A
bolo punch is a punch used in Martial arts. The bolo punch is among the traditional boxing punches (
jabA jab is a type of punch used in the martial arts.Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended...
, uppercut,
hook- Technology :* Hooking, a computer programming technique* Hook echo, a feature visible on radar indicative of tornadic rotation in a thunderstorm* Tailhook, a device on an aircraft- Language :* Hook , a rhetorical device that "hooks" the listener...
and
crossIn boxing, a cross is a power-punch like the uppercut and hook. Compubox, a computerized punch scoring system, counts the cross as a power-punch....
). Used many times and can cause powerful knockouts.
Ceferino GarciaCeferino Garcia was a champion boxer born in Naval, Biliran, Philippines. His number of victories are the most ever achieved by a Filipino boxer. He's also the only boxer from the Philippines ever to become world champion at middleweight. He was managed, during the final years of his career by...
is commonly referred to as the inventor of the bolo punch, though a 1924 article appearing in the
Tacoma News-Tribune reported a Filipino boxer named Macario Flores to be using it. Garcia,
Kid GavilanGerardo González , better known in the boxing world as Kid Gavilan, was a former world welterweight champion from Cuba...
and
Sugar Ray LeonardSugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
are widely recognized as three of the best bolo punchers in boxing history.
Roy Jones Jr.Roy Jones, Jr. is an American boxer. As a professional he has captured numerous world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions...
and
Joe CalzagheJoseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
also use the bolo punch frequently.
When Ceferino Garcia asked once how he came to develop the wide sweeping uppercut, Garcia said that as a youth he cut sugarcane in the
PhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
with a
bolo knifeA bolo is a large cutting tool of Filipino origin similar to the machete, used particularly in the jungles of Indonesia, the Philippines, and in the sugar fields of Cuba...
, which he would wield in a sweeping uppercut fashion.
Fighters who include the bolo punch in their repertoire use it as a maneuver attempting a blow. Its most important aspect is a circular motion performed with one arm to distract an opponent, causing the opponent to either take his eyes off the attacker's other arm or actually focus on the fighter's circling arm. When the opponent concentrates on the hand that is circling, the bolo puncher will usually sneak in a punch with the opposite hand. When the rival concentrates on the hand that is not moving, the bolo puncher will usually follow through with a full punch.
Three of the most famous cases of a fighter using the bolo punch were when Leonard avenged his loss to
Roberto DuránRoberto Durán Samaniego is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. A versatile brawler in the ring, he was nicknamed "Manos de Piedra" during his career....
(see "The No Más Fight"), when Leonard drew with Thomas Hearns in their second fight (see
Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas HearnsSugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns are considered to be two of the best boxers of all-time. They fought twice, once in 1981 and once in 1989. Both fights are considered to be classics.-Leonard-Hearns I "The Showdown":...
), and when
Ike IbeabuchiIkemefula "Ike" Charles Ibeabuchi is a former professional heavyweight boxer who defeated highly ranked contender David Tua and future heavyweight titlist Chris Byrd...
knocked out
Chris ByrdChris Cornelius Byrd is a retired and former professional boxer. He is the former WBO and IBF heavyweight champion. His nickname is "Rapid Fire".- Early life :...
with a left-handed bolo punch during their 1999 heavyweight contest.
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