The uppercut (formerly known as the undercut) is a punch used in

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

that starts low and travels upwards vertically aiming at the opponent's

chin The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a we ...

upper abdomen In anatomy, the epigastrium (or epigastric region) is the upper central region of the abdomen. It is located between the costal margins and the subcostal plane. Pain may be referred to the epigastrium from damage to structures derived from the f ...

(so-called " solar plexus"). It is, along with the

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

, one of the two main punches that count in the statistics as ''power punches''. Uppercuts are useful when thrown at close range, because they are considered to cause more damage.The uppercut is a powerful punch capable of delivering a

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

strike. Additionally, it is likely that a boxer would miss if the uppercut is thrown when the opponents are apart. Uppercuts usually do more damage when landed to the chin, but they can also cause severe pain and injury when thrown to the body (particularly the solar plexus) or when landing on the nose or eyes. The punch moves as its name implies: it usually initiates from the attacker's belly, making an upward motion that resembles a pirate's hook in shape, before landing on the opponent's face or body. In a conventional boxing combination, it is the second punch thrown, after the jab, but it can either initiate or finish a combination. When performing an uppercut, the attacker should stay close to the target, so as to prevent the opponent from detecting that the punch is coming, and countering with a straight punch. An uppercut from the outside also loses some of its power because the arm is no longer bent at the elbow and cannot effectively transfer the total body's force in the upward movement. Samuel Elias, also known as " Dutch Sam", is credited with creating this punch originally called an "undercut". It was reported that "Dutch Sam created havoc with the new blow until a new way was found to block it". Boxers famous for their uppercuts include

Lennox Lewis Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a British-Canadian boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from 1989 to 2003. He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, ...

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...

, Wilfredo Gómez, Julio César Chávez,

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( – December 30, 1970), nicknamed "the Big Bear", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1962 after k ...

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

, Rubén Olivares, and Sandy Saddler.

References

External links

{{Boxing Boxing terminology Kickboxing terminology Punches (combat)