Are punchers born or made?

We’ve heard it for years that power is a gift. The old “heavy hands” argument. I’m 50-50 on it. On one hand, sure you look at skinny guys like Hearns and Trinidad and they were KOing guys left and right. But were they really born with it? Or is it something later developed through repetition and skill?

What say y’all?

 

Born. Much like rhytm some people have it some don't. You can learn to an extent but it will never be like the real thing

 

Bits of Both, But You Have to Be BORN w/It, Primarily...

Hitman Hearns, for Instance...

If You Watch His Ammy Bout vs. Aaron Pryor, it was Apparent Tommy was Still WORKING On the Technique of What Would Soooon Become a Right Hand from HADES...But as Quickly as REED Can Reference Hearns, He Can Also Point Out Deontay Wilder as the Anti-Thesis of Hearns "Developing" Power...

SHIT Technique TODAY, Tomorrow, in the Past & Forever, Yet Wilder's an All-Time Great PUNCHER, Regardless...

Not Sure of an EXACT % to Apply, But it's a SIZABLE Edge for Being BORN w/Power, in REED's Opinion...Like 75-25 or GREATER...





REED

 

On That Note, All the Fucking TECHNIQUE/TRAINING in the World Will NOT "Make" Devin Haney a Certified "Puncher"...EVER...

In Fact, Dev's Technique is Rather SOLID As Is, Motherfucker Just CAN'T Punch...A Lick...


REED

 

Both.

It’s like you could make most NBA players practice their outside shooting much more. They’ll improve but they still won’t shoot like a Curry, Klay, Reggie, etc….

You could make a boxer focus a lot more on their power and give them great teaching, but they’re not going to start being power punchers unless like they had that talent to begin with. Hearns and Tito weren’t known as punchers as amateurs. They worked on it and became monster punchers as professionals, but they had to have that gift in the first place.

 

youre either born a fighter/puncher like james toney or youre made a puncher like trinidad, margarito, resto, inoue. etc

 

Bit of both. Technique goes a long way into improving your power, but its easier for some. Ive said it before, but my trainer once upon a time was a former ukrainian champ. Guy technique with his left hook was so smooth, he was able to generate incredible power. He was almoat purely made as a puncher. And you have guys like stevenson, wilder or shavers who probably always hit as hard as they did/do

 

PR mentioned Trinidad/Hearns power. That type of power you're born with. Period. No amount of technique can develop Trinidad/Hearns type power if its not naturally there. Same with a Jackson, Tyson, or Foster.

Punchers are born.

 

I agree that it’s a bit of both, but yeah the natural gift has to be there to start with..

I can’t imagine that Paulie Malignaggi even punching with the same technique and fundamentals that guys like Hearns and Trinidad did, would all of a sudden become a KO artist.

What I think can be drilled over and over again to improve are other components such as timing, accuracy, and proper technique, which makes the power even DEADLIER. I think the finest punchers did that and became renowned for their KOs.

I suppose it’s similar to having a hood chin. Some guys just take a better shot than others. But the basics of keeping the chin tucked, biting down on the mouth piece, rolling with punches all help. But a guy like Amir Khan who simply wasn’t born with punch resistance, would probably not benefit from any of those things.

 

Disagreed on tito. His power was mostly built on technique. His left hook was perfectly delivered

 

Nah, still needs to be natural power there.

It's no different than baseball. You can the sweetest swing in the world, but either the homerun power is there or it ain't.

Cotto had superb technique as well, but couldn't generate the same type of pop as Tito.

 

Of course you need the "genetic" to punch hard, even if you have great technique. But the purely born puncher have sloppy punching technique, yet generate tremendous amount of power (shavers for example). I dont think Tito is in that "born puncher" category

 

A great puncher is born and then taught IMO.

Anyone can hit harder if they increased their power through S&C, but it comes at the cost of time. Time which someone who was born with power would be spending learning how to use it.

 

This.

 

I hate this puncher are born not made crap, cause it underestimate the amount of work it takes to become a great puncher. Just look at mma guys that come into boxing, they all seems to be pillowfisted with 8 oz gloves.

 

True. But also, the reason MMA fighters power doesn’t translate imo to boxing is because with the bigger gloves combined with the fact that MMA fighters don’t EMPHASIS punching technique the way a boxer does also plays a role.

But even if guys Paulie Malignaggi and Paul Spadafora were taught the same techniques that Hearns and Trinidad used, it’s doubtful they would have all of a sudden become KO artists no matter how hard they worked at it in training.

 

Yeah that was exactly my point. Even guys that seems to punch hard and train boxing regularly cant punch nearly as hard as boxers. Its pretty much a proof that you need a lot if work to be a power puncher. I like the baseball pitcher metaphor. You need a lot of training to be able to throw a 100 mph fastball, but even with all the training in the world, most people wont come close to that speed. Same thing for a power puncher

 

Both

 

What's a puncher in the first instance....?? Oleg Maskaev could KO any man ever born if you let him set his feet and move his molasses ass into position.

Naseem Hamed could do it in mid-air....

 

You know, it's funny you mention this, and I totally get what you're saying. There's definitely a distinction between being naturally heavy-handed and being a knockout artist. It's like comparing apples to oranges, or in our case, Canelo to Tyson.

Canelo, man, he's got those heavy hands that can wear you down over the rounds, and his precision is like a surgeon in that ring. But he's not that one-punch knockout guy, you're right. On the other hand, Mike Tyson, well, he's a different breed altogether. That dude was like a human wrecking ball, just one punch and lights out.

So yeah, punchers are born, and it's not just about technique or training. Some folks are just blessed with that "it" factor, that natural power that makes them stand out in the ring. Btw your Haney example is funny and dead on. I always crack up when he tries to bang and just ends up bitch slapping his opponents .

 

For those saying punches are born, how do you explain Terry Norris's record.

He did not become a KO artist until the Mugabi fight and after.

 

I don't consider Terry Norris the type of puncher we're discussing here.

I'm personally referring to a Louis, Hearns, Robinson, Tyson, Jackson, Hamed, Foster, Lil Red Lopez, Rosario, ect., type of puncher.

Those can't be built in the gym. You can develop their ideal technique to deliver their power...

But the power has to naturally be there in the first place.

 

Okay. Terry Norris did become a KO machine in the second half of his career. Maybe it was roids. Maybe it was all of the sudden, better training.

 

If a Joe Louis could easily be replicated, then any trainer worth a damn could simply teach a developing fighter his technique and build a 100 Joe Louis's. But you can't, because precious few guys have that level of punching talent.

I'm not saying there's no percentage of construction comprising an all time great puncher, there obviously is, but this not be a debate, guys.

Exceptional punching power is a talent. Period. No different from handspeed and athleticism. You can't give it to a fighter if you don't have it.

 

I think you're overrating Norris' power. Paul Vaden went 12 with him. Keith Holmes dusted Vaden.

Norris isn't remotely close to the level of puncher of the guys I listed.

Going by the logic of some of you guys, there should be 75 Julian Jackson's in boxing right now. Since "better training" is all it takes, apparently.

 

The hallmark of any exceptional athlete is great talent, and in this context power is a talent. This should not be some controversial take here.

It's not that they work harder or train better than the other 10,000 Joe Blows who are working every bit as hard as them. It's because they're working that hard at it while having hit the genetic lottery.

 

Well it used to bother rj when people called him the most gifted boxer ever. His reply was "they didnt see my working my ass off to get these gifts" .

But yeah, it goes without saying that genetics have a lot to do

 

I don't think Roy understood at that the time that not everyone can fight like him.

I think he sees it now more with age.

 

Hamed was a special talent in terms of his speed and power but he wasn’t a super dedicated guy, imo.

 

No but he could legit punch and with just the strength of his upper body