Okay, so today I wanted to get into what exactly a low blow is in boxing. I’ve been watching a lot of fights lately, and I kept hearing the commentators talking about low blows, but I wasn’t 100% sure what counted as one. So, I decided to do a little digging and figure it out for myself.
First, I watched a bunch of boxing matches. I mean, a whole bunch. Old ones, new ones, famous ones, some not-so-famous ones. I wanted to see how often low blows actually happened and what the refs did when they saw one. Then I started reading up on the actual rules of boxing. I went through some articles and some rules from different boxing organizations, the whole thing. It wasn’t super exciting, but hey, I was on a mission.
What I found about low blows
- The Beltline Rule:
Basically, in boxing, you’re supposed to hit your opponent above the belt. Think of it like an imaginary line around their waist, right where their shorts sit. That’s the “beltline”. Any punch that lands mostly below that line is a low blow.
- Not Just Below:
Here’s the tricky part I found out – it’s not just about being below the beltline. Even if a punch lands right on the beltline, it can still be okay. The rule, as I understand it, is that the majority of the glove has to be below the beltline for it to be a low blow. So, a little bit below is fine, but a lot below is a no-no.
- Other Illegal Hits:
Low blows aren’t the only punches you can’t throw in boxing. Hitting someone in the back of the head is a big foul, called a “rabbit punch.” You also can’t hit below the belt, or in the kidneys. And no headbutts! Those are super dangerous.
- What Happens When There’s a Low Blow?:
When a fighter gets hit with a low blow, the ref usually steps in and stops the fight for a bit. The fighter who got hit gets some time to recover, usually a few minutes. Sometimes, the ref will warn the fighter who threw the low blow, or even take a point away from them. If it keeps happening, a fighter can even get disqualified.
So, after all that watching and reading, I feel like I’ve got a pretty good handle on this whole low blow thing. It’s all about hitting above the belt and making sure most of your punch lands in the right spot. There are other illegal hits to watch out for, too. It is really important for fighters to know the rules so they don’t get penalized or disqualified. And for us fans, it makes watching the fights a lot more interesting when you understand what’s going on, right?
Anyway, that’s my little adventure into the world of boxing rules. Hope you found it as interesting as I did!
