Long story short, was rewatching the two Usyk-Joshua fights and the British commentators kept referring to the "good back hands" landed by Usyk. Now in my boxing vernacular that would be left straights/straight lefts, but after asking ChatGPT the term "back hand" is apparently a historically used name for the straight/cross in Britain. Can y'all confirm that? Because when I think of a back hand I picture an illegal punch .
Only heard that in tennis and I've lived in the UK all my life. Occasionally some might call a straight a cross here.
I thought about the nomenclature given to various punches in boxing mainly because I once (unfortunately now lost) owned Ring Magazine's "100 Greatest Punchers" special issue. While Nigel Collins was still EIC at The Ring I recall reading about a "cross" being a straight punch with the power hand thrown over the jab of another fighter. Also there was the theory that there was no such thing as a "rear hook" for any fighter, meaning if an orthodox fighter threw a punch with his right hand in a hook-like fashion it would always come out more as an overhand or haymaker rather than the technically clean left hook. Maybe all semantics but I thought it interesting in the way of "can a figher actually throw a technically sound hook with his power hand?".
I grew up knowing that a back hand is how a pimp corrected his employees....... And it's not allowed in boxing.....lol
Yup, pretty much my thoughts while listening to the commentary. Either a back hand slap or something like a spinning back fist in kickboxing/MMA. Either way highly illegal under Queensberry rules . That's why I asked if it's a regional thing.
I boxed in my teens and I only heard a cross referred to as a back hand when I started doing kick boxing a few years back.
What would you call the "Ivan punch" Usyk landed against Dubois in the rematch? Hook/overhand/looping cross/anything else?
I wouldn’t call it that, to me a back hand would be landing with the outside of the glove in a swiping motion away from the body.
That was exactly what I would envision when hearing the term "back hand", thus my confusion while hearing the commentary.
In my travels over time in life, I've realized that context, slang, etc.... is a real thing as you cross boarders. You and I know a back hand as what you pointed out, but they use it as something else. There's a bunch of things that I found out mean something totally different in the states vs Great Britain.....lol
Exactly, which is why I'm asking. It's "slang", or localized language. I just feel like asking clears up a lot of misunderstandings. Not just in as far as boxing is concerned . Thx for the input!
A backhand in boxing was always hitting with the back of the hand. And it is an illegal punch. I've never heard a straight right or a right cross being referred to as a backhand in my life.
Max Baer hit Max Schmeling with several illegal backhands in the closing seconds before stopping him and wasn't warned.