From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Uppercut is also a tactic used in card play.

Uppercut is also a stroke used in cricket.

Lead hand uppercut

The uppercut (sometimes also referred to as the upper) is a punch used in boxing that usually aims at the opponent's chin. It is, along with the hook, 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 when at close range. On the other hand, 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 damage when thrown to the body (particularly the solar plexus) or when landing on the nose or eyes.

As far as the punch's movement, the name says it all: the punch 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, stay close to the target. If the punch is thrown from the outside, the opponent will be able to easily detect that the punch is coming and counter with an effective 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.^[1]

Boxers famous for their uppercuts include Dutch Sam, Joe Louis, Wilfredo Gómez, Julio César Chávez, Mike Tyson, and Ruben Olivares.

Kimbo Slice, a bareknuckle boxer, in one of his famous internet videos, throws a solid textbook uppercut to his opponent "Big Mac", ending the fight shortly after. Also, in his fight against "Rasta", he lands a hard uppercut that causes his opponent to start bleeding from his eye socket.

• Liver