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Mexican boxer Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez is widely considered to be one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world right now, having won championship titles in four different weight classes. This is in part due to his striking power, which he hones through a focused training routine designed to optimize performance in the ring.
In a new video on his YouTube channel, former Olympic medalist and undefeated pro fighter Tony Jeffries takes a look at one aspect of Álvarez’s punching technique in particular—the body jab—and breaks down why it is an underused but effective tool for a boxer to have in their arsenal.
“The reason why it’s hardly used is because if I throw a jab to the body, now I feel very vulnerable and wide open for a cross over the top,” he explains. “But when you use it faster and you think about defense when you throw this punch, you’re going to land it and he’s not going to be able to hit you.”
Jeffries goes on to demonstrate an “in and out” approach to this strike, immediately retreating after throwing the punch, and adds that when used in concert with an array of other striking tactics, the body jab can help to throw off your opponent and make your moves more difficult to anticipate.
“If I’m throwing a jab to the body, a jab to the head, a cross to the head, a cross to the body, if I’m having a big variation with all my punches, when I do eventually feint that jab to the body, he’s going to believe it, and that’s when I come over with a big left hook,” he says.
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