Inside fighting...is it a dying art?

[Tom Cruise]

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.

[sargo]

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.

[Killer_of_Sheep]

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...

[RespekonMyName]

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.

[soul_survivor]

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

[sargo]

Most likely. The way he fought Hatton though sucked.

[sargo]

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

[elgranluchadore]

estrada did it really good vs viloria and segura

[Ray Corso]

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

[Doctor_Tenma]

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.