How did boxers train in the old old days, particularly pre-1900's? Also, can someone explain just hopw they fought and how exactly it differes from todays boxing.

Vertical fist upon impact with punches.

The hands were held further away from the body.

Training, much like today... ive read regimens that included 10-15 mile walks every night, beef or steak dinners, and heavybag training ... which were homemade of course, back then the average person had more labor work than today which most definitely contributed as a sort of training I guess.

Partner work and sparring was just as it was today, except any type of focus mitt was probaly a homemade style, ive seen documentary footage before circa 1900 where two guys were training with bare hands like the focus mitt training is like today.

In the old times, boxing was a complete fighting system.. as it included techniques of both striking and grappling. With any type of ground fighting most likely being wrestling and just being able to get back up safely.

http://www.savateaustralia.com/savate%20essays/bare-knuckles%20to%20modern%20boxing.htm

Hey thanks for the link, that's really interesting. Do oyu think the training in the old days of more long term inderuance and strength indurance, as well as long hard hours of rugged manual labor is partly what made fighters of htose days so tough, and much tougher than fighters today?

Boxers Pre 1900's were a breed apart. I have read articles on bouts that were over one hundred rounds long. I am searching for some info on this to show you.

Yes but the rounds were not timed. A round ended when someone got knocked down, so you could feasibly have 4 'rounds' in 90 seconds if a guy just wouldnt stay down.

Or a round every 5 minutes if the guy wouldn't go down in the first place. They tough Sob's in those days.

Thats way too much for me... a 2 minute round makes feel exhausted. I'm sure there were definitely some deaths, and what about resting time?

You have to understand, those guys were accustomed to hard work and rough living. They'd often work all day 12-14 hours doing hard manual labor at an intense pace. They worked into it. They had to be tough and hard to survive. Fighters did just that, they fought, a lot, and trained, a lot, and worked, a lot. They also ran miles and miles in training and walked for hours. They just ddi it. You could do it to if you lived the way they did. That was teir life, training, working and fighting, and sometimes training other people to fight.

What about the effectiveness of boxing in self defense, street fighting, in use against multiple opponents, weapons, etc.? Any examples?

Same as modern day. Someone who is used to maintaining composure whilst being punched full force, who has fast powerfull hands, good footwork, and an instinctive guard, will be able to defend themselves very well if attacked.
Glen McRory (retired cruiserweight world champ) came to the aid of a bouncer who was being badly beaten by a gang of 11 men outside a club in tyneside UK only 10 days or so ago. He managed to keep them off the bouncer, and hang on to the principle aggressor for the police, despite sustaining a bad head wound from being hit with an iron bar and a taxi sign! He attributed his ability to stay conscious and alert enough to hold on to the attacker, to his aclimatisation to punishment in his career. like any fighter of any discipline, he knew going in against 11 armed men, he was going to get a beating, but he feared for the doormans life and intervened regardless.