Is Boxing effective in a street fight?
When it comes to martial arts, a lot are trained out of self-defense purposes. Of course, some train for fun, fitness, or mental discipline. However, time and time again most people begin training to be able to fight and defend themselves. This is where the question is asked, whether boxing is actually effective in a street fight?
There are various answers to this question which will be addressed below. In short, like all martial arts boxing has its pros and cons. Because of this, there are certain things that need to be highlighted – whether that’s good or bad. By doing this, if you do have to use boxing in a street fight then you should be in better stead than fighting without knowing what could go wrong. Read on for more information.
Table of Contents
Advantages of using boxing in a street fight
Firstly, we shall look through the positives of using boxing in a street fight.
Boxing is good against multiple attackers
This is a cliched question that is often asked about martial arts…which is ‘does it work against multiple attackers?’ and boxing is arguably the best martial art to deal with more than one enemy. In brief, if you’re attacked by a few people at once then if your boxing is good enough then you can possibly still win the fight. The video below shows this as an example in multiple settings. Basically, with good enough footwork and head work, you can avoid getting punched. If quick enough, you can still land a few quick combos and jabs on your opponents, effectively winning the fight.
Sadly, this isn’t the case for other martial arts. For instance, as good as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is – it only applies against singular attackers. Thus, boxing is superior in this sense in case you get outnumbered. Having said this, let’s also be realistic. You would have to be far quicker and better at boxing than your opponents. Obviously, the more against you, the harder it gets.
Boxing is good against armed opponents
Whilst it’s never a good idea to get into a fight against armed opponents, boxing is also one of the better arts to hold up against someone with a weapon. For example, if you tried to clinch like in Judo or Muay Thai, you could get stabbed. This means that distance management is key which is where boxing helps.
The idea of boxing is to dodge and then step in to attack, then move out and retreat after hitting. In theory, if someone was swinging a knife, then you could dodge the blade and cut back inside and knock out the attacker. This isn’t easy, nor is it advised however it does at least give you an option.
Boxing is great for cardio which is important on the streets
Often, street fights end when someone gets tired. Whilst everyone imagines they can fight better and longer than they actually can, reality is quite different. If ever you’ve watched street fights online, you will see the winner is often the one who doesn’t gas out quickest.
Simply put, boxing is great for cardio and can keep you going in a fight longer than an untrained fighter. Because of this, it’s a useful tool if it goes the distance. Boxing should also train you against having an adrenaline dump. In other words, if you can survive the first minute or so against an aggressive opponent, then afterward your boxing should kick in. At that point, your technique should be enough to win and your opponent should gas out far quicker than you do.
Boxing is one of the best striking martial arts
Boxing has been around forever and there’s a reason for that. This is because it’s highly effective and works. From street fights to MMA, boxing is used at the highest levels and is a great skill to have. Compared to certain other martial arts, pure boxing offers better technique when it comes to fighting. For instance, whilst Wing Chun can be effective up close, it’s also quite narrow with its striking range. Boxing is more rounded which is why you see professional fighters turn to boxing more. Similarly, it offers more realistic punching techniques compared to other arts such as Hapkido.
Perhaps the best advantage of learning boxing for a fight though is the ability to avoid getting hit. As seen by boxing great Floyd Mayweather, he often won by dodging punches. As a result, he rarely suffered any damage when fighting as he was very difficult to hit. It’s one thing to win a street fight, but it’s another thing to win it without taking much damage. This is yet another reason why boxing is so important to learn.
Disadvantages of using boxing in a street fight
For the sake of being neutral, we shall now look at the negatives of boxing in a street fight. As seen above, it has plenty of positives but we’ll also be realistic and look at its pitfalls.
Boxing struggles against grappling and becomes redundant on the floor
If you do get into a fight then the likelihood is that you won’t come up against a skilled grappler so you’ll probably be ok. Having said this, if you do face a takedown specialist then you should try to win the fight as quickly as possible. Another scenario is fighting an untrained person who naturally shoots for a rugby tackle out of frustration. If you are taken to the floor then boxing is as good as useless on the floor. Here, stuff like head movement and footwork simply don’t apply.
In fact, the only real benefit would be having slightly harder punches from the bottom. Nonetheless, gravity is not your friend in fights and you could get beaten up. This means that grappling is one answer to boxing and arts such as wrestling and Judo can quickly undo the benefits of boxing. Still, if you’re good enough then boxing can still overcome takedowns so long as you manage your distance correctly and don’t give too much away.
Boxing is limited compared to certain other striking martial arts
Whilst boxing is very effective, it’s also a little one dimensional. For example, you may be better at punches than a kickboxer. However, the kickboxer could still land a headkick as you’re untrained at defending against kicks as a boxer. Similarly, a Taekwondo practitioner could do a spinning kick or calf kick. Of course, this is unlikely against your average Joe but still highlights the limitations of boxing.
It’s not just striking either. As mentioned grappling can harm boxers but dirty fighting can also defeat boxing. Here, moves from Krav Maga and Jeet Kune Do spring to mind. Boxing doesn’t train against defending bites, gouges, or groin strikes. These moves may be frowned upon but they do happen in street fights which can cause serious damage. As a result, it’s best to stay alert as a boxer and expect the unexpected.
How do you improve your boxing for street fighting?
This is a great question and is probably why you’re looking at this article. As you may have guessed by now, boxing in a ring with gloves is slightly different from doing it in an environment without rules. Whilst the fundamentals of boxing may stay the same, there are other variables that have been mentioned above. Because of this, if you’re after something a bit more than just boxing, then check this book out. This book is about using boxing in a street fight so it may be exactly what you’re looking for. For instance, it has a section on the correct stances, avoiding clinches, and the safest ways to win without seriously harming or killing the opponent.
Conclusion
Overall, boxing is highly effective in a street fight and is arguably one of the best martial arts that you can learn for fighting. Even if your opponent is much bigger than you, the speed and timing benefits that boxing brings are exceptional. Often, other martial arts pride themselves on smaller opponents beating larger guys and boxing is great at doing just that.
It also speaks volumes that a lot of the criticisms listed against boxing are based on quite unusual situations. For instance, it’s very rare to come across a random person who happens to be a good Judoka or kickboxer. This means that against most people, boxing is a great tool and can get you out of trouble.
At the same time though, it’s important not to get too cocky. As boxing doesn’t follow the rules of most traditional martial arts, it doesn’t preach discipline as much as certain other arts. This means that even if you are a great boxer, you should not look for trouble and start fights. As the saying goes, the art of war is to not start a war which means to keep your skills as humble as possible.
