why do bareknuckle boxers stand like that?

[platinummatt!]

you see old pics of bareknuckle boxers from the 1800s and they stand with one hand by their body and one hand out? Why is this

[Bendigo]

One hand is used to foppishly twirl the moustache, while the other hand is used to beckon your opponent and proclaim: "I'll butter your beans and serve them to you cold!"

[PunchDrunk]

The rules in bareknuckle fighting were much different than modern boxing.

Their style was adapted to their rule set. If you look at modern amateur boxing, the prevalent style conforms to rule changes as well. Prior to the 2000 Olympics, they scored differently than they do now. Only very heavy shots, that rocked your head back would register a point. Bodypunches hardly scored at all. Back then, the top boxers were short, square fighters with high guards, who only threw one or two punches at a time. Combinations were a waste of time, since you never got more than one point per exchange. Back then German fighter Falke Hust won a European championship final 2-0...

Nowadays, the scores are much higher. It's not uncommon for a fight to have 80 points combined. Obviously this means short fighters, throwing few punches aren't very effective anymore. This means many of the good fighters are tallish, with a lot of footwork, and a high punch output. Very different style.

If they change the rules to something new, boxers will adapt to that it, and the best within those rules will rise to the top, where they might not have been effective before.

[Verstyle]

Tyson had a pic with that pose also.

[platinummatt!]

Cheers punchdrunk + cheers versy for that info. What about the old style made them have their guard like that?

[PunchDrunk]

They stood with their front foot on a line, or in a square on the floor. They couldn't move around, and needed the front hand out and ready. It was also considered ungentlemanlike to parry a punch, so you had to move your head or just take it. Boxing matches back then, were about absorbing punishment in a much cruder, and more brutal way than today.
Their right hand was where it was, because it's much faster to punch from there.

Jack Johnson was one of the first fighters to catch punches in the air with his hands. He basically revolutionized defense at the time.

[Darkstranger]

Re: Jack Johnson

Notice how his face didn't seem to have a single mark on it either!

[j]

one hand protects the body, one protects the face.

you could say that old school boxing was more brutal. really, old school boxing was just closer to a real fight than it is now.



this is nearly the exact pose i have to train single every day:

[platinummatt!]

Cheers! Yeh I was reading. They could go for like 100 rounds. Although they didnt have rounds as we do today, but a round was when someone was knocked down, they had 30 seconds to get up if knocked down, and 10 seconds to get back to a scratch in the middle of the ring. People would take advantage of the 30 second breaks by going down for minor blows

[platinummatt!]

didnt see anything about the square thing though