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The cross defense : when did it become obsolete ?
As we know, most old timers and some modern fighters used the cross defense at some point in history. I can't really put up a range in years, maybe from 1915 to 1955 ? I don't know... Today, we just don't see this blocking technique used anymore.
When did that block defense become obsolete ? Why ? Someone knows that ? Of course, it didn't happen overnight, but still, there must have been a point when trainers started adopting the ''conventional blocking defense'' for whatever reason.
There are few examples of fighters post-1960 who would still rely on the cross defense, and most of the time, it looks like they use it in an instinctive way, because they're in trouble and try to defend themselves in the best possible way (see Holyfield, Benn,...), as if to cover the biggest possible hittable area.
Take Foreman for example : he, on the advice of Archie Moore, did the opposite : he went from a ''conventional block defense'' to a cross defense. Why did he do that ? Because it suited his style better ? Why did he switch ? There are a couple other examples of dinosaurs, such as Bert Cooper.
Can't we suggest that the cross defense offers advantages and disadvantages, just like the conventional blocking defense ? The conventional defense is sometimes weak against straight punches, whereas the cross defense is weak against uppercutts and may delay the time reaction for counters.
So why aren't there fighters out there today to still use the cross defense ?
When did that block defense become obsolete ? Why ? Someone knows that ? Of course, it didn't happen overnight, but still, there must have been a point when trainers started adopting the ''conventional blocking defense'' for whatever reason.
There are few examples of fighters post-1960 who would still rely on the cross defense, and most of the time, it looks like they use it in an instinctive way, because they're in trouble and try to defend themselves in the best possible way (see Holyfield, Benn,...), as if to cover the biggest possible hittable area.
Take Foreman for example : he, on the advice of Archie Moore, did the opposite : he went from a ''conventional block defense'' to a cross defense. Why did he do that ? Because it suited his style better ? Why did he switch ? There are a couple other examples of dinosaurs, such as Bert Cooper.
Can't we suggest that the cross defense offers advantages and disadvantages, just like the conventional blocking defense ? The conventional defense is sometimes weak against straight punches, whereas the cross defense is weak against uppercutts and may delay the time reaction for counters.
So why aren't there fighters out there today to still use the cross defense ?
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