Why do boxers neglect chest?

I think there may be some confusion between having large pectoral muscles and having developed chest strength.

There are certain types of workouts with weights that are designed more for enlarging muscles — puffing them out so to speak, like a bodybuilder — than in maximizing strength. Those are surely better for enhancing the physique than push-ups, for instance, but may not help as much as push-ups for boxing.

I was able to study the boxing workout textbooks for the USA and Russian/Cuban Olympic teams in the 1990s and they both stressed pushing exercises for boxing rather than pulling (a push-up is obviously pushing, as would be bench press, incline press, military press, squats; curls would be a good example of pulling). These were designed to increase explosive strength and emphasized more reps with lower weights as opposed to doing fewer reps with higher weights.

I don’t think Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Alexis Arguello nor Roberto Duran (in shape) would be accused of having weak chests, but they didn’t have the kind of physiques that Mike Weaver, Ken Norton and some others had. Some of that is natural — genetics enhanced by workout — but one who wants large pecs (or biceps or whatever) can do workouts geared toward that result.

For decades, weightlifting was not considered compatible with boxing. And that was true as far as it went, because weightlifting workouts were still in relative infancy and specific workouts to increase/maintain speed and flexibility weren’t part of how people worked out with weights at that time. But guys would do more pushups and sit-ups than most athletes in other sports, and it served them well.

Pretty sure Ray Robinson never did weights. He didn’t have big muscles. He turned out OK, as films of his fights attest.