THE left hook. Arguably the deadliest punch in boxing owing to its potential for delivering the most damage.
Majority of fighters as we all know, are orthodox or right handed.
Ergo, their power punch is the right hand and their natural stance is to have the left as the lead hand, while the right is cocked back ready to be unleashed when heavy artillery is needed.
It just so happens however, that when that right hand is uncorked, the left side of the fighter?s face is naturally exposed to counter-fire and this is where the opponent is primed to perfectly time him with what is the naturally available weapon- the left hook.
THE GREATS. Probably some if the greatest left hookers in boxing history were Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Frazier, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar dela Hoya and David Tua.
My personal favorite is our very own Nonito Donaire who famously knocked out Vic Darchinyan and Fernando Montiel with brutal left hooks.
He is still pretty much active, but it remains to be seen if he can still fully utilize his favorite weapon and make another convincing title run at the age of 34.
Among the present crop of up and coming boxing stars who are the best left hookers? In no particular order they are:
Danny Garcia (33-1, 19KOs)- Danny isn?t the fastest of fighters out there, nor is he the most technical.
But he likes to fight in the trenches and what makes him especially dangerous is that left hook.
In 2012 alone he knocked out both Amir Khan and Erik Morales with a left hook.
In 2014 Rod Salka got nailed with two left hooks in succession and was knocked out senseless.
Saul Alvarez (49-1, 34KOs) – Canelo doesn?t throw it as a primary weapon. It is usually part of a devastating combination and he is especially adept at throwing at the body then following it up to the chin.
Coupled with his speed, and power it becomes a fearsome punch in his arsenal. Go ask Josesito Lopez about it.
Terence Crawford (32-0, 23KOs) Crawford is known to seamlessly shift stances from orthodox to southpaw.
But when he is in a position to throw that left hook, he does it with devastating accuracy. Victims include Julius Indongo and Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Joe Smith Jr. (23-2, 19KOs) Boxing legend Bernard Hopkins picked the wrong opponent for this last fight. Not only was Smith pumped up because of the ?Executioner?s? trash talking, he also happened to possess a pretty decent left hook which he used to knock Hopkins out of the ring and into retirement.
The present crop undoubtedly pales in comparison to the aforementioned greats, but they are works-in-progress so let?s give them time to improve on their body of work.
One thing?s for sure though.. it?s not safe to hook with these hookers.
LAST ROUND. It?s on Gina Cervantes and family who are in town to celebrate a wondrous family occasion. Cheers!
