The Patterson Gazelle Punch!
Floyd Patterson was the youngest heavyweight champion of the world until the advent of Mike Tyson some 25 years later. A middleweight as an amateur (and a very successful one at that), Patterson was quite small for a heavyweight even during the era of the late 50s and early 60s.
Patterson was managed by the indomitable Cus D’Amato who was a keen proponent of the much vaunted ‘peek a boo’ style, which involved ‘cupping’ the hands high around the head and using lots and lots of upper body movement to provide a difficult target. As well as the peek a boo style, Patterson used what he called the ‘Gazelle Punch.’
Patterson’s ‘Gazelle Punch’, as the name might suggest, involved throwing a left hook during which he actually lifted both feet off the floor, leaping gazelle-like to deliver the shot to the target. Now, it would be easy to assume that it was the leap that provided the power to Floyd’s shot (and it was a very powerful shot that deposited many an opponent on their backside), but my own view is that it was a simple body movement that gave the shot the kick. In fact, the reason that Floyd jumped was that he was relatively small and regularly faced taller opponents! Jumping is not something I would recommend!
OK, so let’s look at the simple 2 punch combination. Make sure that you look beyond the punches themselves and understand that it’s the body and foot movements that are key!
- Jab
- Combine footwork move in and roll inside (bob and weave)
- Mid range left hook.
Take some time to practice combining the foot movements and the body movements; this is the key to successfully using this combination. The inside roll not only provides the body mechanics to really deliver massive power to the left hook, but it also is a wonderful defensive action as it takes you initially away from your opponent’s back hand (right cross for orthodox versus orthodox.) Floyd Patterson (and Cus D’Amato) would be so proud!
Cheers
Fran
by 
Please find time to review The Science of Mike Tyson and Elements of Peek-A-Boo @ sugarboxing
Fran, i’ve one question.. when throwing a hook mid-range or long-range at which one do I execute with the palm facing down? cause I see other hooks thrown with the palm facing up meaning the palm facing you.
Azteca
The palm facing is the short range left hook. It’s about where the target is relative to you. If they are too close (that is closer to you than the elbow of your extended arm) then the short range left hook will generate more power. Remember also that if the forearm is parallel to the ground, the hook must land palm down. If the palm is facing you and your forearm is parallel to the ground, a referee in an amateur boxing match could issue a warning for foul punching (slapping).
Hope this helps.