Pugnis Infra Lineam: The Lowdown on Low Blows in Boxing

The impending rematch and heavyweight unification fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois (scheduled for July 19) recalls their first scrap. That was a controversial clash, primarily centered around a shot delivered by Dubois in round five. The clout sent Champion Usyk to the canvas, clutching his lower abdomen in agony. The punch crashed somewhere near the line of demarcation between fair and foul, clearly landing between Usyk’s sternum and his crown jewels. Although for decades a low blow in combat sports has been expressed as one that is struck “below the belt,” this is, in my opinion, too obtuse a term. The “belt line,” where the waistband of a fighter’s trunks sits, can vary significantly, with many fighters wearing their trunks high.

Low Blow or Knockdown? The Punch That Changed Usyk vs Dubois | HIGHLIGHTS

Referee Luis Pabon quickly ruled the punch to have been low, though the Dubois camp maintains it was a legal and lethal shot (I thought it looked slightly low, but it was a close call. It doesn’t have to be a shot to the head to be low). Pabon directed Daniel to a corner and instructed Usyk that he could take up to four minutes to recover, if needed, in accordance with the rules, which generally allow up to five minutes. What the arbiter should have done, but failed to do, was advise both combatants before the opening bell on where the foul line was for each of them.

In any case, Oleksandr said he was ready to go after two minutes, and he recovered to stop Dubois in the ninth frame. It is this author’s humble opinion that the Ukrainian could have risen before the count of ten if Pabon had ruled the punch fair (I fully believe Dubois could have beaten his count in the ninth as well, if he really wanted to). The question would then have been if Usyk could have held off his opponent till the bell. We will never know.

While most people are under the impression that the belt marks the foul line, it seems generally thought now (and this pundit agrees) that neither this nor a fighter’s navel is the landmark in question.  Respected (and elite-level) boxing ref Jack Reiss says, “Put your hands on your hips. You feel the top of two bony structures. Take two fingers until they meet. That line is your hip line. Everyone’s belly button is different; you can’t use the belly button. That hip line … is our low blow point. So, what a low blow is, any time the majority of the glove is below that … line. On the hip line is legal, it doesn’t stop being illegal until a majority of a glove is above it.”1Sadly, the verbiage as to the location of the foul line seems to be both vague and varied.

With one exception, this is the only world heavyweight title fight that has hinged on a single punch of questionable altitude. The other was the Max Schmeling-Jack Sharkey fracas of June 12, 1930. The

verdict in that one was given to Schmeling on a DQ (disqualification) in round four, when a shot (evidently) to the cojones by Sharkey rendered Max incapable of continuing. That punch (and more) can be seen using the link below. That foul result led to a change in rules, whereby a fighter can no longer win a contest on a DQ as the result of one punch.

Opinions seem fairly split on whether or not the fateful drive in the Usyk-Dubois match was low, probably checking in a bit more on the side of foul. The good news is, the men will go at it again at Wembley Stadium in London, in July. This time, the Cat is a bit longer in the tooth, while Daniel has improved. Dynamite Dan will pose a dire threat to Oleksandr’s undefeated status, and this one has the makings of a fistic fiesta.

Oleksandr Usyk (Ukraine) vs Daniel Dubois (England), KNOCKOUT | Boxing Fight Highlights HD