While blows to the head did happen, particularly if a clean shot to the cheek could be had, the head tended not to be the focus. You see, lacking protective hand gear, punching someone in the head with every ounce of your physical might is a great way to very seriously injury your hands, particularly when done repeatedly.Ĭombine this with the fact that many 19th century boxers sometimes competed multiple times per week and that there were no time limits for many old timey bouts (one match in 1893 even went 111 rounds, see Bonus Facts below), and you begin to see why protecting the head wasn’t as much of a concern as it is today. As for why, most pertinent here is the fact that neither boxer would be wearing gloves in such a classic match.Īs paradoxical as it’s going to sound, boxing without gloves is actually widely considered to be safer than boxing with them, among other reasons because bare knuckle boxers rarely punched one another in the head with full force, so the risk of brain injury or knockout was dramatically lower.

While it’s certainly true that a person utilising the fisticuffs stance would be in trouble in a modern day boxing match, a modern boxer would likely be in just as much trouble sparring off against a pugilistic champ from the golden age of boxing, if they boxed by the rules of the period.

While it may look a little silly to modern fans of the sport, this was actually a very effective fighting stance for those wishing to win a 19th century boxing match.įor anyone unfamiliar, the reason this old timey, once ubiquitous, “fisticuffs stance” is so mocked or derided by fans of the sport today is for the glaring weaknesses inherent to it, namely that the boxer stands with their hands low and their chin up- a great way to get your head pummeled. If you go and look up a photo of a boxer from the 19th century, it’s almost certain that the individual will be standing like the gentlemen pictured right. asks: Why is it that every single old photo of a boxer shows them posing the same goofy way?

Jack broughton boxing rules