List of great fighters who fought out of parallell stance instead of orthodox/southpaw

[Intermission]

Bas Rutten felt it was superior due to equal use of both arms offensively. He does not understand why Mike Tyson was the only one who fought that way, sometimes.

Are there any fighters that come to mind who fought with feet parallell to each other?

 

[mozfonky]

the cus d'amato style did tend to have a more front facing style, it's one of the criticisms that the purists had in the old days. I think AJ liebling described it like a man rushing forward with a stack of plates to keep them from falling. It's also interesting to note that Floyd Patterson took a ton of knockdowns fighting like that and didn't seem to get knocked down as much when he left D'amato although he didn't totally abandon his home syle (neither did tyson when he left rooney) but he definitely modified it to a more orthodox style.

Bas Rutten isn't a boxer, he talks alot about a lot of things, does have his credentials but he's not a boxer. Tyson fought inside with his feet parallel, not outside, that would make it real hard to both move forward and back as well as not have any balance. George Chuvalo thought that Tyson's inside game suffered because of that stance and he did have a point, you don't have back and forth balance in that stance, now, if you're opponent isn't doing anything, no problem, you can rattle off punches faster than ever from there, but if your opponent clinches or pushes you, you have no balance. We have tons of sensational highlight footage of tyson throwing blinding combinations from that stance, notice that his opponent isn't doing a lot back in most cases. George Chuvalo thought Mike would do better to have his back leg at a 45 degree angle instead. Lots of fighters will square up inside though and just go to war from there, it has it's advantages and disadvantages.

 

[StopDucking]

Bas Rutten also thinks you shouldn't use the jab (since it does no damage), shouldn't pivot your foot when throwing a hook and shouldn't rotate your fist when throwing straight punches.

Don't listen to anything Bas Rutten says.

A simple "Mike Tyson" search on YouTube is enough to see that Mike Tyson in fact does not stand completely square. No boxer in his right mind would ever do that.

 

[Jonny Ninja]

Bas rutten isn’t a boxer and clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about! Poor balance and and giving a large target for your opponent to hit are the 2 most obvious problems with this. It is no surprise that fighters are taught, and fight in either an orthodox or south paw stance. It’s tried and tested and any half decent boxer would have a field day if his opponent stands square on

 

[Intermission]

Bas rutten isn’t a boxer and clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about! Poor balance and and giving a large target for your opponent to hit are the 2 most obvious problems with this. It is no surprise that fighters are taught, and fight in either an orthodox or south paw stance. It’s tried and tested

Yeah I get it, but he does have a point that you keep power shot potential in both hands. Sometimes you want to bait guys in if you are a counter puncher.

Rutten also talks about more free style fighting settings

 

[Intermission]

A simple "Mike Tyson" search on YouTube is enough to see that Mike Tyson in fact does not stand completely square. No boxer in his right mind would ever do that.

Mike Tyson did have feet parallell to each other on the inside, just like Mozfonky wrote. On the outside he was standing orthodox

 

[Intermission]

the cus d'amato style did tend to have a more front facing style, it's one of the criticisms that the purists had in the old days.

Interesting, I did not know that. They also felt you can't launch a good attack if your arms are tucked in

 

[mozfonky]

Yeah I get it, but he does have a point that you keep power shot potential in both hands. Sometimes you want to bait guys in if you are a counter puncher.

Rutten also talks about more free style fighting settings

bas has his credentials but he sure says some stupid shit. the idea of the jab, right from the start was to turn a two fisted fight into something strategic and mental. The jab is the wheel of modern boxing. Floyd Patterson said it best, "without a jab, it's just fighting". I could say a lot to you about the jab but I'm not up to it at the moment, honestly kinda down and tired but suffice to say, Bas is wrong.

 

[Intermission]

bas has his credentials but he sure says some stupid shit. the idea of the jab, right from the start was to turn a two fisted fight into something strategic and mental. The jab is the wheel of modern boxing. Floyd Patterson said it best, "without a jab, it's just fighting". I could say a lot to you about the jab but I'm not up to it at the moment, honestly kinda down and tired but suffice to say, Bas is wrong.

Just because someone is wrong on some subjects doesn't mean he is wrong on all of them. The fact remains that one of the greatest boxers of all time stood square when he fought on the outside.

I am obviously not interested in discussing whether the jab is important in boxing.

 

[mozfonky]

Interesting, I did not know that. They also felt you can't launch a good attack if your arms are tucked in

the peek a boo is a strange, contradictory style. it's a style that's almost like martial arts in that it's really unnatural to punch from it, yet and still, the hallmark of the style is speed. It seems even guys who are average fighters are faster, part of the purpose of the more squared up stance was for what you're talking about, to make it easier to throw combos. Anyway, I also should say, I've never seen a slow handed fighter from that style for what it's worth.

 

[Intermission]

the peek a boo is a strange, contradictory style. it's a style that's almost like martial arts in that it's really unnatural to punch from it, yet and still, the hallmark of the style is speed. It seems even guys who are average fighters are faster, part of the purpose of the more squared up stance was for what you're talking about, to make it easier to throw combos. Anyway, I also should say, I've never seen a slow handed fighter from that style for what it's worth.

Is it really only peek a boo guys that fight in squared stances? No sluggers come to mind?

 

[mozfonky]

Just because someone is wrong on some subjects doesn't mean he is wrong on all of them. The fact remains that one of the greatest boxers of all time stood square when he fought on the outside.

I am obviously not interested in discussing whether the jab is important in boxing.

bas is a kook, i mean, no question a great fighter but how seriously can we take a guy who talks to himself midfight saying, "that will not work because I am so strong!" I mean, it works for him, beautiful.

 

[Intermission]

It’s tried and tested and any half decent boxer would have a field day if his opponent stands square on

Context, jonny. Context. Not if they are up on the ropes and on the receiving end.. inside fighting...

 

[mozfonky]

Is it really only peekaboo guys that fight in squared stances? No sluggers come to mind?

you're putting words in my mouth, peekabo isn't squared up, it's more squared up than conventional. As far as sluggers? I can't think of any, the shifting of the weight from the rear is a big part of what gives a guy power, you square up, you're giving that up, how will you transfer your weight forward like that? you can't without leaning over your own feet, which patterson had a tendency to do. I suppose some brawlers might eschew some technical things like proper stance but if they do, they'll pay for it. Mayorga might have fought a bit squared up, i'd have to check but he also took some good beatings.

 

[Jonny Ninja]

Yeah I get it, but he does have a point that you keep power shot potential in both hands. Sometimes you want to bait guys in if you are a counter puncher.

Rutten also talks about more free style fighting settings

Literally the first thing you are taught when you learn to box is ‘keep your hands up’ and ‘don’t stand square’. You see fighters getting dropped regularly in between switching stances ir when they go square. I will agree that you can probably generate more power throwing hooks, but you’d most certainly lose power to your backhand straight and jab. I’d argue that you’d also lose power in your uppercuts

 

[Intermission]

I can't think of any, the shifting of the weight from the rear is a big part of what gives a guy power, you square up, you're giving that up, how will you transfer your weight forward like that?

By using circular punches and transferring the weight sideways instead of forward.

 

[Intermission]

I will agree that you can generate more power throwing hooks

Why is that?

 

[Jonny Ninja]

Context, jonny. Context. Not if they are up on the ropes and on the receiving end.. inside fighting...

They’re exceptions to the rule. I mean if you’ve been backed up to the ropes you’re pretty much forced to square up, but you also don’t have the balance issue and you can use the ropes as part of your defence.

 

[Intermission]

Watch Buckley-Colby for a successful utilization of squared stanced in what was mostly fist fighting as far their stand-up goes

 

[Intermission]

They’re exceptions to the rule. I mean if you’ve been backed up to the ropes you’re pretty much forced to square up, but you also don’t have the balance issue and you can use the ropes as part of your defence.

I'm talking about the offensive guy switching to square when his opponent is against the ropes. Which is what Mike Tyson did....