Tim Bradley leads with the head while Cuban slickster Joel Casamayor counters with some well-timed clinching in their 2011 clash in Las Vegas.
If you watch enough boxing, you’ll hear a broadcaster talk about a fighter using boxing’s “dark arts.” Well, what does that mean? A fighter who employs the dark arts is adept at bending the rules for an advantage. The masters of the dark arts commit fouls, often in a subtle way, but never enough to get disqualified. There’s a line that they will cross to gain an edge, but there’s also a line they won’t go past. These are not fouls done out of emotion; this isn’t about payback or machismo. No, masters of the dark arts foul HOW TO WATCH BOXING: BOXING’S DARK ARTS By Adam Abramowitz
Bernard Hopkins was a master of using subtle holds to smother his foes.
strategically to help them win the fight. Throughout boxing’s history, many fighters have been skilled in the dark arts. Bernard Hopkins was an expert at hitting an opponent’s hip during a clinch, often on the side the referee couldn’t see. Joel Casamayor was known for his holding and clinching tricks. Mike Tyson was a master at following through with his left hook to strike an opponent with his elbow. Evander Holyfield and Tim Bradley were experts at leading with their head to start an offensive sequence. Robert Guerrero was adept at holding an opponent’s head and hitting him with his free hand. Tyson Fury knows how to “stiff arm” an opponent, essentially keeping his glove on their head but disguising it as a range-finding jab. All of these moves are illegal, but the ones who are great at boxing’s dark arts
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