A sucker punch is a punch made without warning, allowing no time for preparation or defense on the part of the recipient. The term is generally reserved for situations where the way in which the punch has been delivered is considered unfair or unethical. In practice, this often includes punches delivered from close-range or behind.
In boxing, a sucker punch thrown outside of the rules is illegal. For example, when James Butler knocked Richard Grant unconscious after losing a fight to him on points, his license was suspended. Because sucker punches come unexpectedly, people at risk of such blows must be alert to the proximity of potential opponents.
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Famous quotes containing the words sucker and/or punch:
“As artists they’re rot, but as providers they’re oil wells; they gush. Norris said she never wrote a story unless it was fun to do. I understand Ferber whistles at her typewriter. And there was that poor sucker Flaubert rolling around on his floor for three days looking for the right word.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)
“Now you’re not gonna have a country that can make these kinds of rules work, if you haven’t got men that have learned to tell human rights from a punch in the nose.”
—Sidney Buchman (1902–1975)