All of these hooks are thrown while moving to the lead hand of left or taking the lead or leftward leverage position, even if it is just a transfer of weight through the left/lead hip and across the target.
1. Classic [Hagler, Gatti, Chavez Junior] The classic hook is thrown after a straight rear hand or jab, from the level of your own head and is powered by a full pivot of the lead foot. The thumb side of the hand is up and the palm facing you as it punches through his head. This is the most reliable KO punch in boxing as it causes rotation of the bran within the skull, short circuits the messages going to the body through the neck as the neck is shocked—or in the case of hitting the chin—snapped sharply. It also comes from outside the field of vision and is hard to roll off of. The classic hooks should be learned after the shovel hook, and is best learned as an elbow strike, targeting the side of the head with a lateral elbow strike. This punch is about driving the fist through the target with the forearm and elbow behind it, engaging the bicep and the lat muscle. It is the most muscular punch in the arsenal and should not be overused.
2. “Philadelphia” [Frazier, Tyson] the Philly hook is the same as the classic but is thrown out of a crouch and with a dipped shoulder, putting the thigh muscles into the blow. Tyson threw his after a shovel hook. Frazier would actually leap into this punch as seen in his first fight against Ali.
3. Shovel [Dempsey, Ward, Tyson] This is the classic power shot for the inside boxer, and is the cornerstone of “dirty boxing.” The elbow does not separate from the body as it does with the classic and Philly hook, but keeps continuity. It is often thrown with less than a hand-span of distance from fist to target. The fist is held diagonally with the thumb slightly outward, so that it will not be snapped when the descending elbow comes down to protect the liver or ribs. The shovel hook is the first hook that should be learned and is the key to hooking in combination. You must visualize this as punching off the floor with your lead thigh driving the blow up into the target.
4. Cutter [Hearns, kickboxers] Kickboxers pose this hook a lot. The punch comes over the top above a high pivot and turns over, raking the face or, if you are tall, knuckling down into the temple or neck. Practice this on the light bag only, as it is dangerous to the shoulder. This is also a good weapon to target the kidney or ribs of a fighter who is shelled up in a forward position.
5. Extended Hook [Duran, Manny Pacquiao] The extended hook is a shovel hook that extends upward and outward toward the jaw as the fighters separate, or as a counter to a Philly of classic hook. At the point where the elbow separates from the body you are at greater range than the classic hook. This punch is meant for the chin. This is the classic crafty counter-hook. For a three hook combination from clinch range try shovel to the liver, classic to the temple, and then extended to the chin.
6. Slide [Roy Jones Junior against Ruiz] This is a shovel hook in which the thrower diverts part of the power by scooting on the ball of his pivoting foot and letting his rear foot drag around, taking him slightly off line as he lands. This is the hook to use on a stranger, slower man who has muscled his way in with hunched shoulder. This can be practiced with a sparring partner by palming the hip, ribs or shoulder instead of hitting and just scooting round off line. This punch will rarely be used and is more important as a defensive drill than anything.
7. Aborted [Archie Moore, Diego Chavez] this is a classic hook in which the thrower decided not to commit all of his weight, maybe because he senses he is about to trade with a harder hitter, and turns it into a flat-footed slide, letting some bend develop in the rear knee to power his lead even as he gets off line. This is a nice way to avoid colliding with a lead classic or counter shovel.
As you can see, from the reference to the shovel hook in some of the variants and the fact that the extended shovel hook is the counter-punching KO king, developing the shovel first is paramount for the savvy boxer. The classic hook is partially an arm punch, engaging the bicep when the elbow turns up and in and drives the fist through the face. People who learn the classic hook first get hung up on that aspect and tend never to develop the connection with their footwork and hips necessary to maximize their hooking potential. Learn the shovel hook first.
