Though often called "Irish bare-knuckle boxing," the techniques of this style of boxing were common to most Western boxers before the sport was organized around gloved boxing in the late 19th century. Bare-knuckle boxing is similar to gloved boxing -- so much so that it was Irish bare-knuckler John L. Sullivan who won the first heavyweight title -- but requires some different applications to protect the hands and wrists of a fighter.
Punches
Irish bare-knuckle boxing uses the same bread-and-butter punches as gloved boxing: jabs, straight punches, crosses, hooks and upper cuts. Also as in gloved boxing, punches in combination are more common than single punches thrown on their own, but bare-knuckle punches are even more tight and controlled than those of a skilled gloved boxer. Without gloves and wraps, a poorly thrown punch is as likely to hurt the puncher as the punchee.
Mobility
Without head protection, an Irish bare-knuckle boxer relies more on his ability to dodge and assume an advantageous position than does a gloved boxer. Although skills practice is important toward this end, cardiovascular conditioning is what keeps a boxer mobile during the later rounds of a fight. Though not a "technique" in the sense of an applied fighting tactic, before-match preparation is as important an Irish bare-knuckle boxing tool as anything you apply in the ring.
Targets
The head is a good target because it's important, and punches to the head can disorient or knock out an opponent. However, the head is a risky target because of the strong bones close to the skin surface, which can break the knuckles of an unprotected hand. Irish bare-knuckle boxers are prone to punch softer targets, especially arms and torso. This keeps their hands safe, and a body blow is more likely to cause harm when the punching hand isn't wrapped in a leather or vinyl pillow.
"Fighting Dirty"
"Bare-knuckle boxing" also can refer to any of several varieties of unlicensed fight sport competitions. Some of these competitions conform to regular boxing rules, while others are loosely refereed slug fests. If you're involved in Irish bare-knuckle boxing, it can pay to train in techniques from wrestling, jujitsu and military combatives. Some matches might permit grappling, gouging and even biting or strikes to the eyes.
References
- John W. Hurley: Irish Martial Arts
- Bare Knuckle Punching Techniques
- Dave Coffman; Martial Arts Historian; Bushido Martial Arts; Hillsboro, Ore
- "GURPS Martial Arts"; Sean Punch; 2004
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