How Does a Fighter Lose His Chin?

[Vintage]

an interesting question on this boxing blog.Any ideas?
not just for this particular fight, but in general, what makes a fighter lose his punch resistance?

The Random Boxing Blog

I watched Pacquaio vs. Hatton again. What a dramatic fight that was.

The funny thing is: people in the post-fight analysis kept referring to how Hatton can no longer absorb a punch. Whilst it's true that in the Tsyzu fight, Hatton did walk through some bombs, the idea that a fighter's jaw can suddenly desert him is a strange one. Normally a fighter's chin is something referred to us a natural born gift; something you can't train or "put muscles on".

So how is it that it can suddenly become more china-like? Or put another way: could Ricky Hatton in 2005 really take a better shot than Ricky Hatton in 2009?

[generalbulldog]

an interesting question on this boxing blog.Any ideas?
not just for this particular fight, but in general, what makes a fighter lose his punch resistance?

The Random Boxing Blog

I watched Pacquaio vs. Hatton again. What a dramatic fight that was.

The funny thing is: people in the post-fight analysis kept referring to how Hatton can no longer absorb a punch. Whilst it's true that in the Tsyzu fight, Hatton did walk through some bombs, the idea that a fighter's jaw can suddenly desert him is a strange one. Normally a fighter's chin is something referred to us a natural born gift; something you can't train or "put muscles on".

So how is it that it can suddenly become more china-like? Or put another way: could Ricky Hatton in 2005 really take a better shot than Ricky Hatton in 2009?

There was nothing dramatic about that fight. It was like watching Berbick-Tyson, but at 140 pounds.

[robinswe01]

an interesting question on this boxing blog.Any ideas?
not just for this particular fight, but in general, what makes a fighter lose his punch resistance?

The Random Boxing Blog

I watched Pacquaio vs. Hatton again. What a dramatic fight that was.

The funny thing is: people in the post-fight analysis kept referring to how Hatton can no longer absorb a punch. Whilst it's true that in the Tsyzu fight, Hatton did walk through some bombs, the idea that a fighter's jaw can suddenly desert him is a strange one. Normally a fighter's chin is something referred to us a natural born gift; something you can't train or "put muscles on".

So how is it that it can suddenly become more china-like? Or put another way: could Ricky Hatton in 2005 really take a better shot than Ricky Hatton in 2009?

There was nothing dramatic about that fight. It was like watching Berbick-Tyson, but at 140 pounds.

It was a dramatic fight.

[Drago]

this is a good question, one that i cant answer tho, sorry!

[mattboxingfan]

Personnaly i think the more you get hit the weaker your chin becomes imagine the amount of times Hatton got hit throughout his career it has to take some toll on his chin his brawler style just made it become more vonrable. Thats what i think.

[mattboxingfan]

But the punch that hit Hatton could have KO'd anyone at 140 and probably 147!

[Gandalf]

I don't think getting hit repeatedly in the face is particularly healthy. The accumulation of that year in year out and Hattons notorious liberties with conditioning and his and love of pies and ale has eventually lead to a state where the ability to take shots has been diminished somewhat.

Gatti is another one that could take a fair shot and on a repeated basis, but towards the end he was getting bowled over by the likes of Baldomir and Gomez who were not big punchers at all.

The body gets old and the there gets a point where the chin fails more than it used to.

[Vintage]

There must be something in it, as we hear it said about boxers quite often.

Also, ray mercer comes to mind. He once had a granite chin. But with him, his knockout losses might had more to do with being too old and lacking any ambition

[Jody Lane]

Personnaly i think the more you get hit the weaker your chin becomes imagine the amount of times Hatton got hit throughout his career it has to take some toll on his chin his brawler style just made it become more vonrable. Thats what i think.

I think it is 50 percent psychological and 50 mental as one boxing joker might say (Tex Cobb comes to mind both as a quote maker and an example of a fighter who suddenly caves in to a nobody after taking bombs from Shavers, Holmes and Norton).

Psychologically the fighter probably just has no heart in taking so much punishment any more. Mentally, as in the brain's ability to absorb the punishment of bouncing around inside the skull, just isn't there any more either. Like any other part of the body, the more damage there is to it, the less chance of resistance to further pain there is.