How good is boxing in an actual fight?

@joygirl: That's not actually true. Certain Sub-Divisions of Martial Arts only practice Punching.

@pyrogram: Sub-divisions don't countttt stop making arguments that aren't any good. Anyone can say "I practice X but actually I only headbutt" then you aren't practicing the martial art, you're just taking their headbutts.

Because no other martial art focuses on punching exclusively. You said punching based martial arts. But while there are many martial arts that are based on punching. None except western boxing is focused entirely on punching outside western boxing and that's why the sweet science produces the best punchers. Every strike is a punch in western boxing, the same is not true of other punching based styles. And none of them put as much effort on the fundamentals to learn to hit as hard as you can. Western Boxing is not fancy, it's about winning the fight that's it.

@joygirl: You know most Martial Arts originate from Sub-Divisions aka lineages right? :P

@crom_cruach: Western boxing is not even a combat Martial Art. It's a sport.

@pyrogram: I am about to snap your neck, then you can tell me which sub-division it originated from.

@joygirl: I've got an irritating charm :P

Wrong it is a martial art, everything it teaches is exclusively based on fighting. Anyone who says boxing is not a martial just because it's not as complext is wrong. Everything western boxing does is train to fight, then fight, then train to fight more. This arrogant idea that because it's practiced in competitive sporting events or that because it's got nothing esoteric to it makes not a martial art is just flat out wrong.

@crom_cruach: Whether you agree or not it's a competitive sport. No opinions. It's a sport. lol

Boxing wouldnt help much if the boxer went againsta mixed martial artist, however it would hurt to get sucker punched by a professional boxer.

It's a martial art that happens to hold competitive events. Big difference. Just like you have judo and karate tournaments or mma, you have boxing tournaments. It's a martial art in equal measure and your arrogant attitude just proves you're just another asian martial arts fanboy.

@crom_cruach: When did I say Boxing was bad? ;)

@pyrogram: Guess what else is a sport. Kickboxing, muay thai, savate, sambo, OH WAIT ALL MARTIAL ARTS.

@joygirl: When did I say Sports meant it was less? I'm just playing devils advocate :D

@pyrogram: Playing devil's advocate =\= Trollin'.

@joygirl: Technically not. It's the type of trolling where you assume what I'm saying, hence getting yourself mad, I'm still not saying anything troll-esq.

since this is the internet which doesn't transmit intent magically. We only have the words you typed and they can be read as disrespectful and disparaging of western boxing at which point yes it can be read into it. Plus you outright flat out stated it's not a martial art. That's just plain out false.

@crom_cruach: When did I disrespect western boxing? >;)

Stop assuming and inferring wrong things.

And if you'd not realized. I'm playing.

Because you flat out stated it's not a martial art (even if it absolutely is) and what you typed can be read as disrespecting it. Again this is the internet, we don't see your face or hear your voice.

@crom_cruach: Since when was saying something was not a Martial Art a bad thing? LOL

@crom_cruach: Oh, and Boxing is a sport by the way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing

Educate yourself.

@crom_cruach: Stop talking to him, you're feeding him, he's trolling.

Yeah because wikipedia says it it has to be true, even when it ignores the definition of what a martial art is and it flat out states in another of it's pages that boxing is a martial art: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_martial_arts (scroll down to United Kingdom) oh wait...

@pyrogram: I've probably forgotten more fights then most people have been in. And let me just say this. People who knew how to box worth a damn probably hurt me more then people doing other martial arts. Boxers are not fun people to take on. If you truly think Boxing is only a sport, go pick a streetfight with one. Once you get out of the emergency room, come back and tell me if you changed your mind.

People saying Boxing isn't effective in a fight have clearly never been in one.

@risingbean: State where I said boxing was not any good. If you cannot find that, refrain from talking to me, a sporting event is no worse than a martial art. Don't make assumptions based on things I never said.

Having knowledge of or experience in boxing is definitely better than not having any kind of martial arts training, but like all martial arts it has its strengths and weaknesses. Training for boxing will build you for strength, endurance, defense, and fighting knowledge (gauging when your opponent's about to strike or open, etc) but there are a lot of other martial arts that can counter boxing (or whatever striking martial art). Joint locks, chokeouts, and takedowns are like great against striking martial arts, particularly boxing as it's not something you'd typically train for or encounter while boxing. But then again, done right a boxer can always catch you with that one flawless punch that just KOs.

This was the post that got me to speak to you. While boxing may be a sport, you can leverage it into real life fighting. Use it as a base. Add gouges and bites and grapple as you need. So while boxing may be a sport (as are many other styles under the MMA banner) it is also a fighting discipline. And one that has probably caused me more troubles then other schools.

As it stands the way you worded that makes it sound like you think boxing is less a martial art. So I don't need to look hard to find what you asked. My advice would be if you do not want to perpetuate an idea be wary of how you say things as well as what you say.

If I read into that wrong, I'll apologize. I don't want to fight with you, but I hope you realize that a boxer is generally more dedicated then many other martial arts practitioners and they can cause a world of hurt. If I had a choice I would fight somebody else.

@risingbean: Where did I say sports are bad?

@pyrogram: You didn't outright. But the tone that comes from what you are saying is that boxing is not a martial system, it is a sport, a game. That trivializes boxing in a thread like this. That is why I noted that if that is not the result you want, how you say things is as important as the point you are trying to convey.

@risingbean: You can hear my tone of voice through text? Woah.

@pyrogram: Nope and that is the problem. Tone is implied. So how you word things is important. I can't hear your voice so I need to discern. And what I got out of the first post I commented on is that boxing is a fun pursuit, not something that can break bones and result in concussions.

Boxing is great and yes it's good in fights since most people throw punches in brawls in the first place, so it's a better advantage for the practitioner who knows how to use his Boxing skills well.

The problem is that he has to be really good to take down a guy really quick to end the fight, and depending on the size, weight, height, and physic of the persons body they may give you a really hard time since some people can take a couple of hard punches and such. Then there's his friends you need to worry about because they want to help out their buddy, or some random people jumping in to the fight because they think it'll be fun and act like idiots, but will leave in the middle because they don't want to get hurt. So again, you can be a skilled boxer and handle yourself in a fight but it's all depends on the practitioner and how he deals with the situation.

I also advise that you'll be trained in some martial arts based on grappling like jujitsu and kicks like Muay Thai to be a well-rounded fighter so you'll have more options in such situations.

People who have said boxing is not effective have probably never been a solider of war fighting in an unending conflict that never stops, never ceases and never pauses. I have used many boxes in many fights of many varieties, involving close quarters combat against solo or multiple enemies, gun fights, sword fights, ninja fights, sniper fights, tank battles, fights against Mil Mi-24, fights against Ka-60 Kasatka, fights against M1 Abrams Tanks. Its a nice complementary style to be used in junction with CQC.

Not only that, but its a poignant reminder that even love can bloom on the Battlefield.

Huh? 0_0

@mrdecepticonleader:

@sc said:

@mrdecepticonleader:

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

I CAN clarify.

Champion martial artist Joe Lewis recently ranked Boxing as one of the top ten best martial arts for self defense in Black Belt magazine. I'll post the link below.

BUT ANYWAY...

Boxing is the science of fist fighting. The fist being the #1 thing we humans have as a self defense tool. Contrary to popular belief,Boxing IS a Martial Art. It's a sport too but yes it is a Martial Art by definition. "Martial" meaning "war" and art meaning "expression." SO anything that is an expression of war or combat is a martial art including fencing,wrestling and yes Boxing too.

Boxing for self defense on the street will not have the restrictions of Boxing in the sporting ring. No gloves. No rounds and no referee on the streets. Being hit only once or twice by a person trained well in Boxing with bare fists will cause quite a considerable amount of damage if not death.

Boxing may not seem very flashy or exotic because it is not flashy or exotic. It's just practical and effective. Body shots can cause KO's and/or severe pain. Head shots can cause KO's and/or severe pain. A boxer's fists cause real damage.

If you want to see Boxing's handiwork on the streets,take a look at Mitch Green's eye after he was hit by Mike Tyson in a street fight. Or ask Don Charles about his broken jaw he received after fighting with former 2 time champion David Haye. Ask former champion Rocky Lockridge about his one punch KO over a large street bully. Boxing is very effective for real practical fighting.

I'd take someone trained in Boxing for 6 months over a person trained in Tae Quon Do,Aikido or Kenpo for a year.

Champion martial artist Joe Lewis ranks Boxing among top 10 best self defense arts: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/martial-arts-masters/joe-lewis/joe-lewis-top-10-martial-arts-for-self-defense/

Pretty much what JediXMan said.

Nowadays, using a single fighting style in a real fight tends to be more effective against unskilled opponents. Boxing is no exception to the rule. Things change when the opponent possesses fighting skills. At that point, it comes down to the better fighter (not to mention that some fighting styles are more practical against others). On top of that, a lot of fights go to the ground. In that situation, a stand-up fighter is going to be screwed most of the time against a ground fighter.

It helps to be skilled in more than one fighting style these days.

It helps.

1. You train your physical attributes

2. You learn how to counter and block punches

3. You learn to handle more pain

Here's my two cents based on personal experience...

I have been boxing for sox years and wrestled all through high school and have been taking muay thai and BJJ for the past two years. Im 23 now and ive learned a few things.

Its better to just avoid a fight aaltogether obviously but my rule is thus; I never start a fight but i have no problem finishing one.

Again, personally, boxing is my base and it has won me countless street fights by simply slipping and dodging. When some untrained caveman comes in throwing haymakers and you dodge every shot and use his own momentum against him he gets embarrassed real wuick and basically loses the will to fight. However, i have gotten caught on the chin more than once and can take a punch like few can. Im also ridiculously strong the left cross being my favorite head shot and uppercut being my favorite body shot.

A lot of untrained douches also like to bull rush you and try to take you down. Thats when i throw a knee. Right to the face. They're bent down, exposed, and vulnerable. I also suck at jiu jitsu so if the fight ends up on the ground my first instinct is to get back up.

Bottom line:Boxing is an awesome base skill and It has worked for me for years alone. But incorporating other martial arts definitely couldnt hurt. So to speak.

That was a helluva rant so i hope any of this made sense.

Pretty effective.
It maximizes the efficiency of your punches. Teaches you how to take hits and how to dodge hits, how to get in hard and fast and get out without taking much damage and if you're good enough, you can OHKO most non-fighters.

It's pretty effective. If you know how to punch(and if you're heavy enough), you can floor a guy with a single punch.

I know it's a video game but none the less Steve Fox from Tekken is a great example of the potential of boxing, if you can dodge & counter like Steve then yeah... boxing is good in an actual fight.

Lets say its good, but there are mostly better martial arts for a fighting to death. However it is one from the top when it comes to combat with unskilled opponents, even against more than one.

Boxing is the wrestling of striking

Wrestling is one of the most important grappling arts in the world since a good wrestler can control if a fight goes to the ground or not.

Similarly, a good boxers strengths lie in their mobility and footwork, this allows them to control the distance they can attack from while also giving them different angles to attack the opponent from.

Boxing combined with other martial arts (like Muay Thai, Karate/TKD and Wrestling) works very well since boxing only focuses on the hands. You can use a punch to set up a solid round house kick or slip a punch into a double leg.

So yes, boxing by itself and boxing in an MMA context works very well.

Boxing is pretty awesome but a boxer stands little chance against a mixed martial artist who can also box.

I favor brawlers over boxers, and yes brawling is an art form.