Copyright

Martin J Austwick

7 Secrets of Bareknuckle Prizefighters

2014 Martin J Austwick

A pugilism.org publication

http://www.pugilism.org

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 7 Secrets of Bareknuckle Prizefighters

Introduction

It is very easy to look back at the pugilistic era and consider it to be populated by unskilled
fighters who would not stand a chance against modern boxers. To consider their fights to be
unscientific and lacking in skill. Nothing however could be further from the truth.

Classical Pugilism is a highly scientific system of combat that follows a significantly

different rule-set to modern boxing. Highly effective methods of fighting evolved over many
hundreds of years, and it is only since the introduction of the Marquess of Queensberrys
rules in 1867 that many of the techniques and methods of fighting have fallen out of favour.
This book is a quick look at seven aspects of Classical Pugilism that are no longer part of
modern fighting.
 1) Gloves change the way you fight

It seems like a simple thing to say, but it is the very

foundation of the art of classical pugilism. If youre
wearing gloves you can get away with things you cant
when you dont have gloves on. Thats why a fracture of
the fifth metacarpal (the knuckle of the little finger) is
called a boxers fracture. If you train to fight with
Sparring with Mufflers
gloves on youll always fight as if you have them on
whether you do or not. If you train as if you arent wearing them, then when you have to
fight without gloves you wont break your hand.

The greatest Pugilists knew this, which is why when the great Jack Broughton introduced
mufflers, a prototype form of sparring glove, he did so only for sparring. When things
were serious the gloves came off. The ultimate goal was always to fight without gloves, and
the style of fighting reflected this. Once gloves were made compulsory for competition by
the introduction of the Marquess of Queensberrys rules there was little point in training the
way no-one fought, and so the art of pugilism was no more.
 2) Chancery changes the game

One of the things about trying to punch someone in the face really hard is that they tend not
to want you to. Theyll do the most unfair things like move out of the way. That is exactly
why bareknuckle prizefighters developed an entire system of holding their opponents heads
in order to make hitting them easier. Chancery refers to this securing of the head of your
opponent and can be divided into three different forms. Each form has its own numerous set-
ups and escapes.

Standing Chancery is carried out by placing on hand

on the back of your opponents neck and pulling
down. Your elbow should be pushing on their chest to
stop them closing. This is easily performed when
your opponent slips inside a straight punch.

Side Chancery is the classic headlock all school

children are familiar with. It is the perfect set up for a
Standing Chancery
cross buttock throw and is easily moved into from a
standing chancery.

Reverse chancery is the mirror image of side chancery. The arm is around the opponents
neck holding them at your side, but instead of them facing the same way as you they are
facing towards you. It is the perfect set up for any number of chokes and facelocks and can
be performed when your opponent slips outside a straight punch.
 3) Straight beats Round

Thomas Fewterell said it best in 1790 so rather than try

to paraphrase him Ill give you his exact words.

Straight blows are preferable to all others, they are

stronger, because they come directly from the centre of
the power, and quicker, because they describe less space
in the attainment of the object, it therefore follows, that it
is more difficult to parry them than any others. Round
striking is now universally exploded; it is condemned by
Thomas Fewterell - Boxer & Author
the same reasons which recommend straight blows, for it
is directly contrary to them

Allanson-Winn mirrored Fewterells words over 100 years later. He said.

One sometimes reads of a fight in which the winner has vanquished his man by using
swinging circular hits, but it is important not to be misled by the apparent significance of
the result; for it simply means that success has been achieved through good fortune, superior
strength, endurance or training.

Never lose sight of the fact that there is no nearer way between any two points than a straight
line. The points in this case are your hand and some part of your opponent's anatomy, and
there is no quicker line of route than the straight line lying between them.
 4) Single time counters

When James Figg became the first ever champion of all

England he did it by doing something no-one had ever done.
He took the principles of swordsmanship, of which he was a
master, and applied them to pugilism. One of the most
important aspects of this was that of the single time counter.
Blocking your opponents attack in such a way as to allow you
to hit them as you do it doesnt sound like it should be
revolutionary, but it was. It allowed Figg to go through his
James Figg
entire career with only one ever loss, a loss he claimed was due
to him not being well, a loss he avenged as soon as he could. Captain Godfrey, a student of
Figgs wrote this about him.

Figg was the Atlas of the Sword, and may he remain the gladiating Statue! In him, Strength,
Resolution, and unparalleled Judgement conspired to form a matchless Master. There was a
Majesty shone in his Countenance, and blazed in all his Actions, beyond all I ever saw. His
right Leg bold and firm, and his left which could hardly ever be disturbed, gave him the
surprising Advantage already proved, and struck his Adversary with Despair and Panic. He
had that peculiar way of stepping in, I spoke of, in a Parry; he knew his Arm and its just time
of moving, put a firm Faith in that, and never let his Adversary escape his Parry. He was just
as much a greater MASTER, than any other I ever saw, as he was the greater Judge
of Time and Measure.
 5) A Cross Buttock Beats a Cross

When hitting your opponent as hard as possible

with your fists isnt advisable then knocking them
to the floor becomes a much trickier task. However
the rules of the pugilistic ring were much more
broad than current modern boxing rules. It was
perfectly acceptable to close to grapple and to throw
your opponent to the ground and thereby ending the
round.
A Cross Buttock Throw

The cross buttock is a form of hip throw that was generally considered to be a staple of the
pugilists armoury, and in the early days it was more common to see rounds being won by the
use of the throw than by striking alone. Certain boxers specialised more in throws than in
striking and did remarkably well. Captain Godfrey tells us of George Taylor, a fighter who
beat everyone bar the great Broughton. He managed this because of his

remarkable knowledge of the cross-buttock fall.

Taylor was not the only fighter to specialise in throws. Godfrey says this about a pugilist
called Whittaker

He was a very strong Fellow, but a clumsy Boxer. He had two Qualifications, very much
contributing to help him out. He was very extraordinary for his throwing, and contriving to
pitch his weighty Body on the fallen Man. The other was, that he was a hardy Fellow, and
would bear a deal of Beating.

Anyway you look at it, being able to hurt your opponent within the rules of the fight was a
valuable skill, and throws regularly beat strikes.
 6) Get your Bodyweight Behind your Hand

Dempsey called it a falling step, Allanson-Winn called in

leading off, the early pugilists simply called it a punch.
Getting the bodyweight falling behind a straight, lead hand
punch allows you to change it from a simple range finding
jab, used to set up a proper punch from the rear hand to a
knock out blow in its own right. It allows you to take a fast,
accurate, punch that is almost impossible to see coming and
make it powerful enough to cause serious damage. Here is
Allanson-Winns description of it.
R.G. Allanson-Winn

slightly raise the left foot and advance it along the line for a couple of feet, simultaneously
hitting out straight at the enemy's head. In doing this remember that there must be no
previous indication of the movement either by shuffling the feet or drawing back the hand and
so showing the hit. The body should be well thrown forward at the same time with a good
spring from the right foot, which should not, however, leave the ground. Be careful not to
over-reach yourself, and let the weight of the body fully enter into the hit.
 7) Power isnt everything

Hitting someone as hard as you can isnt always the best

idea. Half of the force goes into them, the other half into
your hand, and so you risk causing yourself serious damage
if power is your only criteria for striking. More important
is accuracy, precision, and speed. The greatest fighters can
be floored by a middling strength blow if it hits them just
right.

When gloves arent an option the only way to protect your

A fracture of the 5th Metacarpal
otherwise known as a Boxer's Fracture hands is by using them correctly. Not by using great
swinging circular blows, but by precise, straight punches,
thrown accurately at the correct time. The pugilists of old knew this, and now so do you!

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If youve enjoyed this brief look into the world of
Classical Pugilism then why not take a look at the rest of the resources available at
http://www.pugilism.org There are numerous e-books, audio-books, articles, and videos.
There is even a distance learning course. Take a look here:
http://pugilism.org/index.php/serious-striking/