Overhand Right

A looping rear-hand punch thrown with the arm at a slightly downward angle, designed to land over the top of an opponent's lead-hand guard. Lennox Lewis, Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder have made entire careers from variations of the overhand right; it is also the punch that ended Anthony Joshua's first reign at heavyweight (Ruiz Jr., 2019). Mechanics: rear-foot pivot, hip rotation, arm thrown at a 15-30° downward angle from above the lead shoulder. It is, by physics, a slower punch than the cross — but it travels around the guard rather than through it.

Key points

• ▸Throw the arm slightly downward, not horizontally.
• ▸The lead foot steps forward AND outside at the moment of throw — the angle of the body sells the punch.
• ▸Keep the lead shoulder high to protect the chin.
• ▸Use as a counter when the opponent jabs and drops the rear hand.
• ▸Eyes track the lead hand position of the opponent — the overhand goes over a low or extended lead hand.

Common mistakes

• ✗Throwing it as a lead — the arc is too long to land without a setup.
• ✗Standing too upright — the angle must be downward.
• ✗Pulling the rear foot off the ground at impact — no power.
• ✗Holding the punch at full extension — invites a counter cross.

Drills

1. Heavy-bag: throw the overhand after a feint-jab — 3 rounds.
2. Mitts: catcher tilts the inside mitt down to mimic a dropped guard; throw the overhand only when the mitt drops.
3. Pad work: 3 rounds of step-outside-overhand right.

Related techniques