The uppercut innovated by Robert Koch

Robert Koch

Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch was a German physician. He became famous for isolating Bacillus anthracis , the Tuberculosis bacillus and the Vibrio cholerae and for his development of Koch's postulates....

 is a punch used in boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 that usually aims at the opponent's chin. It is, along with the cross

Cross (boxing)

In 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....

, 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. 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 damage 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

Jab

A 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...

, 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

Cross (boxing)

In 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....

. 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

Dutch Sam

Samuel Elias , was a professional boxing pioneer and was active between the years 1801 and 1814. Known as the hardest hitter of his era, he earned the nickname "The Man with the Iron Hand".-Pro career:Dutch Sam is known as "the discoverer of the right hand uppercut...

", 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 Joe Louis

Joe Louis

Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...

, Wilfredo Gómez

Wilfredo Gómez

Wilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...

, Julio César Chávez

Julio César Chávez

Julio César Chávez is a retired Mexican professional boxer.He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world...

, Chris Arreola

Chris Arreola

Cristobal Arreola is a Mexican-American professional Heavyweight boxer. Arreola is the former NABF, WBC Continental Americas, and current WBC FECOMBOX Heavyweight Champion. Chris is promoted by Goossen Tutor and trained by Henry Ramírez....

, Buster Douglas, Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...

, Rubén Olivares

Rubén Olivares

Rubén Olivares is a former Mexican boxer and current member of the Boxing Hall of Fame. A native of Mexico City, Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champion of all time. He was very popular among Mexicans, many of whom considered him...

, and Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao

Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...

.