This is a defensive style of guard and it is very popular within both amateur and professional boxers. It is also known as ‘the earmuffs’. To assume an effective ‘peek-a-boo’ position, you are to hold your hands in front of your face next to one another. Your elbows are to be kept tight against your body as maintaining a comfortable stance. This guard can reduce damage from direct strikes to your head but it is a complex guard from which is not easy to counter-attack. The main disadvantage of the ‘peek-a-boo’ guard is that the boxer is left vulnerable to the opponent’s hooks.

It is interesting to know that the defensive movement ‘peek-a-boo’ is particularly suitable for shorter fighters. This is mainly because shorter boxers have shorter arms and because of that they are able to increase their own leverage in looping punches. Something more, they will be able to cover up more efficiently the gaps in the guard position. In this case the taller fighters are more vulnerable to strikes on the body because of their longer torsos in comparison with the shorter boxers. Nobody says that they should not apply this movement, of course, they can, but they must keep in mind the increased vulnerability.

Cus D’Amato (a legendary boxing trainer) introduced for the first time this guard which was used by famous fighters such as Floyd Patterson, who was trained by him and Winky Wright. Winky Wright’s victories over Jermain Taylor and Felix Trinidad are also because of the successful usage of the ‘peek-a-boo’ guard. Kevin Rooney, a former Golden Gloves champion is an expert of the peek-a-boo. He also showed this type of guard to Mike Tyson when the two legends of boxing trained together.