Signup

One of the most devastating punches in boxing is the left hook. As you might expect, Mike Tyson had one of the best. But to throw the perfect left hook, which Tyson did many times, one must have excellent technique. Iron Mike’s left hook devastated opponents before he forgot feet placement and body movement. Check out why the young Mike Tyson’s left hook provided such a powerful punch so you can keep on planning your bets against our Mike Tyson Odds.

Breaking Down Iron Mike Tyson’s Left Hook

How Iron Mike Tyson threw the perfect left hook

Tyson set his feet perfectly

Tyson created the perfect base, left foot forward and right foot back. That’s the way to get ready to throw the left hook. More importantly, he started with his weight on his backfoot.

Mike dropped left shoulder to get ready for the punch

Tyson then dropped his left shoulder. Dropping the left shoulder means Mike twisted his body so that all of his weight was towards the left.

When Tyson threw his hook, he had awesome hip rotation

Iron Mike then rotated his hips on delivery. Rotating the hips is the best way to deliver a powerful hook, left or right.

Specific things Iron Mike did when throwing hooks that differ from most boxers

The three things listed above are a part of any great left hook. Most boxers who did those things threw a decent left hook. Only a few boxers can master the left hook, though. Mike Tyson was one of those fighters who became a black belt in left hook throwing.

The key to any powerful punch is to relax the shoulders and back muscles. Power comes from hip rotation, much like how a golfer like Tiger Woods uses body movement to get the most out of a golf swing.

The second part of Tyson’s left hook that differed from most other pugilists’ involved arm and hand placement. The best left hooks arrive at a 90-degree angle. Iron Mike lifted his arm, made it a 90-degree angle with his body, like the width and left length of a square, and then let his hip rotation power the arm. Doing so allowed the muscles in his back to work more efficiently. Tyson’s back muscles snapped into the punch. His latissimus dorsi muscles didn’t expend energy until the actual punch happened.

The final step involved raising and twisting the left foot to get even more speed and weight behind the punch. Here’s the steps in order to throw the perfect left hook.

Place feet.
Dip shoulder and twist to the left.
While raising body to throw the hook, place arm at 90-degree angle.
As you rotate into the punch, twist left foot to get even more power from the punch.

One thing many don’t remember about the young Iron Mike Tyson is that his right hook was as devastating as the left. Before getting into why, realize that many boxing trainers don’t teach the right hook to orthodox fighters.

Twisting and lowering your body, dropping your shoulder to the right, exposes the entire left side of your body to your opponent’s right. That’s not a good idea. Tyson got away with throwing a right hook because he was better than most everyone of his opponents during his first few years as a pro.

Mike’s right hook had as much power because of feet placement. He did what boxers call a switch. Tyson switched his feet, put his left foot behind his right foot, and then used the techniques described above to land a right hook.

Iron Mike, when he threw the right hook, became a southpaw. Tyson was so adept at switching that he could throw left hook, right hook, left hook, and switch his feet on every punch. No other boxer in history seems to have had the ability Tyson did when throwing left and right hooks.

Mike Tyson Vs Roy Jones Jr. – Frontline Battle Stats

Boxer	Mike Tyson	Roy Jones Jr.
Nickname	Iron Mike	Captain Hook
Hometown	New York City, New York, U.S.	Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Pre-fight record	50–6 (44 KOs)	66–9 (47 KOs)
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Style	Orthodox	Orthodox
Recognition	Former undisputed heavyweight champion	Former IBF middleweight, IBF super middleweight, undisputed light heavyweight, and WBA heavyweight champion