“James,
“I have a question about the Lamotta Sugar Ray fight. It seems that Lamotta is constantly going into a crouch and at times leaning forward a great deal. Mr. Robinson had an advantage as far as reach goes. What was he thinking (I know you are not a mind reader)? Is there any benefit to be derived from his technique as far as self defense against a taller attacker goes? That crouch just seems counter intuitive.”
-Nero
I can read Lamotta’s mind across the decades, because I often boxed like that when faced with a taller, quicker, more skilled athlete and against my brother, managed to sprain his wrist. Tony and I fought for three rounds with my oldest son counting punches. I never hit him and he hit me 398 times and then sprained his wrist when I finally scored my only blow, a head butt to his straight right hand!
The next time we fought he avoided the wrist injury, but found out, that since he started smoking, he could only throw 400 punches, and ended the fight face down on the floor coughing up brown goo on my sneakers. So, being a shitty boxer like Lamotta, and short, I led with my head to avoid chin shots, which will put you to sleep however tough you are.
There are numerous reasons why this style was never used in ancient boxing, Pankration or the London Prize Ring, and why it should not be used in MMA or in survival situations except when you are in the process of getting KO’d—which was technically Lamotta’s dilemma the entire fight.
1. This leaves you open for a guillotine choke.
2. This leaves you open for a hammer fist or rabbit punch to the base of the skull.
3. This exposes the cervical and thorax spine to elbow drops [See the Eastern European karate guy spiking Mark Kerr’s spine in their early Pride fight.]
The upsides for this crouch with face looking at his feet and knees in survival situations are:
1. He can’t hit your chin
2. You can see the feet of any looming accomplices
3. It will shield your knife hand from view while you draw it and prepare to carve out his spleen while the idiot is punching the hardest part of your head!
Counters to this include:
1. Measuring with the checking hand off the top of his head and then either face planting him on the floor with a sprawl on the back of the head with both hands [Bend your elbows so they don’t break when you do this falling pushup with his splattering face.] or
2. Moving your checking hand to the shoulder and passing to one side either to avoid the knife or get on the knife hand and effect a disarm
3. Grab his ears and slam your knee into his nose.
4. If he drives for the take down hook into his eye-sockets with your middle fingers while pressing your thumbs into his temple and dig those peepers out!
5. Check his head and then do a weak pass pivot as you hook under the back of his arm with your lead hand and grab his head with your rear hand and drive his face into the wall that was at your back.
