The science of punch resistance

This thread is 14 years old bro delete this ****

 

Knockouts and knockdowns don't cause brain damage. It's individual punches that cause brain damage. You can never get knocked down in your whole career but it's the punches you take will mess you up. Even little tap punches to the head add up

 

I just took this opportunity to answer a question to our fellow forum member i'm still in favour of this thread being deleted given it's 14 years old!

 

I don't have any real data to back me up, just an observation. It seems the guys that have real good reflexes don't have good chins(Roy Jones, Zab Judah etc) but guys like Canelo and Golovkin have great chins. I'm sure the more knowledgeable on this site will post 10 quick reflex guys with iron chins and 10 brawler, stocker type with glass.

 

I would Consider Canelo to have quick reflexes.

 

I'd like to add my oft repeated observation on "the chinniness of youth," now with more evidence:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pd...iuHVez9mxwtIzsfZyzx-6I16H5Lc7tdO3HITQMMna5Skx

https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/wk/jsm/2016/00000026/00000005/art00011

Both show increased concussions in lower age groups. Makes sense when we think about Ali stunned by Doug Jones, Fury put down by Cunningham, and all the other examples of guys who later show iron chins having trouble early on.

 

Punch resistance seems to be related to the following:

Physical factors - having a large head and thick neck (thick torso in general) tends to be better suited to absorbing damage than being a bean pole, although the springiness associated with the latter body type can be its own advantage in taking shots. So Canelo, Tua, Tyson, Miller all seem to absorb shots well. Some guys who are light on their feet also absorb shots well, especially when they seem naturally loose.

Mental factors - how well you mentally react to getting hurt. Obviously if you panic when you get hit that's going to contribute to how well your body overall accepts and then recovers from the blow. Wlad's a good example of this: decent chin but horrible reactions that sapped his strength and made him come apart.

Stylistic factors - how often you put yourself in harm's way, how recklessly you fight etc can all contribute. Obviously if you're a cagey dude who keeps his chin tucked away at all times you're going to be able to ride shots better versus some wild brawler swinging away with his chin in the air.

Concentration levels - related somewhat to the above, fighters who are able to maintain their concentration get hurt less because they're more prepared for taking shots. Even the most iron-chinned opponents can be hurt and dropped if they're hit by something they're not expecting. I don't think Andre Ward had a particularly good chin but he rarely got hurt even when hit clean because of how razor-sharp his focus was.

 

Anybody ever notice that Hagler had an oddly shaped dome? Like his forehead seemed strangely shaped and his general skull didn't look normal.

 

It´s been said that he had a thicker skull than the average person. At least that´s how the story goes.
However a thick skull is unlikely to correlate with how one takes punches, according to experts.

But I would like to add my two cents: If a persons skull is thicker and stronger than the average, then what else about them might be above average?
Hagler was undoubtedly built different.

 

There are people that can take punches without getting knocked out easily but nearly everybody that takes punches to the head for years will have brain damage. The people that have made it into their 60's and older without showing and cognitive decline are just the genetically superior ones. There are a lot of people that had a great chin but damage showed up quickly after they turned 40 years old. A lot of boxers in history already showed brain damage in their 20's, being aggressive and violent in regular life is usually a sign of frontal lobe damage.