The mystery of what makes a powerful punch, how much do you know?

What I'm suggesting is when a 300 pound man with pretty fast hands does an overhand and it connects... You're probably going down.

And I realize his overhand is the only punch that can match ATG punchers their powers. (as an overhand uses all your bodyweight)

 

What a ****wit. :rofl

 

:deal
The willingness to throw with that kind of power involves an element of risk.

Outside of that, it's simply a matter of kinetic energy. Look at fighters like Roy Jones, Tyson, and Pacquiao. Massive leg and back muscles... that's not by accident.

 

"Look at the back muscles on Tommy Hearns. He looks like a light heavyweight." - Gil Clancy.

 

It's all technique. Speed and weight are the only factors, but the "weight" isn't just as simple as the weight of the fighter. With proper form, one can put more of his total weight into the punch. So two guys who both weigh 200lbs and punch at the same speed are not necessarily going to generate the same power, because one of them may be throwing more of their body weight behind their shots.

 

How would you know who hit harder? Did you get punched by them?

 

Because Shavers and Foreman could only knockout much smaller men, making there punching power appear more fearsome.

 

I am a firm believer in punchers are born not made, its the potential/aptitude to be a power puncher their born with, not the technique, timing, torque or delivery. If you had two guys who were identical in size/build whatever and gave them the exact same training and they were on the same technical level one could be a monster punch and the other could be average. That doesn't mean you cant improve your punching power but ultimately I believe its inherited. People love using tommy hearns on both sides of this debate. Tommy's amateur record was almost all decisions rather than KO and then he worked with Emmanuel Stewart and learned how to be a monster puncher. I believe Emmanuel taught him techniques/torque/sitting down on punches, but he did not teach him that kind of power. If he did, every 160 pound man that trained with Steward would be able to generate the same power. You cannot teach the kind of power that Tommy Hearns possessed...Emmanuel may have unleashed it but he didnt install it in Tommy.

 

Leverage plays a huge role. I'm a tall, skinny guy, so my instructor had me watch a lot of Thomas Hearns tape. The way we was able to push off the ball of his right foot, transfer the energy through his hips and core to his shoulder, then land the shot flush and on a downward trajectory had more to do with his power than anything.

 

I don't think that is all there is to it; ability to drive through the target without loss of momentum upon impact (which is slightly different to what you wrote above) has to be taken into account as well, as well as a host of smaller factors.

But yes, ultimately, a big fast guy who knows how to put his weight into shots is most likely going to be a very hard puncher. I don't think you could argue with that.

 

The truly top level punchers are always going to have that little extra something that puts them above the rest of the pack, but personally speaking I'm just tired of this hoary old maxim always being brought out to explain away something which is really so much deeper and more complex. It's like the saying "You can't put muscles on a chin." No, but you can strengthen the muscles around the chin/cranium, which will aid you in taking a shot to the head, if not directly on the chin itself. So whilst both statements have some validity to them, they put one into a closed and narrow mindset that doesn't really lend itself to fruitful or interesting discussion.

You're never going to turn a Malignaggi into a Tszyu, but you're also never going to be a able to punch your hardest without some serious training. Had Hearns not been taught how to throw with power then we'd never know how hard he really could have punched. That strikes me as a pretty clear case of a puncher being made to me, even if he did have some innate talent for being so.

Perhaps "Punchers are born and made" would be more accurate? Why must it always be one or the other?

 

Speaking of Malignaggi, notice he's getting more power into his shots now that he's heavier and setting his feet more?

 

You can tell by just looking at Bradley that he is not very strong. He has muscles, but he looks like an underwear model, not someone who trains for strength. I bet his 1 RM lifts in the gym are laughable.

Punching power also has something to do with CNS adaption and how strong you actually are, in addition to speed and technique. Two people can have the exact same weight and body composition, but one can outlift the other by a landslide. Big George for instance may have been slow, but he was strong as an ox, as such he was able to put tremendous power behind his shots.