Boxing’s Greatest Weapons Vol.2: Mike Tyson’s Uppercut

By Ian Murphy

Over the past half century, perhaps the most destructive weapon in boxing has been Mike Tyson’s uppercut. Wielded with crushing brutality, this weapon has laid waste to numerous ring warriors, leaving them crumpled in its wake. Tyson was practically promiscuous in his application, throwing it with ill-intent at any given moment, knowing if he connected, the fight would soon be over. Despite its savagery, there is much more to Tyson’s money punch than just power and potency, there was great precision and technique behind it.

Mike Tyson’s fighting style and technique was a product of one of the last truly great trainers in boxing history, the enigmatic Cus D’Amato. This elderly boxing sage molded Tyson from a strong, talented young man into a truly frightening combination of speed, power and technique. Like Charlie Goldman, (Marciano’s trainer) D’Amato and his head trainer Teddy Atlas (and later Kevin Rooney) helped develop skills to accentuate Mike’s natural gifts and minimize his limitations. What Tyson lacked in reach and height, he compensated with raw strength, speed and the ability to generate immense rotational force.

In order to land this uppercut cleanly and without the danger of being countered, Tyson would guide a retreating opponent into a corner and nail him with body shots to force a clinch and smother his often rangier foe. If the opponent clinched, Mike would move away to create space, anticipating his adversary would over-extend his reach. This maneuver would leave the short ribs exposed and very vulnerable to big body shots. If the body shot was clean enough, the hands would come down and there would be an opening for the uppercut. To further confuse his foe, Mike would use the same hand with both blows, making it hard to anticipate or counter.

Example 1: Mike Tyson vs Jesse Ferguson, February 1986

The right to the body/right uppercut was used to terrific effect in this match. Tyson was ahead through four rounds, but the tough Ferguson was stubbornly holding on. In the fifth round, Ferguson came out aggressive, looking to take control of the fight, hoping Tyson had wore himself out a bit earlier on. Mike then guided his opponent into his own corner. This was a smart move because now head trainer Kevin Rooney was right near him to give clear instructions. You could see Tyson work Ferguson’s body and then look to Rooney. Mike began ripping right hands to the body and uppercuts to the head. You could hear Rooney say “Just like that!” After just missing with the first set of combinations, Tyson hit Ferguson with a jarring left. This opened Ferguson up and then Mike landed a clean right to the body followed by a right uppercut to the head and dropped him. A hurt Ferguson got up, but soon after the bell rung. In the sixth round, Ferguson would not stop holding and the referee stopped the match.

Example 2: Mike Tyson vs Lorenzo Boyd, July 1986

In this match up, Mike relentlessly battered his opponent, never giving him a chance to mount any offense of his own. During the second round, Boyd looked for a respite from his tormentor by staying low to protect his head. Mike took advantage of Boyd leaving left side of his body exposed and hammered a hard right to the ribs, and as Lorenzo recoiled to protect his body, Tyson came up the middle with a tight right uppercut to close out the fight. Tyson himself has said this was one of his most satisfying finishes.

Example 3: Mike Tyson vs Jose Ribalta, August 1986

Throughout 1986, Tyson was truly refining the application of his go-to punch. By the time he faced tough Jose Ribalta in August, he had finished off at least six of his
ten opponents that year with his favorite weapon. In the second round, Ribalta tried in vain to keep Tyson off of him with jabs, but Mike either slipped, parried or walked through them. Knowing he needed to smother Jose to land effectively, Mike found his opportunity. He faked left as Ribalta covered up, and then Tyson landed a heavy right to the body, opening up his opponent’s hands. Just as this happened, Tyson threw a massive uppercut between Ribalta’s hands and dropped him. A gutsy Jose got to his feet, but Tyson unrelentingly pursued him over the next seven rounds, knocking him down again in the eighth. The referee mercifully stopped the contest after another knockdown in the tenth.

In addition to the above examples, Tyson used this technique effectively against nearly all the fighters he faced, win or lose. It was the perfect punch to highlight Mike’s unique talents. It was his “go to” combo to finish off his opponents. Also of note were his finishes of Marvis Frazier, Frank Bruno (twice), and Buster Mathis, JR. None of the victims, save Buster Douglas, ever came back to win a fight versus Mike Tyson after his vaunted uppercut found it’s mark and landed cleanly.