Most Fragile Hands

..............One of my favorite fighters from the mid-80's was the IBF lightweight champ Harry Arroyo. Like Mancini and Pavlik, he hailed from Youngstown, Ohio. He was a long, lanky counterpuncher who was always in exciting fights. He reeled off a series of impressive wins over Robin Blake, Charlie "Choo Choo" Brown, Charlie "White Lightning Brown," and Terrence Alli before coming a copper against Jimmy Paul. It seemed he sprained his hand in every single one of those fights. It was chronic, he just couldn't keep it fom happening.

 

1950s Heavyweight Contender Bob Baker, It really made him age fast. What a Pity cause Baker was a serious threat to the championship throne

 

Fenech.
Mayweather.
RJJ.
Gatti.

 

Jeff Fenech for sure.

 

Charley Burley. Tommy Loughran.

 

Arturo Gatti's right hand

 

Also Jake Lamotta. LaMotta hands were so bad he often went to the body instead of the head.

 

It might actually be more challenging to ask who had the sturdiest hands. The human hand is not made for hitting, so anybody whose hands might be seemingly impervious to injury would be most unusual. Frazier busted his left thumb in the Olympics, while Tyson fractured his right on Mitch Green's face in that infamous streetfight. Many sluggers hit so hard that their hands couldn't withstand the repeated stress. Jimmy McLarnin is a good example of this.

Gene Tunney is a great example of somebody who started out with fragile hands, and reversed that condition by working for a year as a lumberjack. His contemporary rival and counterpart Tommy Loughran conversely started out as a puncher and did all right until hand problems and a schooling from Greb changed his focus to a concentration on skill. They're an interesting study in both contrast and similarity.

Coetzee outboxed one of his South African opponents with both hands broken, despite the excruciating pain. The problems with his right are well documented, but that his left also troubled him is less known.

 

Calazage and Mayweather

Punch technique, thorough hand wrapping (ie Tito Trinidad), joint supplements, ample recovery and knuckle press ups are all good for protecting the hands

 

Hamed had fragile hands.

 

Dutch Sam

 

I remember George Foreman saying something was wrong with his hand. Something with the nerves and that he couldnt close it all the way still to this very day.


Trying to guess which fighter has the healthiest hands is pretty hard. They dont really talk about having good hands really.

I imagine someone like Winky or Spinks have good hands. Winky doesnt punch hard to begin with and he likes those big poofy gloves to help block.

 

Micky Ward had bad hands, hurt them often.