Punching power and weight

Plenty of people say Ali or Holmes couldn't hurt a modern shw, although you're right, there is a bit of a disconnect imo with fighter pre ali, which I think is probably largely but not exclusively a form of recency bias.

Also, Shavers ko percentage went down alot the heavier his opponents were. So did Foreman's.

 

Grip, speed, timing of the shot/placement, and weight transfer. If you have more mass your grip is usually tighter adding to the power and you have more weight which can add to the weight transfer. Weight transfer deals with technique. Shots you don't see coming are much effective than the punches you see because your body just doesn't know it is about to get hit. The speed and mass is just basic physics.

Anyone that says older heavyweights couldn't hurt modern heavyweights are silly. The thing is, the human body is basically a glass cannon. Sure, your weight helps absorb/deal with the force of a blow but if you get caught flush by any grown man weighing over 175 and they put everything into that shot you are simply going to be out regardless of how much you weigh.

People also say there are also basically two types of power as far as boxing. Thudding and snapping. The snapping is more of those quick shots that instantly drop a guy. Usually that has to do with counters you just didn't see coming. Prime Pacquiao is a good modern example of that. A lot of times they are less dangerous as the fight goes on because you adjust to that speed (and sometimes they slow down themselves) making them a little less effective. These punches also seem to put you out a little bit differently. You're just unconscious.

The thudding is more like Golovkin for a modern example. This power is more like... I don't know, a bat? This one is sheer force (Foreman is probably the epitome of this) and this type of power never goes away and it doesn't matter if you see these punches coming or not. Usually for these your body just breaks down from getting hit repeatedly and you can't continue.

You can have a mixture of the two, but generally you lean in one directions.

 

Weight is certainly a factor it compliments leverages. Bench press is NOT a direct indicator of punching power but it is most effected by weight gain more than any other lift. Some elite benchers literally put on 100lbs+ much of it being fat and their benches sky rocket, of course then end up competing in the heaviest weight class.

 

Bench press does nothing for your punching power. If you want to lift weights to gain power do kettlebell exercises. It improves your grip. Bench presses are useless for that.

 

I did say it is not an indicator of punching power only that it is effected directly by weight gain as is punching power. The additional body weight seems to compliment/enhance ones natural leverages.

 

Punching power is dictated mainly by technique. Things that help are hand strength, shoulder strength, and upper back/core strength. When people say legs they mean technique. Having big legs won't make you a big puncher.

 

Weight on your punches, speed, precission and a gift from god.

You need all those 4 things (the 4 of them, no exceptions) to have top notch ko power.

 

if you weigh a few stone less than your sparring partner, you could be Ko'd at anytime. so take your time and leanr.

 

I've looked into this subject a lot. It seems to me that most of the post in this thread do have some truth to them. That's what makes punching power such an incredibly interesting subject. There is not any one thing that you can measure to determine it. There are many, many factors that lead to whether or not your opponent is rendered unconscious.

 

It's mainly technique. The shoulder snap is the main "lever". Meaning it can increase your power more than any other attribute.

Size is a given advantage, you don't need to learn it, or to be talented to have it.
So it's a more accessible way for the masses to increase power. But not as effective as the technique-driven shoulder snap.

Guys like Marciano, Dempsey, and Louis were unicorns, and were probably the best punchers of all time.
Dempsey sparred an amateur 7ft fighter in the gym, KO'd and dislocated his jaw with the first punch.

 

One thing that has not been mentioned that I feel plays somewhat of a roll in this is wrist circumference. That and hand size. If you have 8 inch wrists and hands the size of a natural cruiserweight, you are going to be quite a thudder if you fight at 160, for example.

 

You can't do any exercises to gain power

You've either got it or you don't

see small skinny guys who can crack and big dudes you can't even throw a punch...

1. Mass
2. Genetics - Muscle fibers, limb lengths & ratios, body size (linked to mass)
3. Technique

It becomes special when you have a fighter with speed and power. Imagine if Fury had power? he'd be unstoppable...but you cannot have gifts in all areas. He loses power for gifts in almost all other areas. It's actually a decent trade off.

 

mcguigan has big has hands for his size, but james toney small. both decent punchers.

 

A simple way to think of punching power is how much the puncher's hand decelerates when it hits the target. The less the hand slows down, the more power. If you hit someone in the head with a hammer, it is barely going to slow down at all. If you hit then with a pillow, it's going to slow down almost completely at the point of contact. The same principle applies with hitting a baseball.