Why Winky's High Guard Was INDESTRUCTIBLE - Boxing Explained

Two time unified boxing champion Winky Wright had some of the most beautiful defense ever seen in the ring. Wright was a tank, walking through fire completely unfazed with his adamantium high guard, on his way to reign down a volley of destruction on an opponent whose armor was not so sturdy.
/ @hiddengembox
#WinkyWright #boxing #boxingtraining #boxingtechnique

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

Hidden Gem: www.youtube.com/@HiddenGemBOX

[@evandouglas3740]

@The Modern Martial Artist thank you man I like learning about styles to see which one is for me and ones I can copy. Btw what do you think of the boxer Jake Lamatta?

[@TearsoftheSun218]

Simple gaurd hands on face tucked elbows high guard tucked chin makes any block work

[@rodrigodasilva7862]

Day287 of asking for a full scale breakdown on the most completed fighter of all recorded history a fighter so scary good Boxrec won't reveal his amature record the one and only CHARLIE THE GOAT ZELENOFF 245W 0L ODRAWS 200 OUT OF THE 245 WERE ALL CONCRETE FLOOR STREET FIGHTS

[@Tigrethetiger]

Please do Chris Byrd

[@YAKAttackk]

Think you better stick to mix martial arts... Wright's guard indestructible. Who you trying to fool? Besides kids

[@HiddenGemBOX]

It was a pleasure collaborating with you, and the video is excellent! Such small details he made with his guard made a huge difference and noticing the subtleties is impressive 👊

[@billybob9961]

Winky was one of those boxers that was so difficult to beat I remember many of his opponents going in to the fight very confident and being so surprised after the first few rounds.

[@jayx2514]

maybe the 2 best channels on youtube at the moment.Modern martial artists. Been watching your channel for a good minute now, and hidden gems coming up now. with good no bullshit breakdowns.good stuff.

[@tram2717]

My man 😎😎👌🏿👌🏿

[@tyronetunstell7544]

OUTSTANDING, CRAB LIKE DEFENCE,, 👍🏻

[@vince11harris]

@@jayx2514 boxing gems is pretty good too

[@jayjayrobles]

I learned so much from Winky. I used the Iron Guard my entire Amateur boxing career. I watched his fight against Shane Mosley and instantly had an ah ha moment. I was able to use the Iron Guard effectively and won many fights.

[@gottacheckyourself]

That's encouraging to hear as a fellow fighter

[@NoHrmanHauht]

This ish way harder than it look 💯

[@Whysoserious2-2-2]

How many fights did you win ?

[@sam56094]

Doesn’t that guard prevent you from seeing punches coming laterally due to you blocking your peripheral?

[@fighting.words.ma.library]

Thanks for that. It's been years since I've watched Mr. Wright fight, and my eye wasn't nearly as educated as it is now. When I thought back on him, all I noticed was the very high shell and thought it was a bit amateurish, so I appreciate that you broke down the subtleties here.

[@rolandnelson6722]

You speak for a lot of other people. Videos like these add a tremendous amount to the appreciation of the sport.

[@c.m.2350]

Yes. You are right. I totally disliked his fighting tactic back then.

[@cartiershades3392]

My dad used to love wright cause he could just go through flurries with that high guard and hurt you with his own

[@bcb5696]

I also used to be so confused by it I was only a kid when wright was in his prime years and I never understood how his high guard seemed so bullet proof and hard to get though when so many other more basic fighters that used high guards still got their guards broken though and punched around very often like a Brandon rios or Antonio margarito

[@Fabi_87]

Yeah his style reminds of the eastern Europeans especially Ukrainians.

[@Fict10n]

Favorite boxer of all time. I boxed in the amateurs and copied his style as I am also left handed, it worked great for me. Legendary fighter

[@Tenchigumi]

I vividly remember playing as Winky Wright in the first EA Fight Night on the OG XBox. There, he was a completely no frills boxer; none of the flashiness and speed of Roy Jones, none of the slick head-movement and counter punching of James Toney, not as well-rounded as Bernard Hopkins. But damn, he could block artillery with his guard, and his jab was RIDICULOUSLY overpowered, regularly doing nearly as much damage as hooks without much visual or aural impact. Thus, you could easily melt opponents with the safest, fastest punch in your arsenal, and finish fights simply by blocking and jabbing. Man I miss that game.

[@sabin97]

you seem to be describing every boxer i've created in fight night. the jab is by far the most important punch. i make my boxers right handed, but they stand with their right hand forward. like bruce lee taught us should be done. having your most powerful weapon as close as you can to your opponent at all times is quite a nice advantage.

[@abramlittle7102]

@@sabin97 funny u should say that cause winky was a right hander who fought southpaw

[@sabin97]

@@abramlittle7102 oh yeah. and i suffered every moment of his fight with tito......he destroyed him fair and square.

[@chiefsthunder7579]

Winky's altered style (he used to be more reckless in europe if I recall correctly) was amazing for what he adopted it for which was fighting in the states. Due to his Defense first strategy he normally forwent many looping punches and opted for punches he could throw straight out of his high shell. Looping shots against elite opponents would open him up quite a bit. Due to his constant training for this style, his straight punches were deceptively fast and powerful enough to garner respect from his opponents. He was a lot of fun to watch growing up.

[@NoHrmanHauht]

I remember whoopin yo a** in tht game

[@jeepamir508]

The way Winky outboxed Mosley was a thing of beauty

[@xDreadheadx]

That's was amazing to see that live.. the Mosley he fought was dangerous too

[@PoeticSneakerHead]

And even dropped his hands and let Mosley hit him. Ate the punches and laughed.

[@AlexG-tp2ik]

@PoeticSneakerhead Yeah, that was kind of a dumb move, though. Birmingham tore him a new one when he got back to the corner after that round 😆

[@AlexG-tp2ik]

As impressive as that was, I was more impressed by the clinic he put on against Tito. Completely neutralized his power, and boxed his face off. Kept a jab in Tito's face all fight, and Tito could do absolutely nothing about it.

[@PoeticSneakerHead]

@@AlexG-tp2ik It was DEFINITELY dumb lol but to be fair I think he just knew he had Mosley's number so he wanted to make a point..I remember how pissed his corner was lol

[@chino06301]

Ronald Winky Wright, one of the most underratex boxers of all time and one my top favorite boxers

[@dagaffer2269]

💯

[@visiow2691]

He was boring af

[@nas8326]

You like man most likely to make a comment like that 😂

[@fmonde]

@@visiow2691he wasn’t flashy on the offensive side but if you appreciate defense he was exciting to watch him display his masterclass evasiveness

[@noface24]

I loved watching Winky fight. Sucks that he's kinda been forgotten. Dude had crazy skill. Very unique with his aggressive defensive style.

[@tdyerwestfield]

Winky Wright isn't someone I've looked into when learning more about fighters of the recent past but this was a really interesting and enlightening video!

[@Daniel_Antonio_Arellano782]

Winky Wright was a very professional, skilled fighter. I used to love to watch him back in the day. To most hard core boxing fans like me. Winky Wright was among the greats of the 90s. Still is.

[@AlexG-tp2ik]

Absolutely. Loved Wink. I called his wins over Mosely and Tito, and everyone thought I was nuts, but I saw those clinics coming from a mile away!

[@Daykiss]

Fight night had his defense style back in the day and I loved that version. Now the newest ones don't even compare to Winky Wright's defense.

[@markjones5757]

His was literally a stiff statue with high guard but little head movement. That worked against the little guys but he got his face blooded up against bigger guys like Jermaine Taylor. Bhop just simply showed that his basic style wasn't enough.

[@therealistboxingchannel]

I always thought Winky Wright was a great boxer in his day picked him to beat Moseley, Trinidad and Jermaine Taylor which I feels he he was robbed in the Taylor fight

[@markjones5757]

@CMD Boxing Reports Taylor definitely beat up Winky in almost every round. I mean, Winky did have a few rounds where he landed more with the little patty cake punches, but Taylor definitely had more meaningful punches that actually was doing some damage. I think Jermaine was the one robbed in that fight, being that it was ruled a draw.

[@dwiggles1]

I always liked Wright as a fighter, but I definitely appreciated his style as I got older. I think one of the things that made his guard and jab so effective is his reach. One the outside he could control distance easily with his long jab. But with his guard, I noticed he tuck his chin down protecting his head, but his arms were long enough to almost completely shield his body perfectly with his elbows. A lot mod guys would have to lower their arms, or lean over to do what he can do standing straight up. Definitely an underrated fighter who fought nearly every one. I wish modern day fighters wouldn’t learn from him in that sense.

[@serenityinside1]

Good post . I agree Re his long reach which made what he did much more possible IMO. Underrated fighter with nuanced unflashy but effective skill set. He got jobbed a few times on decisions as he wasn’t the crowd pleaser for promoters- the price he laid fir his functional style surely.

[@TheMOTIV8Xperience]

Great observation! I was gonna post the same thing, it's just another example of using your "tools"/stature to your advantage. Much like Mike and the Peekaboo style; it couldn't work for everyone but he ended up being the best example of it until this day! As shorter fighter in the heavy weight division: his explosiveness, head movement, power in both hands as well as his footwork (more so earlier on) that led to him maximizing that style for his stature.

[@harryheath7728]

That high gaurd blocked a lot of punches and he's a southpaw with a jab is effective

[@cousin7588]

This needs to be the top comment my coaches teach the high guard. Its not for everyone. Like you said, those with longer arms can pull it off much easier

[@buckhalterinc2008]

You broke that down perfectly my brother. 💪

[@mastermindmartialarts]

An absolute defensive mastermind. Not the most spectator friendly style, but for hardcore boxing fans, a real treat to watch.

[@hez859]

Im actually a hardcore boxing fan but his fights were like watching paint dry, sometimes 😂 but the video did change my perspective a bit

[@mastermindmartialarts]

@@hez859 definitely not the most exciting fighter

[@AManCalledDutch]

@@hez859clearly Not

[@lochnessspeedwerkz6557]

​@@hez859 idk, some of his fights were bangers. He just had that habit of not fighting the 12th if he thought he was up. 🤦

[@legendofawwsheet5883]

My man people dont understand winky was ducked so much he had to start his career in europe it wasnt until mosley decided to give him the fight that finally got him the respect he deserved which opened up undisputed for him not to mention 1 side dominanting trinidad. Even oscar dela hoya and mayweather with their decked out resumes wanted no smoke with winky even when he was gonna agree to their terms and requirements as the B-side.

[@georgelabauve3469]

Exactly! You know your stuff

[@serenityinside1]

What was it in English please ?!

[@dwaynefrancis1384]

Mayweather was to small when he was winky was around and del a Hoya was in a different weight

[@legendofawwsheet5883]

@@dwaynefrancis1384 winky was literally willing to go to 147 or 154 for floyd and winky and oscar both had belts and couldve unified at a point in time

[@deontaywallaceescalade]

​@@serenityinside1 lmao at the irony.

[@jeffrailey]

Thank you, Mr. David Christian for this outstanding upload. In my journey, as a very dedicated boxer that's currently active today, I've always studied Ronald "Winky" Wright's High Guard and excellent boxing fundamental skills (excellent jab and ring generalship as well). My favorite "Winky" Wright fights are his first bout with Shane Mosley, and his victory vs. Felix Trinidad. Those are excellent fights to study. Also, Hidden Gem is awesome! Like yourself, Hidden Gem has uploaded very insightful analyses of martial athletes, as well. I'm blessed to have subscribed to both channels.

[@erniemathews5085]

Winky was wonderful. Anyone who wins in Europe without knockouts has incredible skill.

[@TheSonnyGo]

Thanks for both featuring Winky Wright, one of my personal faves, and for bringing in Hidden Gem. He deserves more exposure, his videos are awesome.

[@kawonewilliams1949]

Nice to see two of my favorite channels working together. I remember my brother talking about Winky and being confused about how he was able take that kind of punishment.

[@samueldowney2806]

Great video and a breakdown of a fighter many wouldn't think of. Thanks Hidden Gem's also.

[@joeblak125]

Winky was definitely underrated. He surprised me a bit with his performance against Mosley. Classy and skillful fighter!!! Nuff respect King!!!!

[@dmitrychirkov4206]

Winky got my respect crushing my favorite legends. It's great that you found some time to make a proper video about him.

[@randumthoughtz]

It was always intriguing watching winkys guard in action. A well deserved and well made dedication video!

[@georgejenkinson8927]

thank for updating the playlist, very helpful :)

[@ashursmithen5451]

Loving the OG music David, IMO it gives the video the feeling of some of your older videos with the production quality of your newer ones.

[@tjcarr8097]

One of the best until he was forced to retire. It’s really cool seeing you guys collaborate together on videos!

[@thewvmatt1655]

Thank you for this! I’d been hoping for a Winky Wright breakdown for a while, and this didn’t disappoint! You pointed out details about his blocking and parrying that I hadn’t noticed. I think his style is a good fit for my body type and skill set (taller but slower). I like using the high guard, and I’ll try to incorporate some of these nuanced aspects of his guard next time I spar.

[@r.a.8407]

So underrated under appreciated I watched an interview he did on KZbin when he talked about how he would develop his arms to take all the shots (kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWrLf4eDfZeGbLc) at the 8:00 mark . It was a Great interview too

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

Can you tell me what the videos called so I can search it? That's some old school kung fu movie sh*t haha

[@rachelscarlettbrown7851]

Could you please paste the link?

[@SillyNolan]

@@TheModernMartialArtist Ooh you said most of a bad word. Demonetized.

[@Narration___Nation]

@@SillyNolan stfu

[@r.a.8407]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWrLf4eDfZeGbLc 8:00 mark

[@MrDvfdsv]

Wow! Rea nice and nuanced breakdown! He really mastered that one thing and made it his own and primary strategy.

[@michaelcarrig627]

He used his high guard almost as a Muay Thai or Kickboxer check kicks. He lets punches hit him above most of the muscle in his forearm so that they are punching bone, even turning his high guard outward or lowering it when punches came toward the chest. Really fascinating technique. Canelo is also very adept at this.

[@moebetta7434]

Excellent stuff! Been following this channel for years and I remain impressed with all the content!!!

[@SteveSmith-qo8mm]

Wasn't the most anticipated fighter to go watch but had to respect his defensive skills.

[@luisfernandoenrique]

One of the most underrated of all time for sure. Excellent vídeo, thanks

[@vigilantcitizen5416]

I ran into Winky Wright right after his Tito fight in Vegas. Dude was just chillin at a 21 table. Super humble.

[@Vrdavila67]

Great video guy's and it's awesome to see you guy's collaborate.🔥👏🏾

[@IRONFIST540]

This is the fighter I loved watching in the early 2000s. Thank you for this highlight breakdown of the high guard Baba Yaga

[@perfectblue8443]

Incredible video. I never knew there was so much subtle elements to winky's defence style. This is awesome

[@MichaelMartinez-gh2ob]

Thanks for doing this feature on Winky. I've always considered Ronald the most under appreciated and respected hall of fame boxer in the modern era. I think a lot of that has to do with him having fought at 154lbs for the majority of his career.

[@CraicDealer]

Could we get a breakdown of Jimmy Young? I personally think he's one of the most underrated heavyweights of all time. Just look at who he beat, and who he could've beat if he hadn't gone off the rails. He beat pretty much every great heavyweight of his era and was robbed of other wins. Everyone seems to have forgotten him. Dick Tiger would be great, too.

[@takedat8751]

Not me!!! JY was very elusive. If he had more power he would have been known as one of the best ever. Ali never admitted it but he had a hard time hitting young. He won a unanimous decision but Young made it extremely hard for him.

[@JohnWick-vb9pc]

Jimmy young is a bum

[@CoachBestTH]

I think he is Jimmy Old right now

[@takedat8751]

@@JohnWick-vb9pc Now. So what does that make you?

[@takedat8751]

@@CoachBestTH No. He is Jimmy DEAD.

[@yauhoang6773]

2 of my favorite boxing analyser in one boxing clip❤️❤️❤️. Hope you guys making a new one .

[@CasperTheGhost64]

That thumbnail is goated 🤣

[@mrmete]

Awesome Collab from you two. Just caught a whiff of his page, so I'm excited to see more from you guys

[@ceciliaabdalla4954]

Winky a very underrated fighter. His high guard was great because he never stopped jabbing and throwing the straight left. He left his opponents flustered and exhausted

[@stephonjames1038]

Wow!! Thank you so much for this!!

[@Dontwatch7556]

Thank you for the great content!

[@jb4432]

Been watching this Channel since the canelo v ggg breakdown and seeing all these fighters that I thought would never get a analysis is wild, your a true fan of the sport and are making more of them with every vid

[@Alix_Lloyd]

Great video, I know it maybe be hard to find enough footage and quality footage of him but I’d love a breakdown on benny Leonard.

[@lucasmoreira3237]

Incredible observations and knowledge. Thank you!

[@xpreshun]

I always thought he had a great high guard and jab. So underrated. He fought some of the best.

[@jonathanwilliams8309]

A good video explaining Ronald Winky Wrights style. I always enjoyed watching him fight, he was a very good Boxer.

[@robgrant5272]

My boy winky Wright one of my favorite fighters nobody wanted to fight him for a reason

[@informer3evans797]

I always loved watching Wright and he was avoided. I loved his defense but never realized all of this was going on. It makes sense. This is an impressive breakdown and gives me even more respect for the skilled involved in his defense.

[@Venus6x105]

He definitely was the real tank... between his high guard and his jab, he had the victory assured.

[@TeeAiDee]

I got to meet Winky when I was a kid! I still have the t-shirt he signed! Awesome to see his style broken down.

[@p4pking.]

Great video Winky was under appreciated a smart fighter with a good ring IQ.

[@aiyahuntacheimumbi236]

Great video on the high guard that needs to be seen by every trainer. Similar strategy and nuance to Ali's High Guard he used so Heavily after his exile. Almost in the same way older fighters have used the cross guard to compensate for diminished speed or mobility.

[@c.galindo9639]

Nice. Really excellent movement and random movements to keep the opponent guessing. He really knew how to close the distance when his opponents were still studying his movements. He really has a great ring IQ and I can see how his defense was so very effective

[@MrEjj915]

Love the jab breakdowns

[@thesun564]

YOOOO THIS channel putting out angers recently!!! All the fighters I’ve been wanting to see. Now all I’m waiting for is Mike Zamidis

[@tru.story215]

I thought I was crazy for using the high guard.. I knew it was more difficult for ppl to get thru my guard but I still thought I needed that "modern flashy" defense. This video just reassured me I'm doing something right

[@jn7457]

Thanks for introducing Hidden Gems - followed!

[@chiefsthunder7579]

THANK YOU for covering WINKY

[@BenjaminGonzalez-wv3cy]

Excellent video study on boxing, just great!

[@ldkdrippy8472]

Love your informational videos really helped me get better with me not having a boxing trainer

[@Willrell]

Great video loved the collaboration

[@dashanmartin4560]

One of my all time favorites. Good video

[@alcalc61]

Great video 🥊

[@danmackay9959]

Nice collab I like both your channels

[@slidecounter5813]

I met Winky at the Toney vs Jirov fight at Foxwoods back in the day he was a very down to earth person & a great fighter

[@8triagrammer]

Great vid. I had no idea turtling up could be effective like this.

[@Wendelvendel]

I've heard a lot about how the amateur and pro styles are different but don't know much about it. It would be nice to see you look at some famous Olympic boxers such as some of the Cubans or Europeans earlier in the 20th century. I liked a lot of the history stuff you did in the past as well. Anyway thanks as always for the video it's great. Also whats happened to the punch you didn't see??

[@tyronetunstell7544]

LOVED WATCHING ,WINKY WRIGHT BOX , INCREDIBLE GUARD , THANK YOU FOR THIS

[@RichardFlores2K]

As boxing and martial arts fan, I starting to like your breakdowns and analysis about best fighters of any fighting style (boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, MMA and others). Don't give up and keep going YOU'RE VERY GOOD EXPERT

[@am2382]

The first background music sounds like something you'll hear from teletubbies ☠️

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

I used it on my first Tyson video too. There's just something about such a happy song while people get knocked out that is really comical to me, but the beat is still strong enough to where it works haha

[@ReptilianAnusWizzard]

@@TheModernMartialArtist i dont like "hard" or aggressive Music for Boxing, i find it to be more of a burden, while Training or sparring i love Columbian Salsa, Mexican or Cuban Music. Its some what of a hidden secret that unlocks better Footwork😅

[@playamadetx]

One of my favs back in the day

[@cycletouringoz5760]

Seemingly forgotten but BRILLIANT FIGHTER

[@valentinocaceres6954]

Can you do a Carlos Monzón style breakdown ?

[@geraldfriend256]

I always go for fighters a bit out of mainstream popularity and back then Winky was my guy. The man was good at his passion.

[@teinestokoe2628]

He's gonna have to be my inspiration for my Muay Thai hands, I've had 0 success with head movement in sparring 😅 and I tend to prefer semi-aggressive feinting then counterpunching

[@3851035]

A high guard leads into a muay thai clinch pretty easily. Check out Trav from Fight Smart for good head movement tips, and just keep working it. When drilling, always incorporate head movement (footwork too!) after a combination to train yourself into not thinking about it.

[@KingAnime101]

Just a tip, high guard also lets you use elbows as an opening or counter-strike.

[@mikehogan5087]

@@KingAnime101 how about on the streets?

[@Fabi_87]

Yeah I never gott really comfortable with head movement. My favored defense was catch and parry from the high guard together with fast footwork to get out of my opponent range.

[@johnnnyloveee]

modern martial artist x hidden gem COLLAB ! that was a real treat guys keep it up

[@toko6767]

"Adamantiam Highguard" well done! 🤝🏽

[@mrmegabuckssongs]

Hidden gems one of my faves 🇬🇧👌🏿♥️

[@kreculjkreculj]

Cool vid! I'm curious, since you also wrote books and are teaching fighting, what do you think about Fouts fighting system?

[@AssMuncher995]

Would like to see you breakdown Marlon "Magic man" Starling. He also had an incredible high guard.

[@slickvicfrmdaville1605]

I always enjoyed watching Winky Wright. High skill level

[@thunderzproductions5474]

Winky one of the best technicians boxing has seen

[@antonpohrebniak]

Great video! Thank you lots

[@amdisboxing]

This is the best page on KZbin for boxing

[@danettemclean1269]

As a female boxing lover Finally someone is talking about this …. This channel got my heart forever

[@blackhoodie4170]

frrr

[@chicchitammuottocifa]

This is the best use of the high guard I've seen

[@Doombap4life]

Thanks for the analysis; excellent. I also noticed Winky's guard use was not too different from the guard in Thai Boxing. For the student, I would suggest watching a bit of Thai Boxing for comparisons and techniques. Also just subscribed to Hidden Gems.

[@raynation2k]

Very underrated. one of my favorite boxer. WINKY all day!!!

[@jr3870]

Daym he gotta solid defense and covers face, sometimes cross block, sometimes uses elbows on low body area i gotta admit they can't break through he knows what technique to be used whenever he feels the power of punches increase, this guy can beat up 5-10 people in street fight for sure. 😂😂😂

[@lexxon11]

You are a GOAT for the collab

[@wolfychicago]

Great video. He is my all time favorite boxer.

[@davidsandoval102]

Great video Winky was not a flashy fighter but was solid. One of the best for sure.

[@brockst9190]

Great video man, winky the man!

[@rattlehead2199]

Hey nutsack, I look forward to every one of your videos. Keep doing your thing. Cheers.

[@cincitytv9747]

Loved watching Winky growing up

[@zulu8378]

Paul the Punisher williams cracked the code! Shout out to Winky though 💯

[@MBryy]

This was a unexpected treat!