. Him v Loma=classic Floyd, even though he was cuffing Maidana I put Bradley here because he at the very least can hold his own against someone with a better inside presence than him. Hold his own and then outwork. I also put Tyson Fury on this list (I hear u laughing) Cotto isn't inside fighter per se, but he can get under you and cause hell. Similar to Povetkin in a way, someone who deserves a mention now that I think about it.

This question props up very often. And the answer is obvious! So many throw around the idea that infighting is a forgotten art in boxing these days, that trainers don't know how to teach it anymore and blah blah blah... The reality is, is that the sport has simply evolved, as all sports do. Infighting is a sign of a LACK of boxing skills. It is a talent in it's own right to be sure, of course, but at top level it is a sign of either not being able to keep your opponent at distance or get in and out effectively. Basically it's synonymous with brawling. Past fights were somewhat like a continuous back and forth war, very scrappy by comparison to today. Look at every contact sport, efforts have been made across the board to "clean it up" and in every case, old timers like to make statements such as "They've made the game too soft" etc. Whilst this may be true, it has also "professionalised" all the contact sports, emphasising the skill aspects more so than the "rough-housing". I see it at home in AFL football. And I see it in boxing too. Whilst boxing has been "cleaned up" I don't think anybody can consider boxing to ever be a "soft" sport, your still getting punched in the face and body! The game has just changed, these days a lot of the infighting has been TAKEN OUT of boxing for the sole purpose of making it a cleaner, more professional sport. :bsflag::bsflag::bsflag::bsflag:

This question props up very often. And the answer is obvious! So many throw around the idea that infighting is a forgotten art in boxing these days, that trainers don't know how to teach it anymore and blah blah blah... The reality is, is that the sport has simply evolved, as all sports do. Infighting is a sign of a LACK of boxing skills. It is a talent in it's own right to be sure, of course, but at top level it is a sign of either not being able to keep your opponent at distance or get in and out effectively. Basically it's synonymous with brawling. Past fights were somewhat like a continuous back and forth war, very scrappy by comparison to today. Look at every contact sport, efforts have been made across the board to "clean it up" and in every case, old timers like to make statements such as "They've made the game too soft" etc. Whilst this may be true, it has also "professionalised" all the contact sports, emphasising the skill aspects more so than the "rough-housing". I see it at home in AFL football. And I see it in boxing too. Whilst boxing has been "cleaned up" I don't think anybody can consider boxing to ever be a "soft" sport, your still getting punched in the face and body! The game has just changed, these days a lot of the infighting has been TAKEN OUT of boxing for the sole purpose of making it a cleaner, more professional sport.

Mayweather is the PPV king. He is undefeated. He used to like to hold too much and they allowed him so he would continue to win. I think that strongly contributed to the present culture of punch and hold, taking away much of the inside game. To his credit, lately he has been really doing in-fighting. Surprised he allowed Cotto to do what he did inside. And I actually think Floyd is quite good inside. Just a quick uppercut to the gut is what he normally does but is very effective. His opponents start thinking twice about going in. That's the punch that never gets mentioned, it's why people here keep thinking his opponents just aren't well conditioned.

The trainers today come from the amateur boxing ranks and they know nothing about working inside! Their are few to none these days. I can't think of one strong inside game on the scene today, not one! Ray

estrada did it really good vs viloria and segura

He did a lot of inside fighting earlier in his career. When you move up in weight class, it doesn't make sense to fight inside as much. Most likely. The way he fought Hatton though sucked

Most likely. The way he fought Hatton though sucked.

Soul survivor has it right I think. Amateur boxing has killed inside fighting in recent times. Why bother fighting inside if one partially deflected punch counts the same as one solid clean one? Hopefully will change with the points system. For a great skilled inside fight (yes involving clinching) I like Duran vs Leonard I. That's what I hope too, with the changed on the am side of things, I hope we get more guys turning pro who know the value of body shots and inside fighting

Mayweather is the PPV king. He is undefeated. He used to like to hold too much and they allowed him so he would continue to win. I think that strongly contributed to the present culture of punch and hold, taking away much of the inside game. To his credit, lately he has been really doing in-fighting. Surprised he allowed Cotto to do what he did inside. And I actually think Floyd is quite good inside. Just a quick uppercut to the gut is what he normally does but is very effective. His opponents start thinking twice about going in. He did a lot of inside fighting earlier in his career. When you move up in weight class, it doesn't make sense to fight inside as much.

punching inside the clinch with your one arm free, using underhooks and overhooks (slipping your arm under or over your opponent arm) to free a hand and punch, using the shoulder to get punch distance, etc, were all techniques used by the fighters of the past. Look at Jack Dempsey, Joe Frazier, Archie Moore, Roberto Duran and a bunch of other fighters from the past used those techniques left and right. Today only a couple guys do that - Andre Ward, Golovkin in spots (Look how he sets up Rubio before landing that killer uppercut that basicaly finished the fight) and Chocolatito Gonzales. Its is a dying art, most in-fighters today only like to get close and throw punches even if they end up smothering their own punches. Oh, and defense on the inside is pratically extinct...

Mayweather is the PPV king. He is undefeated. He used to like to hold too much and they allowed him so he would continue to win. I think that strongly contributed to the present culture of punch and hold, taking away much of the inside game. To his credit, lately he has been really doing in-fighting. Surprised he allowed Cotto to do what he did inside. And I actually think Floyd is quite good inside. Just a quick uppercut to the gut is what he normally does but is very effective. His opponents start thinking twice about going in.

Soul survivor has it right I think. Amateur boxing has killed inside fighting in recent times. Why bother fighting inside if one partially deflected punch counts the same as one solid clean one? Hopefully will change with the points system. For a great skilled inside fight (yes involving clinching) I like Duran vs Leonard I.

where have yall been, there are countless "phone booth fights", with guys just smashing each other up on the inside, their heads going in, elbows and forearms down by their abdomen. It seems to happen all the time on the small shows, maybe watch them more often? I will admit that truly skilled inside fighting has been on the decline due to amateru boxing over the last 15 years or so, where body punches were of no importance and it became more like fencing, however that is changing again. I'm finding it difficult to think of too many top level fighters with a good inside game.

How about meldrick taylor's inside game in the first chavez fight?...chavez did not look like he belonged,tbh.....my goodness , if only durabilty in boxing was standard..... GREAT ANALOGY! i remember watching that fight and whoaaaaaaaa! taylor was bad ass... he dominated the fight and would of won had richard steel not dropped the ball! great performance by a fighter who retired too late.... same with terry norris....very sad indeed

It is dying because of the holding. http://www.inarascott.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/w.png

Even the refs appear to be conditioned to be ready to break fighters when they get close together. Expecting the hold to happen.