Last Updated on October 6, 2021 by
The bolo punch is a variation of an uppercut which is thrown at more of an angle as opposed to the standard uppercut. Before you get to learn about bolo punch, you should have mastered many other boxing techniques. Bolo punch was adopted into boxing after its success in martial arts. It is a Filipino martial arts punching technique that is almost similar to a circular uppercut punch and it is quite powerful if executed properly.
Boxers use the wide circular motion of the bolo punch as a major distraction to throw a traditional punch with the other hand. Professional boxers like Kid Gavilan, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Ike Ibeabuchi are known for using bolo punch during heard boxing matches. In 1980, Sugar Ray Leonard compete against Roberto Duran and he was victorious after landing an exaggerated circling bolo punch as a jab and then used a powerful punch against his opponent.
History About The Bolo Punch
In the Philippines, the term “bolo” means “machete”, a tool used for long sweeping motions when clearing sugar cane in the field. The Filipinos also use this tool asa weapon during martial arts fighting in the early days of the country. The Americans started ruling the Philippine island when America defeated Spain during the Spain-American war. This war led a lot of Filipinos to migrate to the United States to settle in California and Hawaii.
Most of them worked as laborers on the local manual farm. But the pay was low so they had to supplement their income. So, these Filipino immigrants started practicing martial arts and took part in paid fighting matches, where they displayed their prowess with bare hands and in the use of a variety of weapon training like sticks, knives, and swords. Filipino Dirty Boxing which is also known as Pangamot, Suntukan, or Papantukan become popular in the zone dominated by these immigrants as it was so lucrative that fighters were flown abroad to fight under assumed names.
Many Filipinos began to show interest in boxing as it was paying more than their daily jobs at the manual farms. The Filipino fighters named the punching technique they were using in their fights a “bolo punch” because the technique involved was similar to swinging a machete when cultivating sugar cane on the farm which means “bolo” in the Philippines. Ceferino Garcia, a world middleweight champion was one of those who made the bolo punch popular in 1939. In the world of boxing and other combat sports like MMA, Filipino boxing, Muay Thai, bolo punch has remained one of the most effective punching techniques.
Strangely, not all boxers in today’s dispensation have acquired the techniques of throwing bolo punch. It requires you to be diligent and smart. You need to first learn how to execute the traditional boxing punches before you start learning the bolo punch. Nonetheless, bolo punch should be well mastered before you try to use it in a professional match because it is not well executed, it may just go against you. Bolo punching technique will be an added advantage to any boxer if it is mastered well.
Like we said earlier, bolo punch is best used when your opponent isn’t expecting it. Your opponent would only expect the traditional punches like jab, hooks, cross, and uppercut, and throwing a bolo punch unexpectedly will throw him off balance. If bolo punch is used effectively, it can help you knock down your opponent quickly. Over the past few decades, some notable fighters have used bolo punches to knock down their opponents. These notable fighters include Kid Gavilan, Ike Ibeabuchi, Sugar Ray Leonard , and Ceferino Garcia. Kid Gavilian remains the most popular fighter with the bolo punch technique.
When Kid was a teenager, he worked at a manual farm where he used a machete to harvest sugar cane. And that’s why he got his bolo punch prowess since he had to swing the machete in an underarm movement which looked more like a wide uppercut. It was after he started his journey as a professional boxer that the technique he got from swing a machete became a deadly weapon that boosted his boxing career.
How To Throw The Bolo Punch
Bolo punch is a very powerful and knockout punch that needs to be executed properly in the right movement and stance. Follow these steps to learn how to throw a bolo punch.
1. Try to throw a jab to get your opponent to slip a little low. Your opponent would duck low to avoid getting caught by the jab, and when this happens, you can launch a bolo punch.
2. Then, loop your hand backward and downwards in a circular motion from a relaxed position
3. Throw the put with the aim of ripping upwards to the body of your opponent or into his face. A bolo punch can also be thrown in as a straight punch. If you’re planning to use a bolo punch as a distracting movement, then you should take a jab with the second hand.
What Boxer Was Famous For The Bolo Punch?
Ike Ibeabuchi and Gerardo Gonzalez are two popular boxers who are known for using the bolo punch as a combination of an uppercut and a hook. Gerardo Gonzalez was born on the 6th of January 1926 in Camagüey, Cuba. He became a professional boxer and was crowned the world welterweight champion. Ike Ibeabuchi is another top boxer who is known for his bolo punch technique. He competed from 1994 to 1999 in the heavyweight division.
In Conclusion
The bolo punching technique is an effective punch in boxing and it is possibly more potent than other conventional boxing punches. Ike Ibeabuchi’s left-handed bolo punch against Chris Byrd remains the most popular bolo punch in the history of boxing. This punching technique has been used by top-level boxers due to its outstanding effectiveness.
If you practicing boxing for a competitive purpose, then you should try to aster bolo punch because it will give you an added advantage over your opponents. We’ve reached the closing chapter of this informative article. We hope you were able to find good resources in your quest to know how deep is a water polo pool. If you have any questions or comments about the article topic, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks
