A "right cross" or "straight right" or "right hand" or "left cross" or "southpaw left" or "southpaw left hand" were common back when i was young. I think maybe because there are more high-profile southpaws, the terminology might have changed a bit. By default a "left" was always the lead, a jab (or a hook which would be specified "left hook") , and a "right" was a heavy punch travelling further. Southpaws were a bit rarer at the elite level.
It may sound a little weird if you're new to listening to boxing with UK commentators, but...I have no problem with it. Context clues tell us they mean a rear-handed punch, or cross, and not a pimp-smack.
In the boxing gyms I’ve been in, it’s used as shorthand to avoid getting mixed up when an orthodox and southpaw fighter are in together - so instead of saying “straight right/left” you just say backhand as it’s the rear hand punch. can see why experienced comms would default to that to avoid accidentally saying the wrong hand, especially if they have been around gyms and trainers.
I get it but would contend that just saying "jab" or "straight" would to the trick just the same, "back hand" is such a long word as far as seconds are concerned . But as an American I digress of course, language is as much of a coaching specific thing as anything else.
Woodhall uses it. a lot of guys who were drenched in our am system would refer to it as such. but that is not a replacement for 'cross'. a cross is that driving rail gun while a backhand is more of a flat straight rear hand. its semantics but it is logical. double back hand not double cross for example uppercut and hook is also a chat to be had. a lead hands uppercut can be called a corkscrew. but i know of trainer who would refer to a punch that is not exactly 90 degrees as a hook. becasue an uppercut is a different mechanic even though at the point of impact is the same. what about right hook? we use 'big right hand' just because it overlaps multiple punch mechanics. is it an overhand right, is it a rounded right hand? etc
Just depends what your coach calls it when you go to a boxing gym for your first few sessions I'd inagine. I'm not a fan of "shovel hook "myself a hybrid of uppercut combined with a hook. For me, the moment a bent arm is thrown horizontally by anymore than 20-30 degrees from vertical, it's a hook and is thrown with the body position ,foot position and The rest of the mechanics of a hook. Any punch thrown within that 20-30% of vertical is an uppercut and the body position , foot position etc are the same as an uppercut. Not to mention the head movement, finishing position of the hand and subsequent reset
Lived in London all my life and to backhand someone literally means to hit them with the back of your hand. This is a type of slap, where the palm is not used, and the blow is delivered across the face or body.
Backhand is the hand closest to your jaw and furthest from the opponent. It makes logical sense. Every gym I've been in calls it a backhand: from Africa to Europe to Asia. Like other posters have mentioned it's because most gyms have lefties and righties so they use jab and backhand to refer to these 2 straight punches coming from either hand/side. There are other more specialised punches with slightly different names too. Jab - a generally lightish punch for scoring easy points and finding range. Power jab aka lead straight - a power jab which utilises the hip flex in the jab. This is infinitely more powerful than just a normal jab. Backhand - generally a powershot because you throw with the hip flex present but can also not be loaded up on! Overhand backhand - comes over the top with body position leaning forward, Golovkin-esque. Uppercuts and hooks are generally mid-close range shots IME. Uppercuts are more close range shots. You can combine a hook and uppercut to ease the strain on the muscles from throwing a pure hook (unbent, right angled elbow). Basically, as a fighter you'll end up combining shots and throwing them at different speeds, power and hip flexions to utilise the gameplay of the match.
Chiming in as a non native. I would actually prefer back hand to be established. I was also surprised by this use of the term in the commentary at the time but it was obvious what was meant. and that's the thing: When getting into boxing the term 'straight' doesn't explain itself the same way. If you don't know, you could also assume it to be a straight lead hand. Back hand is pretty intuitive apart from the danger of confusing it with the forbidden backhand slap. It would be better to have another term for that one. And it makes sense for the commentators to use the term. I've often heard them refer to soutpaw 'back hands' as 'rights'.
Yes, heard the term used by commentators in the Olympics, for left or right cross. Hitting with the back of the hand after coming back with a missed punch, with the same hand, from memory was called a “pivot blow” popularised by George La Blanche, a middleweight title claimant, around 1900. Think it was deemed illegal, subsequently.