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Strategies for landing liver shots
The liver shot is an iconic and very devastating weapon.
Thrown as a mix between a lead hook and an uppercut the liver shot is designed to dig up and around into the opponent's body to strike directly to the liver. Basically a lead hook thrown with an upward facing arc.
I have studied body punching and found setups that are very effective for other fighters. Throwing a lead hook then following up the liver shot, or throwing a cross or uppercut to make way for the liver shot.
Micky Ward was a master at the lead hook to liver shot combo.
In this video Micky is commonly seen placing his head on either on or near his opponents rear shoulder. And this put him in perfect range to hit his opponent's liver. Once in position Micky would tap his opponent with a lead hook up high to get his opponent to raise their guarding elbow, before following up with a nasty liver shot to the body. The first punch is a throw away, ward will simply tap his opponent with the first punch up high to set up a very hard liver shot to the body.
Miguel Cotto can also be seen using the same combo as Ward In this video.
But one setup that stands out to me from Cotto in this video is his pairing of rear hooks and crosses to set up his liver shot. Miguel Cotto would use rear hooks to not only get his opponent to raise his guard, but he also used a rear hook to turn his body to load up and add more torque into his liver shot.
When it came to pairing crosses with livershots Cotto would do the same thing, but this time Cotto can be seen throwing his cross above his opponents head to solely get a reaction out of them. Once they would duck under his intentionally missed cross Cotto would throw a hard liver shot targeting his opponents liver of course.
And both Micky Ward's and Miguel Cotto’s setups to body punches are commonalities among great body punchers. And this video from fayz boxing explains how Johnny tapia used both setups to land his liver shot.
Another liver shot setup is using a rear uppercut to land your liver shot. This combo is commonly used by Canelo Alvarez.
As explained in this video canelos uppercut is meant to stun and off balance his opponent. Then once his opponent is out of position he strikes them with a nasty liver shot.
And this combination works best from the inside.
Now southpaws aren't really known for liver shots. This is because in order for a southpaw to hit their opponent's liver they would have to throw a hook with their rear hand, causing the punch to have to travel more distance in order to land.
However the YouTube channel hidden gem made a video about how Manny Pacquiao was able to get around this greatly.
Another southpaw with underrated body punches was none other than Pernell Whitaker. Whitaker's body punching would often fly under the radar due to his fantastic defense. But nevertheless Pernell Whitaker was more than an effective body puncher as seen in this video.
Whitaker would take whatever target was available, having no problem throwing a lead hook to the left side of the opponent's body away from the liver.
Part of what made Whitaker's body work so effective were his free flowing lengthy combinations mixing in hooks and uppercuts seamlessly wherever he could.
And much of his ability to throw these combinations was dependent on his head position. Much like Micky Ward would position his head on his opponents rear shoulder to set up his liver shot, Whitaker was adept at positioning his head on either of his opponents shoulders with less commitment. And Whitaker emphasized this, striking his opponent's body on the same side his head would be positioned.
And of course being known for his defense Whitaker is also an expert at exiting safely after body punching. Quickly shuffling back after his punches and never being too committed to punching at a close range.
And although Whitaker was a defensive fighter in many of his body punching sequences Whitaker would be the aggressor forcing his opponents on or near the ropes before aggressively punishing their body.
Like any technique in martial arts there are plenty of ways to set up the liver shot. And the liver shot has no shortage of set ups.
However a key element that is missing from many people when they try to implement livershots into their game is their range. Without being at the proper range the liver shot will come up short and miss the opponent. In many of the sequences shown earlier the fighter getting hit with a liver shot was either put on the defensive or pinned against the ropes.
Putting your opponent on the defensive means to put them in a position where they are only worried about defense. Putting your opponent on the defensive can last from a few seconds to entire rounds, but it is a key element in setting up liver shots.
The most common way to tell when your opponent is on the defensive is when they shell up or tighten their guard. This is what I call a defensive high guard. Oftentimes when a fighter does this their movement is restricted making it actually easier to close the distance for livershots.
And Naoya Inoue was very good at taking advantage of his opponents defensive high guard.
Inoue would first strike his opponent with jabs, crosses and uppercuts before going to the body. Shelling up his opponent before striking to the liver. Inoue used the straight path of his jabs, crosses and uppercuts to strike down the middle of an opponent's guard. And once they would tighten up their guard to block strikes coming down the middle, Inoue would further dismantle their chosen defense by going around their guard with a liver shot. The lesson that should be taken from this is to put your opponent on the defensive first then go to the body with liver shots.
Another detail is that rather than chase liver shots the entire fight many fighters will wear down their competitor from the outside first, slowing their movement and taking their energy. Once an opponent has been worn down it becomes much easier to close the distance. And that's a key element in all of fighting, patience. Being patient enough to wait until your competitor Is worn down or more important the biggest key to landing liver shots is being patient enough to use trial and error to find the right time and positioning to land your liver shots.
So what do you guys think, and also what do you guys want to see me breakdown next?
Do you want me to break down a certain fighter, a particular fighting style, or certain moves?
Let me know in the comments.
The liver shot is an iconic and very devastating weapon.
Thrown as a mix between a lead hook and an uppercut the liver shot is designed to dig up and around into the opponent's body to strike directly to the liver. Basically a lead hook thrown with an upward facing arc.
I have studied body punching and found setups that are very effective for other fighters. Throwing a lead hook then following up the liver shot, or throwing a cross or uppercut to make way for the liver shot.
Micky Ward was a master at the lead hook to liver shot combo.
In this video Micky is commonly seen placing his head on either on or near his opponents rear shoulder. And this put him in perfect range to hit his opponent's liver. Once in position Micky would tap his opponent with a lead hook up high to get his opponent to raise their guarding elbow, before following up with a nasty liver shot to the body. The first punch is a throw away, ward will simply tap his opponent with the first punch up high to set up a very hard liver shot to the body.
Miguel Cotto can also be seen using the same combo as Ward In this video.
But one setup that stands out to me from Cotto in this video is his pairing of rear hooks and crosses to set up his liver shot. Miguel Cotto would use rear hooks to not only get his opponent to raise his guard, but he also used a rear hook to turn his body to load up and add more torque into his liver shot.
When it came to pairing crosses with livershots Cotto would do the same thing, but this time Cotto can be seen throwing his cross above his opponents head to solely get a reaction out of them. Once they would duck under his intentionally missed cross Cotto would throw a hard liver shot targeting his opponents liver of course.
And both Micky Ward's and Miguel Cotto’s setups to body punches are commonalities among great body punchers. And this video from fayz boxing explains how Johnny tapia used both setups to land his liver shot.
Another liver shot setup is using a rear uppercut to land your liver shot. This combo is commonly used by Canelo Alvarez.
As explained in this video canelos uppercut is meant to stun and off balance his opponent. Then once his opponent is out of position he strikes them with a nasty liver shot.
And this combination works best from the inside.
Now southpaws aren't really known for liver shots. This is because in order for a southpaw to hit their opponent's liver they would have to throw a hook with their rear hand, causing the punch to have to travel more distance in order to land.
However the YouTube channel hidden gem made a video about how Manny Pacquiao was able to get around this greatly.
Another southpaw with underrated body punches was none other than Pernell Whitaker. Whitaker's body punching would often fly under the radar due to his fantastic defense. But nevertheless Pernell Whitaker was more than an effective body puncher as seen in this video.
Whitaker would take whatever target was available, having no problem throwing a lead hook to the left side of the opponent's body away from the liver.
Part of what made Whitaker's body work so effective were his free flowing lengthy combinations mixing in hooks and uppercuts seamlessly wherever he could.
And much of his ability to throw these combinations was dependent on his head position. Much like Micky Ward would position his head on his opponents rear shoulder to set up his liver shot, Whitaker was adept at positioning his head on either of his opponents shoulders with less commitment. And Whitaker emphasized this, striking his opponent's body on the same side his head would be positioned.
And of course being known for his defense Whitaker is also an expert at exiting safely after body punching. Quickly shuffling back after his punches and never being too committed to punching at a close range.
And although Whitaker was a defensive fighter in many of his body punching sequences Whitaker would be the aggressor forcing his opponents on or near the ropes before aggressively punishing their body.
Like any technique in martial arts there are plenty of ways to set up the liver shot. And the liver shot has no shortage of set ups.
However a key element that is missing from many people when they try to implement livershots into their game is their range. Without being at the proper range the liver shot will come up short and miss the opponent. In many of the sequences shown earlier the fighter getting hit with a liver shot was either put on the defensive or pinned against the ropes.
Putting your opponent on the defensive means to put them in a position where they are only worried about defense. Putting your opponent on the defensive can last from a few seconds to entire rounds, but it is a key element in setting up liver shots.
The most common way to tell when your opponent is on the defensive is when they shell up or tighten their guard. This is what I call a defensive high guard. Oftentimes when a fighter does this their movement is restricted making it actually easier to close the distance for livershots.
And Naoya Inoue was very good at taking advantage of his opponents defensive high guard.
Inoue would first strike his opponent with jabs, crosses and uppercuts before going to the body. Shelling up his opponent before striking to the liver. Inoue used the straight path of his jabs, crosses and uppercuts to strike down the middle of an opponent's guard. And once they would tighten up their guard to block strikes coming down the middle, Inoue would further dismantle their chosen defense by going around their guard with a liver shot. The lesson that should be taken from this is to put your opponent on the defensive first then go to the body with liver shots.
Another detail is that rather than chase liver shots the entire fight many fighters will wear down their competitor from the outside first, slowing their movement and taking their energy. Once an opponent has been worn down it becomes much easier to close the distance. And that's a key element in all of fighting, patience. Being patient enough to wait until your competitor Is worn down or more important the biggest key to landing liver shots is being patient enough to use trial and error to find the right time and positioning to land your liver shots.
So what do you guys think, and also what do you guys want to see me breakdown next?
Do you want me to break down a certain fighter, a particular fighting style, or certain moves?
Let me know in the comments.
