Physique punchers don’t get sufficient love. Dramatic situations the place a paralyzing left hook to the liver or a crushing proper to the ribs produces a KO apart, a lot of the time an efficient physique assault is missed, even by ringside judges. And but there exist few extra advantageous methods in boxing than sapping an opponent’s power, stamina and can with an assault on their stomach and brisket.
Most boxers do combine some onerous physique blows into their arsenal, however then there are the soldiers who make physique punching a vital a part of their ring craft. Herewith, the twelve pugilists who utilized physique batterings to their utmost effectiveness, boxing’s finest physique punchers.
12. Micky Ward: “Irish” Mickey Ward’s signature punch was an especially efficient left hook to the liver, a weapon that earned him quite a lot of clear knockouts. Few boxers have relied a lot on that single, debilitating weapon.
11. Alexis Arguello: “The Explosive Skinny Man” understood effectively the worth of patiently digging onerous blows to the midsection to put on the opponent down. A physique punch wizard, Arguello typically combined head and physique blows in the identical mixture.
10. Mickey Walker: A unprecedented brawler and swarmer, the good “Toy Bulldog” broke down a lot heavier and larger opponents along with his continuous physique assault.
9. Joe Frazier: Smokin’ Joe’s ferocious assault began with full consideration to his opponent’s mid-section, his left hooks to the physique softening his man up for the approaching assault directed upstairs.
8. Billy Petrolle: Powerful and aggressive, “The Fargo Specific” was famed for his two-fisted physique hammerings, anchored by his potent left hook.
7. Mike McCallum: Not for nothing did they name this triple crown king, conqueror of Herol Graham, Donald Curry, Milton McCrory and Jeff Harding, “The Physique Snatcher.”
6. Julio Cesar Chavez: The sound of “J.C. Celebrity” touchdown life-sapping physique punches was a well-known one within the 1990’s as Julio’s fists buried themselves below the ribs of no fewer than 87 stoppage victims. When speak turns to nice physique punchers, “The Lion of Culiacán” at all times comes up.
5. Jake LaMotta: Bulling inside in his trademark style and absorbing punishment within the course of, LaMotta always labored to get in shut and batter the torsos of such greats as Marcel Cerdan, Tommy Bell, Fritzie Zivic, Tommy Yarosz, Holman Williams and the good Sugar Ray Robinson.
4. Tony Zale: “The Man of Metal” was famend for his cast-iron dedication to whack away at his opponent’s ribs, methodically punishing and sporting them down with a two-fisted physique assault.
3. Sam Langford: The sage whose unique utterance, “Hit the physique and the pinnacle dies,” spawned many imitators, Langford was an authorized professional at blasting opponents with vicious blows downstairs. As heavyweight immortal Harry Wills mentioned, “When Sam hit me to the physique, I regarded behind to see if his fist had come out the opposite facet.”
2. Henry Armstrong: “Hurricane Hank’s” modus operandi was all about getting shut, sticking to the opponent like tremendous glue, and unloading heavy artillery to the breadbasket.
1. Bob Fitzsimmons: Boxing’s first triple-crown champion specialised in onerous, energy-sapping physique blows and is credited with inventing the photo voltaic plexus punch. A single left hook to the physique from Fitz received him the heavyweight championship of the world in his historic battle with James J. Corbett in 1897.
Honorable Mentions: Rocky Marciano, Eusebio Pedroza, Marcel Cerdan, Pernell Whitaker, Roberto Duran, James Toney, Joe Louis, Tony Canzoneri, Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Robinson, Nicolino Locche, Wilfredo Gomez, Ricky Hatton, Jack Dempsey, Mike Tyson, Gennady Golovkin, Carlos Zarate, Gerald McClellan, James Scott, Frank Klaus, Child Azteca, Brian Viloria, Ruben Olivares.
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