In boxing, a southpaw is a left-handed fighter who stands with their right foot and right hand forward in their stance. This means that they lead with right jabs during a fight and follow with a left cross right hook. The corresponding boxing designation for a right-handed boxer is the orthodox stance, which is generally a mirror-image of the southpaw stance.

Fighting in a southpaw stance is believed to give the fighter a strategic advantage because of the tactical and cognitive difficulties of coping with a fighter who moves in a mirror-reverse of the norm. A skilled right-hander may switch to the southpaw stance to take advantage of the fact that most fighters lack experience against left-handed opponents.

Southpaw boxers can land an explosive punch with their left arm, which is their dominant hand. The southpaw stance also gives fighters a better defensive style against their orthodox opponents and clear opportunities for accurate body shots. However, boxing as a southpaw can be challenging at first, as many gyms only teach southpaws how to mirror the techniques of an orthodox boxer.