Trying to learn fighting in the pocket

[lwhit26]

In my estimation, fighting in close, in boxing, has most all to do with the angle of your body. If you square up, or lean forward, you'll eat uppercuts all day. Watch the 2nd moorer/holyfield fight. You need to get your left shoulder way in front, and well into the other guy's chest.(my references will be to orthodox fighters, as, if you are a southpaw you should maintain distance to maximize your angles. Unless all involved are southpaws, in, which case, God help us all.) This makes you are difficult target to hit; takes his right hand out of the picture, and makes you hard to hit with uppercuts. Then you keep your right elbow in to protect your ribs and the right glove up to block hooks. Watch Toney in general, against delgado in specific.
Buddy McGirt against Simon Brown is a good guy to watch, too. Especially the way he goes from outside to inside real quick, tucks in and works, or gets back out. Controlling the distance is so crucial, and there is so much I could show you that I can't explain, but McGirt in general (especially at 147)is good to watch.
Andre makes good points about the elbows. You would be amazed at how easy it is to turn a guy inside, just your right hand on his left elbow, push him to your left. And watch Chavez (Sr), and the way he uses his elbows and forearms inside to bump a guy off, to create space, and how he parries punches, close in, by bumping the other guy's elbows. The Rosario fight is good for this, as is his fight with Azabache Martinez, or Ruben Castillo.
To be able to do any of these things, you need to master some skills: you don't just get in the ring and decide to fight this way. First, your defense. Watch Chavez, Toney, McGirt, Armstrong. All effective in-fighters (and there are so, so many)yet very different. And I think that that is the foundation of it all: to be able to fight, in close, in range, under constant fire, with confidence and the ability to stay there. That means not getting hit and minimizing the impact when you do. (Think on this and we'll talk about rolling with and/or smothering punches.) Second, you have to be able to hit short and hard. That is all technique, and there are exercises to develope that.
Finally, there is so so much more. Like slapping his left glove out of the way with your right gto land a hook, or hitting his right glove with a left uppercut so that you can land a right. Watch ray Leonard ko Davey Green and what he does to clear the way for that left hook.

how you said about keeping your front shoulder in the guys chest, wouldnt philly shell be good for this?

[Alexbit]

thanks for the sharing,.

[Gocougars3]

A lot of great stuff covered but I'll add or repeat a couple.

1. It has been mentioned above but I'll reiterate that catching and countering from the same side , particularly against a hook is key to stopping momentum.
2. Don't go for all big shots, counter with speed, keep them short and when you have room, extend.
3. Change levels on your punches.
4. Work on some bread and butter, left hook-left upper. Left hook body, left hook head, right upper
5. Don't stop moving your head or your feet just because you are inside, change angles
6. Bump left, right, back, turn. There are lots of little footwork moves to improve your position.
7. When you slip, slip in to punching position.
8. Don't wing, keep your punches tight and your elbows in.
9. If you are an inside fighter you have to punch as long as you have a hand free. Don't let your opponent clinch without paying.

Two other fights that come to mind Corrales-Castillo and Ward-Augustus. Buddy McGirt was a master though.