Super Macho Man - Punch-Out!! Guide - IGN (2024)

You can dodge almost all of Super Macho Man's attacks by slipping to the right. At the start of the fight, use the right dodge exclusively to evade Macho Man's punches and counter with the appropriate star-earning techniques described below. Earning stars against Macho Man is all about delaying your reactions and timing punches carefully. If you just flurry without practiced timing, you won't get stars for your effort and won't work in the most possible hits for your combos.

After you've knocked down Macho Man, he picks up a couple of new attacks. The most deadly and difficult is his spinning clothesline which is the only punch that cannot be slipped by dodging right. But Macho Man always wiggles his hand to your right before unloading a clothesline punch, giving you the warning you need. Beware especially of the clothesline combination he throws after going through myriad poses. Get hit by it and you'll be down for a ten count.

Right Uppercut

• Block
• L Dodge
• R Dodge
• Duck
• Counter

Before being knocked down for the first time, Super Macho Man sticks to just two punches, both uppercuts. When he dips down to your left, expect him to pop up very quickly with this right uppercut. You can slip the punch by dodging either left or right. After Macho Man whiffs, you can land a punch combo. With the right timing you can land four jabs to his face before Macho Man sort of drifts away. After the drift, pause momentarily before throwing a fifth punch. This will cause Macho Man to drift again, so delay a bit before throwing a sixth jab to the face. If you connect that sixth jab you'll earn a star.

Left Uppercut

• Block
• L Dodge
• R Dodge
• Duck
• Counter

Super Macho Man's other starting uppercut can be dodged the same way as the first, though it's slower to come out. If you dodge immediately you'll eat the uppercut, so pause a bit before dodging his left uppercut. After Macho Man whiffs, wait for his ponytail to settle during his recovery animation before tagging him with any punch. As long as you wait long enough, you'll earn a star for your timing.

Spinning Clothesline

• Block
• L Dodge
• R Dodge
• Duck
• Counter

After you knock down Super Macho Man, he'll get up, wiggle his left hand behind him, and then unload his spinning clothesline. It's his only punch that cannot be dodged by slipping right, so you'll have to react to it and duck instead. After ducking the punch you can unload a fairly lengthy combo on Macho Man's head. After landing the first few hits, he'll drift to the side, forcing you to insert a slight delay before punching again if you want to connect.

Right Hook

• Block
• L Dodge
• R Dodge
• Duck
• Counter

Macho Man will occasionally step to your left and quickly wing this right hook. The punch is very fast and hard to react to specifically, but it can be dodged by slipping to the right, just like his two uppercuts. So any time you see Macho Man step to your left, immediately react by dodging to the right.

Pose & Clothesline Combo

Block L Dodge R Dodge Duck Counter

This combo spells danger! From time to time, Super Macho Man will step to the back of the ring and start posing. After he flexes his profile and the light behind him starts to dim, watch for one of his hands to wiggle behind him. This is your cue to duck to avoid the incoming clothesline attack. But he doesn't stop there and instead unloads a series of three spinning clothesline attacks, all of which you can dodge. If you get hit, it's basically a guaranteed knockdown for Macho Man, so don't get hit. If you dodge the lot, you can unload a pretty serious jab combo that, after nine hits, will send Macho Man's head drifting. As we mentioned earlier, insert a slight delay between your punches when he drifts to catch him. You can bounce his head back and forth a lot to build up lots of damage.

Taunt

Super Macho Man simply puts his hands on his hips and smiles big. After he flashes yellow, jab him in the face with either fist to earn a star. That's all!

Title Defense Tips

After slipping Macho Man's right uppercut, give him four jabs to the face and he'll be knocked back. Wait a half second and you can catch him with another jab...and then another. Land the two delayed jabs to earn a star. Dodge his left uppercut and pause a half second before delivering a jab to his face to earn a star. If you punch too early, you'll simply get a regular combo opportunity. When Macho Man says "Work it!" and poses, hit him with a right hook for a star. After you've knocked down Macho Man once, he'll start using new attacks. His big swings must be dodged in the direction from which he attacks, and the quicker punches can be ducked.