Tips for in-fighting?

Hey guys, I am new to boxing and got my tail handed to me in a sparring match yesterday. The only thing I feel I can do is throw a jab and straight right. For my height I believe I have a short reach and during the sparring session when he got inside, I didn't know what to do. He seemed to negate everything I had with his hands and couldn't throw quick hooks or flurries like I want. Also, with headgear on and fighting a shorter opponent it is difficult to gauge what he is doing and where the punches are coming from. I just shelled up and did some head movement, it is bad when he gets me in the corner though, other things like conditioning were a problem, because after the first 3 minute round, I was getting tired. We did 3 rounds, another issue I have is staying relaxed, I am just glad I fought my instincts and didn't go into street fight mode or start throwing bombs as that would have pissed him off and he would have killed me. He is an older guy too and destroyed me, the main issue is getting used to being hit, conditioning, and in-fighting though. My straight A-to-B punches aren't bad when I can find range, but my reach sucks, getting hit bit is psychological though, I haven't been hit in the since like 15 years or so. I know the proper technique to throw hooks, but they get sloppy and aren't tight during sparring.

I'm addicted to this sport though, any tips helps. I've been doing some heavy bag work 5 times a week, shadowboxing, and jumping rope. I'm going to incorporate speedbag as well, how important is roadwork? I always fear that it be hell on my explosive strength with promotion of slow twitch muscle fiber growth. Thanks for any tips. I have a guy training me twice a week, showing me the basics, otherwise on my own, he is an ex-pro fought for years but I have a hard time understanding him at times because he has been hit so many times. Good guy though.

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Originally Posted by ProdigalSon2007

Hey guys, I am new to boxing and got my tail handed to me in a sparring match yesterday. The only thing I feel I can do is throw a jab and straight right. For my height I believe I have a short reach and during the sparring session when he got inside, I didn't know what to do. He seemed to negate everything I had with his hands and couldn't throw quick hooks or flurries like I want. Also, with headgear on and fighting a shorter opponent it is difficult to gauge what he is doing and where the punches are coming from. I just shelled up and did some head movement, it is bad when he gets me in the corner though, other things like conditioning were a problem, because after the first 3 minute round, I was getting tired. We did 3 rounds, another issue I have is staying relaxed, I am just glad I fought my instincts and didn't go into street fight mode or start throwing bombs as that would have pissed him off and he would have killed me. He is an older guy too and destroyed me, the main issue is getting used to being hit, conditioning, and in-fighting though. My straight A-to-B punches aren't bad when I can find range, but my reach sucks, getting hit bit is psychological though, I haven't been hit in the since like 15 years or so. I know the proper technique to throw hooks, but they get sloppy and aren't tight during sparring.

I'm addicted to this sport though, any tips helps. I've been doing some heavy bag work 5 times a week, shadowboxing, and jumping rope. I'm going to incorporate speedbag as well, how important is roadwork? I always fear that it be hell on my explosive strength with promotion of slow twitch muscle fiber growth. Thanks for any tips. I have a guy training me twice a week, showing me the basics, otherwise on my own, he is an ex-pro fought for years but I have a hard time understanding him at times because he has been hit so many times. Good guy though.

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Never ever throw a jab when your inside fighting because your open for easy counters to the body.

Well i can't really tell you how to do inside fighting because i don't know your height or ect but for me i use head movement and i always throw little short chopping hooks try to mix it up when your on inside body to head and use some quick flurries.


I can help you more if i know your height bro.

I'm a bit over 5 foot 9 barefooted, another issue I have is staying relaxed with punches yet not losing power...also I haven't adapted well to the 16 ouncers and my shoulders tire real fast. Punches are too slow for my taste, which is odd because I felt strength was a big plus for me, but I think the issues steam with my technique/conditioning. I'm around 170-175 right now, but would like to cut down to 160-165 for optimal boxing shape.

Me doing burpees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwZg6Wmj5Ug

Uppercuts,lean on the guy,work to the body

Yeah, uppercuts...I really need to work on that. The ex-boxer training me says he doesn't even look up when he throws his uppercut, and his looks more like an arm punch when demonstrating, not much core rotation at all, it was quick though. Another thing with leaning and in-fighting, how do you see your opponent and read him? Do you just feel out your opponent? I always thought you were supposed to keep your eyes on your opponent at all times?

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Originally Posted by ProdigalSon2007

Yeah, uppercuts...I really need to work on that. The ex-boxer training me says he doesn't even look up when he throws his uppercut, and his looks more like an arm punch when demonstrating, not much core rotation at all, it was quick though. Another thing with leaning and in-fighting, how do you see your opponent and read him? Do you just feel out your opponent? I always thought you were supposed to keep your eyes on your opponent at all times?

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Infighting is different
When your leaning on a guy(especially a smaller opponent) you serve two purposes
A)Your making him carry your weight
B)Even though you cant see what the guys doing,you can feel it by maintaining contact with either his shoulder(preferred) or his head
And yeah,Im the way your coach described his uppercuts,with my body shots
If Im on his shoulder,I know where his ribs are,just pop em sight unseen

Thanks guys, so much to learn! I really do dig the in-fighting though, but does getting hit a whole bunch get any funner? Because as an in-fighter, I think I'm going to get hit a lot. :)

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Originally Posted by ProdigalSon2007

Thanks guys, so much to learn! I really do dig the in-fighting though, but does getting hit a whole bunch get any funner? Because as an in-fighter, I think I'm going to get hit a lot. :)

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Eventually as you learn your buisness,youll learn the purpose of infighting is to take a break where you can hit,but guard.A breather if you will
What you need to do is let your hands go free,and manipulate position,right now it sounds as if your the one being manipulated inside

Yeah, I'm being completely controlled, inside/out it doesn't matter. I want to let my hands go, but it is only sparring and don't want to hurt the guy or anything...or piss him off.

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Originally Posted by ProdigalSon2007

Yeah, I'm being completely controlled, inside/out it doesn't matter. I want to let my hands go, but it is only sparring and don't want to hurt the guy or anything...or piss him off.

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I was more leaning towards activity level
Just keep the hands active
As far as manipulation on the inside,this part is easier to show then explain,so if it doesnt translate forgive me
There are 4 points of hand position on the inside,what you wish to achieve dictates where your hands should be
If your hoping for quick chopping hooks to the head(and the back of the head,check where the ref is)your hands should be high and out
Those same hooks to the body,out and down
Uppercuts,in and tight
Straights,high tight,and bend your body more to protect the ribs

I can do in fighting but its not really my thing because i have the height and reach to fight on outside using my snappy jab and combos when i do go on inside i normally do quick flurries then im back out again.

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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

I can do in fighting but its not really my thing because i have the height and reach to fight on outside using my snappy jab and combos when i do go on inside i normally do quick flurries then im back out again.

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As you get in to longer fights,youll need to work on your inside game.Clinching and infighting is a great way to control the tempo,and if your the taller guy,force them to walk around with your wieght on them,and pushing them using superior leverage

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Originally Posted by Trainer Monkey

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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

I can do in fighting but its not really my thing because i have the height and reach to fight on outside using my snappy jab and combos when i do go on inside i normally do quick flurries then im back out again.

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As you get in to longer fights,youll need to work on your inside game.Clinching and infighting is a great way to control the tempo,and if your the taller guy,force them to walk around with your wieght on them,and pushing them using superior leverage

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Oh yea definetly im not bad inside fighter i normally use quick flurries on inside to stop there offense and im always giving them the shoulder so they can't use an uppercut a mistake i have seen is when people throw jabs on inside i can counter very easily with left hook to the body.

I'll try those quick chopping hooks next time, hopefully I won't be so overwhelmed in the inside next time. I actually get my best shots in when he was attacking as well, but it also means taking a clean shot or leaving yourself vulnerable. Is head movement a good idea while fighting that close or only best utilized when closing the distance? Do quick arm punches ever have any value during in-fighting? Flurry and shell-up? Rinse and repeat?

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Originally Posted by ProdigalSon2007

I'll try those quick chopping hooks next time, hopefully I won't be so overwhelmed in the inside next time. I actually get my best shots in when he was attacking as well, but it also means taking a clean shot or leaving yourself vulnerable. Is head movement a good idea while fighting that close or only best utilized when closing the distance? Do quick arm punches ever have any value during in-fighting? Flurry and shell-up? Rinse and repeat?

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Inside is the worst place to get overly clever moving your head.
Youll lose track of where your opponent is
And yes obviously your best stuff comes on a counter.If they threw a punch,they just left an opening

By the way did anyone catch Sam Soliman on the last episode of The Contender? If so, what did you think? :)

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Originally Posted by Chris N.

By the way has anyone catch Sam Soliman on last episode of The Contender? If so, what did you think? :)

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He looked sloppy didn't look that great the opponent he was up against just didn't want it didn't think much of the fight or the fighters in that bout.

ICB, take a step outside of your fan seat for a minute and look at this like a boxer would. What can you learn from that fight? The reason that I bring it up because it sheds some valuable insight on this topic. ;) Just think about it for a second and tell me what you found out by watching that fight.

Sorry, took down video, wasn't sure if allowed to post it or not.

This the fight? That was a brawl!

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Originally Posted by Chris N.

ICB, take a step outside of your fan seat for a minute and look at this like a boxer would. What can you learn from that fight? The reason that I bring it up because it sheds some valuable insight on this topic. ;) Just think about it for a second and tell me what you found out by watching that fight.

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Well im not sure what you mean Chris but i don't know what i can learn from the fight except that tall guy just didn't want it and didn't use his reach or height correctly Sam was just sloppy and was rushing in clinching and throwing few shots on the inside it was sloppy bout.

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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

He looked sloppy didn't look that great the opponent he was up against just didn't want it didn't think much of the fight or the fighters in that bout.

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It's good that you brought it up because wasn't that his opponent was lacking any drive before he came into the fight. Most things in boxing are based on cause and effect, Max's less than steller performance was caused to some extent by Sam. I'll get into that in a second.

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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

Well im not sure what you mean Chris but i don't know what i can learn from the fight except that tall guy just didn't want it and didn't use his reach or height correctly Sam was just sloppy and was rushing in clinching and throwing few shots on the inside it was sloppy bout.

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Fighting out a clinch is what you want to understand. Sam does those same exact moves when he is sparring, look at his right uppercut, and the punches that he throws over his opponent's arms. The problem with his opponent is that he wasn't taught how to clinch properly, or in other words how to tie his opponent's arms up. From a boxer's point of view if you see a punch land you have to look at the conditions that took place to allow that to happen, and from it's from a boxer's point of view that you can learn how to avoid these mistakes yourself.

Anyways getting back to how why Max seemed to abandon all hope, and even his fight plan, let's look at some why's. If you don't tie Sam up on the inside he's going to use his strength to create a little space so he can land his uppercut. Now let's look at his uppercut, he doesn't tie Sam's arms up and practically allows himself to get hit. Sam has the inside position and furthermore he alone occupies the centerline which is where is a pipeline for punches to travel on. His uppercut slides up his opponent's chest and nails the other guy in the chin. Now if the guy is leaning forward which can be a tendency when a tall guy clinches a shorter guy his neck is right there.

Getting hit in the neck can cause a number of things to happen.

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Originally Posted by Scrap

Simple HH aim for his kneck, in future, harder to slip or block, Usually he;ll loose sight of what coming next. He will either drop his chin more, or step back

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Do you see the connection?

If you allow the conditions to keep happening then you're going to get nailed with the same punch over and over again.

On another note a young inexperienced fighter like Max isn't used to fighting someone who fights rought like Sam. A lot of times what happens is that the dirty moves do more damage to the fighter's head than the physical damage itself.

I'm not trying to sound condescending, it's just some things that I thought about myself and figured it was worth sharing. I'll get more into in-fighting 101 later. :)

Wow, so many little details to in-fighting. Is it normal for a beginner to be more of a brawler-puncher type rather than a typical in/out-fighter?

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Originally Posted by ProdigalSon2007

Wow, so many little details to in-fighting. Is it normal for a beginner to be more of a brawler-puncher type rather than a typical in/out-fighter?

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Its almost garunteed normally

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Originally Posted by ProdigalSon2007

Wow, so many little details to in-fighting. Is it normal for a beginner to be more of a brawler-puncher type rather than a typical in/out-fighter?

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Yes unless your gifted.


And yes i understand what your saying Chris.

Should I fight my brawler-type instincts when sparring? I actually think right now I fare better in sparring just throwing a variety of punches than trying to be technical sound, but in the long run is it better during sparring to focus on my technique?

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Originally Posted by ProdigalSon2007

Should I fight my brawler-type instincts when sparring? I actually think right now I fare better in sparring just throwing a variety of punches than trying to be technical sound, but in the long run is it better during sparring to focus on my technique?

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Right now you are trying to create instincts that will carry on when it matters most
Losing at sparring is fine
Losing when it counts,sucks,and it doesnt matter how well you did at sparring

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Originally Posted by ProdigalSon2007

Wow, so many little details to in-fighting. Is it normal for a beginner to be more of a brawler-puncher type rather than a typical in/out-fighter?

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Most beginners throw their punches like they're slamming a door. The thing about in-fighting is that it takes a lot of skill to get into the inside position and it takes even more skill to stay there.

I guess the big difference here is that the master boxer who can fight on the inside and the outside, understands the moves thoroughly and the different conditions that have to take place to make them work. Therefore they can then focus more on their opponent, what are their limitations, and what are yours in each situation. Then you can think about the consequences and what will happen after either you or him move.

A skilled fighter can stack the deck so to speak by using their defense to set up opportunies for their offense, this allows them to reduce their opponents probable actions and/or responces and therefore put themselves in situations that leads up to the situations that they know inside and out. There are certain moves and techniques that potentially and/or naturally will flow into other moves. The expert has sharp observation skills that go in hand with the foreshadowing of these techniques all of which comes from their vast experience of sparring/fighting along with their own thoughts and observations. I know this kind of stuff will go over most boxer's heads but there's things that you neet to work on if you want to improve.

Start building on different situations that you'll typically find yourself in. Learn what the different punches and moves are and what the typical responses are to them. In sparring try to observe different ways that your opponent tips off his punches, you'll want to pick out little things first instead of trying to get it all in so that you won't become overwhelmed. The faster you know what your opponent is going to do the faster you can respond. Look at yourself, your movement's your stance etc. and for a change of perspective see yourself as an opponent looking at you. How does your stance affect the way that you fight, what are the advantages and disadvantage of it. You'll need more understanding so try to put yourself in the shoes of another fighter and seek out the reasons that they did it. The techniques are all out their in books, in fights, in people you have to look for them and then you have to break each technique down as if you were rebuilding an engine. When you working on a new move think about how you would set it up, where your body is going to have to be, what conditions have to take place in order for you to pull it off.

Just a word to the wise, don't work on any general aspect as a whole, break it down into little pieces that are easier for you to tackle. I don't think for one moment that it's natural talent that makes the fighter. Most of the great fighters had to learn a great deal of it on their own, perhaps it's their willingless to learn and asking the right questions along with the courage to keep going at it despite bloody noses, headaches and getting knocked on their asses.

Mastering boxing as with any technical endeavor is about learning in pieces. It takes courage and determination to succeed at boxing when it's like huge disassembled jigsaw puzzle infront of you, and it's up to you to put together the pieces. 8)

Thanks for the advice, during a sparring match though, should I be visualizing and analyzing my technique so much? I have heard some fighters claim you need to be a 'smart' fighter and others state that instincts take over when they fight. I am very green, and I do tend to think outside the box, and over analyze, in some ways this is detrimental though as I don't let my hands go and afraid to fully commit to the punch. I think a big issue for me is just staying loose and relaxed. Obviously, confidence is an issue when I'm getting schooled as well, I was fighting an old guy but he was an ex-pro, man I could barely land anything on him. It stunk, I wanted to go into full bull rush mode or just take him down with a wrestling move or maybe high kick his face off. He was toying with me. :)

You don't want to get caught in a ring thinking too much, and on the flipside you don't want to don't want to walk into the ring like a chicken with your head cut. You're fighting a more experienced fighter than yourself and his gloves ought to tell you whan you need to work on. At first you'd use your learning experience from sparring to create starting points that you can work on when you're training. If you're getting hit, then you're probably getting hit for a reason. Spend your time after your sparring sessions to figure out what happened and how it happened. Ask the right questions. Find out what the problem is, and then break it down and find out what will happen when you do something different.

As a beginner there are many different techniques that you can learn to help you deal with different punches/situations. Discipline yourself to stick to techniques and just keep improving at it. You'll see what happens to even professional fighters when they revert to their old ways, they get shot down, end of story. Real guts is not so much about taking the best that your opponent can dish out, it's about thinking yourself out of a dillema even if you have a skilled opponent that's trying to take your head off. :D

This is all so complex. My fragile little brain, can't possibly interpret a fighters action in a micro-second and then be able to reflexively respond with the perfect timing yet. I'm doomed!

Thanks for the advice guys. :)

And most importanly always keep your chin tucked in and good luck.

Get the right reasons behind what you're doing then keep repeating it until until it comes so natural to you that you don't need to think about how to do it. Even when you're not in the gym training you can reinforce what you already know by visualizing all the pieces that make up a particular movement. This will help you for the moment where you need to do it right off the bat. For example you said your left-hook needs some work to get right while you're in the ring, break it down by learning the different parts that make up the movement, then slowly start putting it together so that it starts to feel right. Don't worry about the power and speed that'll come later. Now you can isolate that punch and throw it over and over so that you'll be able to throw it with consistency everytime. Next comes the brains behind the move, start working on getting yourself in position to be able to land the left hook as if you up fighting a real opponent. Find the angles, what are the conditions that have to take place for you. For instance are you going to throw this as a counter to your opponent's punch? Just keep it basic right now before you jump into deeper thoughts.

By the way, we have a free ebook topic that you can check out if you would like to find out the different responses for the each punch. There's a good book there written by a boxing coach named Edwin L. Haislett that goes over the most of the techniques that's out there. It's a good reference in my oppinion. :)

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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

And most importanly always keep your chin tucked in and good luck.

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Keep your chin in, just not tucked in. ;) If it's too close to your breastbone you're going to have some problems. This was from Scrap's advice.

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Originally Posted by Chris N.

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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

And most importanly always keep your chin tucked in and good luck.

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Keep your chin in, just not tucked in. ;) If it's too close to your breastbone you're going to have some problems. This was from Scrap's advice.

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Thats what i ment but thanks for correcting me :)

And Chris what do you prefer when fighting inside with the guard held high or cross defence where your guarding your chin and body at the same time ??

I don't know my opinion would matter. I can't really say either of them, especially not something that I don't use at all. For one thing I'd like to know what I'm getting into to. For the sake of simplicity let's say for that you are basketball player. On the court you gotta know where all the defenders are, where the openings are, and working with your team mates you're trying to get into a position to score, hopefully you want to get into the coveted "triple threat position" in which you have different options at your disposal. Now in boxing it's kind of the same, you have to be aware of the potential threats, where the openings are, and experience tells you how to get there and what you have to do. As for a triple threat position in boxing you want to be a good position to attack your opponent's openings, out of harms way with an exit plan if need be. It all depends on the situation, and my opponent. There has to be a reason why I am doing something. I'm not walk into enemy fire with my hands on my cheeks, they shouldn't be there unless I intend to block something. There's better things that they doing on the inside. :)

When I got up this morning I started thinking about when I might need to use the covering-up guard. When you are nose to nose with your opponent things become very different. You could say it's like the traffic and fast pace that you'd experience when entering a busy expressway. You have to be so much more aware when close to your opponent. You'd have to relearn a lot of things all over again. In honesty right now I don't have the experience to be brave enough to stay on the inside. It'd be easier for me to just take advantage of the opportunities that come right off the slip, fighting right off the outside of their lead arm, and occasionally going on the inside right off the counter. Now unless you have the experience on how to deal with your opponent's arms, how to feint and draw punches on the inside, the natural counters and so forth you should not get in close to your opponent.

Getting back to when I'd use bring my hands up high let's say that in my lack of experience I'm expecting that my opponent is going to throw a left hook, instead he throws a left uppercut that I have no time to react against it. It nails me, and I'm staggered a little and he's not letting me clinch, instead I have to break ground fast bringing my guard up for a several seconds to block. I know that just taking a step back isn't going to keep me safe, I have to get back to controlling the outside circle so that I can clear my head recompose myself. I'd be stupid to try a rope-a-dope and try to weather the storm, and I wouldn't be any better off doing what Jeff Lacy did against Joe Calzaghe. My survival mode would be to get out of range and to get back onto the big circle that goes around the ring. For an example of this watch Delahoya vs. Vargas, Delahoya get's hurt but he goes into the circle clearing his head and scoring with his jabs at the same time. I think it was Archie Moore that said that controlling the circle meant controlling the fight.

Another thing that every boxer needs to do is for the most part keep their elbows in close to their sides. You can't do this when your hands are up past your chin. This allows your body to respond much quicker, and on the inside this allows your arms to guard against body blows. If they're too far forward then you end up leaving your liver open for a counter. As I said before most guys will throw their punches like they're trying to close a door, they also may overcommit to their punches exposing their liver and kidneys. Knowing this I think that a boxer should first make a strong habit of keeping the elbows in close. Under most circumstances you should not square up as this would make your guard easier to manipulate and give your opponent an easy way to knock the wind out of you. With the elbows where they are supposed to be one should practice rolling inside of their opponent's wide hooks taking the blows on the their shoulders and arms. When rolling inside your opponent's wide swings/hooks make sure you don't turn your body too much as to expose your vulnerable spots.

You will have to tell me what you think the cross arm defense is. Just a little word of advice, when you're talking to a fighter if you bring up most of the names that fan's have created to name the different guards/stances, most of them won't know what you're talking about. My point is if you have a question about something in particular, just spend a little time describing it so that whoever you're asking the question to will know what you're talking about.

Anyways right now I just started thinking about Gene Tunney. You see he was once almost an exclusive outside fighter, as he got more experienced and his understanding for fighting improved he became a very well rounded boxer who could fight well on both on the outside, as well as close to his opponent. He would master a lot of the smart counters to his opponents weak spots, and this also added to his effectiveness as a fighter. I think that by sparring as much as you can from fighters that you can learn volumes from it. The first step is that you have to desensitize yourself to fighting, don't look at it as two guys trying to do each other in, but instead see how both fighters work off of each other. Look at it as a challenge in which you are always looking for new things and fine tuning what you've learned. Try to see how your opponent tips off their punches, what their usual responses are and you'll discover a lot of your own tendencies and mistakes as well. It can become fun as you get better and more confident in your abilities. Excellent sparring is perhaps the best parts in your skill development, on top of that these skills will help you make the most out of the rest of your training, and the observation skills will allow you to learn volumes by watching tapes fights on TV, or where ever you may be.

There is inside fighting as in distance (IN fighting) and inside fighting as in being inside both his arms (which is both). As in ..inside their guard and outside their guard inside their elbows or outside their elbows .That deservesd alot of thought and alot of understanding of your limitations and dangers.
Some styles /fighters talk /think in one or the other.
In regards head movment ,your head follows your knee pattern and your feet.
To just stand wide and move your head isnt the deal your looking for when that is mentioned.
IF that occurs you will be timed and flogged and you'll be caught in a low position comming up or in a side postion comming back across with your head.
Luckily most fighters get excited and throw straight shots at a head thats moving sideways so there is usually an out but its your feet and knees that will get you out of there;unless your in there actually hunting down his openings thats another game.
Thinking in reverse if they are low and moving their head side to side, give yourself the correct distance and follow the path of the head when it moves like that and you cant miss cause it's comming back right through the same arch it first took.

This tells you that to use head movment right on the inside is dangerous stuff cause you can get knocked cold when your head moves into a punch comming the reverse way;
So use it by all means but know 'why your useing it' and where your heading to (saftey first).know whats safe ,know whats not.
Then you dont have to over think in the situation cause you have already done that and you know it when your there. So think about it in depth first and then play around with someone and push and test their natuaral reactions in close.
Moving on the inside in both situations ,To do it for advantage you have to also be moving your feet so you bodily move away from the opponents greatest threat to you (which arm is that, in different situations?) or move at least your knees as well so you go under his shots with your head ,go to the outside of his elbow and you are safe for that one move.
For advandced stuff you can go under and out and pull your other foot around behind you as you go and throw over or under the outside his arm depending on his reaction ;that gets you out of the centre infight to the position of still being at full inside range but you have two hands against his one until he moves his centre line back towards you.
You can get away with that easily if you feel his shot comming across and you use the knees and feet to go out and under the shot.
Remember you have two arms and he only has two arms within this set of rules, so use it.
What im saying here is dont get over excited on the inside and imagine threats that arnt there. When you think about it you can land both your wrists down into a mans elbow points and wait for his reation and then move to his reaction and use the openings;thats game and rare to see considering styles but it works cause two meet two and then its their move to react.so you bought a second.
cause he cant hit you until he moves if he doesnt move from it your free to land those uppercuts or short hooks on the inside of his arms.
Inside fighting isnt really for the begginer straight out,but if you think out all the possibilities and know the dangers of some points and the saftey of others you can then play with their balance off their elbows or in clinches and go around the reaction you know you will get as you move into your saftey area and his danger point is when your feet are backing your move (body)and your punch is coming from the blind spot he created on his initial reaction.

A push one way when in a clinch will usually make the opponent shove against it and you knowing this in depth by praticing will help you to move him the way exact way he is then heading anyway! so its easier to move him around.

You have to know already which way he is going to force against your arm push or your weight lean or shove and you use your feet and move to swing him into the same way he will head anyay.Or you go around his arm when it pushes against your glove and you land straight up or into the opening (you knew was comming) cause you created it.
Its up to you to know where to land bodily too; so your safe and he isnt. Thats a thinking fighter one who has ticked all those boxes in and out of the ring.

I spent a long time to make a good response but somehow it disappeared. I'll repost it tommorw sometime. >:mad

Well guys considering i don't read alot your certainly making me read alot with them long posts and improving my reading and boxing knowledge at the same time :)

keep it up fellas ccs.