Did any other fighters use a 300lbs punching bag?

Larry Holmes once beat up on a 400 pound punching bag. It was called Butterbean.

 

According to my football coach, who was in Rocky's camp for the Coc*ell fight Rocky mostly used the 300 lb bag for resistance training and his punch volume, since doing 10 rounds on a 300 lb punching is great for building up strength in the arms, wrists, neck, and back. Rocky would gradually work his way down from the 300 lb bag to his 250 lb bag to his 200 lb bag and as he got closer to the fight he'd gradually get to doing most of his work on an 85 lb bag. This kept him from getting arm weary in fights.

Also, each bag had a specific use such as the 200 lb bag matching the weight of most of his opponents and he perfected going to the solar plexus on all of his bags, but especially the 150 lbs, 200 lb, 250 lb, and 300 lb bags so once he hit is opponent with it regardless of their weight it was very effective.

Here are a few pictures on Marciano working on different bags
https://imgur.com/QwofPpA

https://imgur.com/FLpJvZL

https://imgur.com/y4tQXZi

Here is Coc*ell taking the punishment
https://imgur.com/R0AQh9h

Jimmy Carter and my Grandfather's barber Mr. Thesmond, who had boxed years before either my Grandfather and Jimmy himself were talking to some amateurs back in the early 90's about the importance of constantly reinvesting your own money back into boxing and not waiting on somebody else to do it and said this is why Marciano did so well and thrived as a champion. Once Marciano made good money he invested most of his money back into his business, which was boxing such as investing in the best gloves, boots, bags and other equipment that he could afford. Every bag Marciano used from his 10lb bags to his 300 lb bags, all his double end bags, and even his medicine balls were all custom made with even customized dimensions to suit his uses and he used the heck out of them.

Even my own trainer years later would make all of the people he was training including myself buy the most expensive gloves, boots, and headgear they could afford, since it serves as a great way to motivate a person to use the equipment more if they spent their own hard earned money on it. He said he learned this from Sandy Saddler, who was his trainer in the mid to late 60's and emphasized that if you aren't willing to invest your own money in your business you can't can't expect to get much out of it, which is true.

 

Great post.

 

I never liked anyone holding the bag for me. I liked the heavier bags for the simple reason its wasnt flying around after I hit it. It was stable enough that I could get off a combo and still move around it and create angles something I couldnt do with a lighter bag or if someone was holding one. Just how I liked it doesnt mean it's for everyone.

 

So it sounds like you liked the heavier bag because it let you develop other parts of your game, not because it increased your punching power, right? I agree and I bet that many of the fighters who use heavier bags would say something similar.

 

It's definitely not obvious to me. But like I wrote earlier, I'd think that resistance added during the power-generating phase of the punch (like by wearing heavy resistance bands) would tend to increase power.

 

Power is unleashed at impact but it's not really generated there. And boxers turn and snap their punches just prior to impact, not at impact. So I think resistance bands are much better at adding resistance where it would matter most.

Which do you think would generate more power in baseball: swinging a heavier bat or hitting a heavier ball?

 

I think the primary help would be stamina and back, leg and neck strength rather than some major punching power improvement, as noted in a previous post on Marciano's use of it. I could see how it would be helpful in that regard. In all seriousness, the more tools the better as long as you keep your form correct and don't develop bad habits, which can be done in over-reliance on one tool, one exercise, yada yada...

 

You guys gotta remember that Marciano came from the pre-internet era.
Information was very very shallow compared to today.
For a guy like Marciano, writers, critics, historians had to simplify the narratives of these individuals.

Him using a 300lb bag was just one of the few factors about his boxing persona that made for a compelling story.
Of course others have used 300lb bags. Of course others are capable of doing that.

Don't mistake the simplified story for a connotation that Marciano was the only boxer who could use a 300lb bag because of his ungodly power.

 

It did help me do that but I think it did help in the power dept. because in the beginning I could barely move the damn thing but Val Colbert insisted on the big bag when it was available and I can honestly say befor long I had the bag moving. Nothing near what I saw Smoke do but it was a milestone for me. Good times good memories.

 

I think that sort activity fits perfectly for Marciano's rough, brawling, in-close style. Like I said above, I don't think it was so much about one-punch power but stamina and strength.

Of the elite heavies I have seen train with any proximity, including power punchers like Tua and Rahman and Tyson, I have never seen a bag that big used. Doesn't mean it wouldn't have a purpose.

 

Well I guess Foreman did. Used a 400lb bag.
200lb bag + 200lb of a trainer leaning against it.

After he hit that bag so hard, the bottom 200lb of that bag got seperated from the impact, they´d thought about getting a 300lb version including André Roussimoff holding that bag.

Today thats no problem, you can buy a 500lb heavybag: https://www.proboxingequipment.com/PRO-500-LBS-HEAVY-BAG-LIFETIME-WARRANTY-INCLUDED_p_1212.html

 

Its the same thing in karate. We're taught to relax and then tense up right at the moment of impact then explode. Turn the hips and turn the fist over last second.

 

It would be interesting to see how the people who buy one hang the 500 pound bag, what kind of S-Hooks, I-Bolts, Swivels, Springs, and chain they use and how they lift it. A bag that big around is a tough shape to lift and it would be hard to handle. Maybe lay it down long way, get something under it to lift it, sit it on a strong table, then stand it, put the chain on, and push it off the table while moving the table? The I bolt and chain would have to be attached to something strong overhead too...it would require some planning to hang it and with that much weight swinging around, it would require some maintenance to keep people safe.

 

Come on this is a thread about who beside the great Rocco could use such a bag. Of course he´d hang it. Maintenance too keep people save? I´d fear for the 500lb bags life Rocky punching it!