Question 118: Horizontal v. Vertical fist

Sir, I wanted to point out two facts in reference to your article “Horizontal vs. Vertical Fist”. You said, “Therefore, boxers are always seeking ways to prevent hand injuries, and they train to develop the most powerful punches. They pay trainers thousands of dollars to find and train them in the best punching techniques. This being the case, why don’t boxers use the “safer” “more powerful” vertical punches, since they are permitted within the rules of boxing.” 

If you look into the history of boxing you will find that in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s most (not all) bare-knuckle fighters used a vertical punch. John Lawrence Sullivan, the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing under the London Prize Ring rules used a vertical fist. 

In addition, I would ask you to read Donald Walkers 1840 text "Defensive Exercises", the illustrations clearly show and the words describe a vertical fist. You can read a scanned copy on-line at: http://www.angelfire.com/alt/wma/Walker/You can find a list of other manuals from the 1700 to the 1900's based on bare knuckle boxing that show a vertical fist being used:http://stickgrappler.tripod.com/wma/onlineboxman.html