Precision is the bigger difference. If we're just talking punching...Foreman, and Tyson, would consistently land their power shots at a much higher rate. Tank Abbot may have hit harder than Joe Louis. It means f@ck all without Louis' precision.
Ngannou`s hook v Stipe was crap compared to Tyson`s, but Ngannou set his hook up better than Mike used to against better opposition, Mike`s gloves were too active before he threw his hooks which can be a "tell" for his opponent letting them know he was going to throw hit, Tyson`s opponents were easier to hit with the hook than Stipe is.
The gloves and boots do make a difference. Its about weight distribution. And the way you gloves are padded means a lot too. The weight can be at places where you dont prefer it. Most MMA guys look uncomfortable with gloves.
Trained against UFC champ and average to world class boxers. Boxers hit harder period and know how to protect themselves better against punches. I would still bet on an MMA fighter to take on the average boxer in a street fight. The difference is specialization. You train one guy to be prepared for multiple types of attacks and another to just watch out for boxing and how to throw punches. Boxers have trained their bodies to throw punches with great speed, power and timing against guys who have trained their necks and defense. It’s a lot harder to KO a boxer with punches at world class level than an MMA fighter.
On average boxers hit harder. But how hard can they hit if they are taken out of their element? In MMA a boxer wont be able to position themselves probably to deliver an efficient punch, its not what they are used to.
Slightly different question/scenario. It's hard to separate out my knowledge having trained in both. So I grew up training in boxing first, then wrestling through college, then MMA, then just boxing. When I got into MMA I was already a high level boxer and wrestler so I had a big advantage of being conscious of positioning and timing. A good wrestler has to know positioning in timing in terms of wrestling and same with a boxer. In pure boxing you are going to get tired missing punches, and in wrestling you are going to get tired missing take downs. In MMA you have to adjust to an extent, but it's very similar. I'd say the main difference is that in MMA your punch selection goes down because you have to watch out for more things from take downs and kicks. However, I'd say it was a lot easier to land punches on MMA fighters and avoid punches. Most of them were too slow, crappy footwork, didn't know strategy from in fighting and out fighting, no head movement. A lot of them also weren't elite wrestlers, not as good at take down defense or initiating take downs. MMA was kind of boring for me because I was whooping UFC champs and top 5 guys; it was too easy. Wrestling and boxing were a lot harder.
I thought this debate had been put to bed with the Mayweather/McGregor fight. By MMA standards McGregor is considered a big puncher with some people were saying he had a punchers chance and was going to be one of the most dangerous punchers Mayweather had ever faced lol. Yet what we saw in the 'fight' is that by boxing standards McGregor is completely feather fisted and far from having power comparable to guys like Mosley, Canelo, Judah, De La Hoya etc, Pauli Malignaggi probably hits harder and that is not even joking.
That makes a bit of sense and Ngannou`s hook would have been crap with boxing gloves on but he`s huge and punches a lot harder than Conor or Floyd.
This is plausible because Mosley, Canelo, Judah, De la Hoya and Malignaggi were all able to knock Mayweather out. Oh wait, that didn't happen. I guess this means Mayweather proved none of these fighters have punching power. You left out those other feather dusters...Corrales, Hatton, Gatti, Castillo and Maidana. I think maybe McGregor had trouble hitting Mayweather, in McGregor's one and only boxing match. I think McGregor's size, strength and power advantage are why the fight was even competitive. Otherwise, Floyd should be embarrassed this fight made it to the 10th round. I honestly thought the fight was only going to last 2 or 3 rounds going in. I didn't take into account McGregor's size advantage.
McGregor punches like a girl and it was there for us all to see. By boxing standards he couldn't crack an egg. This is undeniable. Mayweather was effortlessly swatting his punches away like someone was gently tossing tennis balls at him. As for McGregor's size, strength and power advantage making the fight competitive, just lol at that. Little Floyd easily out muscled McGregor in the clinch (I think that broke McGregor's heart more than anything else) and the 'fight' wasn't in the least bit competitive. Mayweather spent most of the fight walking forward in straight lines, with his hand down, not moving his head, not really bothering to throw any punches and literally laughing at McGregor. He had ZERO respect for anything McGregor had to offer. Then once he stepped it up and put his foot down, the fight was over. Anyone who thinks Mayweather didn't carry McGegor is massively clueless and/or in denial.
That's why Mayweather threw the first 3 rounds away. To tire out his weaker opponent. Why did he need to tire out the weaker guy? Oh, he was carrying him for the fans? For 10 rounds? I forgot, Mayweather is feather fisted. He couldn't spark McGregor the way the mighty Dustin Poirier did.
In the first 3 rounds Mayweather threw a grand total of 6, 10 and 12 punches. None of which were thrown with any real bad intentions behind them. Does that really sound like the tactics of someone who respects a dangerous opponent that he is trying to tire out? Or could it be that Mayweather was treating it like an exhibition bout, against an opponent he had zero respect for, as he knew he posed zero threat to him and therefore didn't give a sh*t about tactics or the scorecards because he knew he could finish it whenever he felt like? Which coincidentally also happened to be the same round that Mayweather had bet on himself getting the stoppage. Come on man, get real.
