Quote Originally Posted by IamInuit View Post
I think the notion of "chinny" fighters is the most over played aspect of the sport with the least amount of actual evidence supporting it. Nowadays a fighter gets dropped a few times and he's chinny. Considering the sports design, its not only one of the dumbest conclusions in boxing but also one of the funniest.
It may be a bit over played, and most fans probably do have unrealistic expectation as to how much force a man should be able to withstand without losing consciousness.

That being said, punch resistance is a very real and significant factor in boxing and other combat sports. Not only the physical amount of force that a fighter can take, but how they react to getting rocked. Some guys can keep their composure and do the right things to survive (Mayweather/Mosley) and some guys get the "deer in headlights" look and don't know what to do (Tommy Hearns).

I agree though people tend to jump to conclusions, getting dropped a handful of times could be other problems (being off balance, overaggressive, slow/jittery starter). Tito was a good example of that IMO. But being chinny is a curse. You can always improve skills, you can always get in better shape, but if you can't take a punch, you can't take a punch. I've never seen a guy develop a chin, or suddenly become smarter when hurt. That's with you for life.