The movie Rock IV has boxer Rocky’s antagonist, Ivan Drago, punch at approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch (psi).
While this might seem like an unbelievable number (in comparison, a hyena’s jaw—strong enough to crush bone—is only measured at 1,100 psi) some modern MMA fighters boast numbers along the lines of Drago’s punch.
So how much exactly is an average boxer’s punch in psi? While this varies between weight classes of boxers, the average heavyweight boxer can deliver a punch between 1,200 and 1,700 psi. At the high end, this is on the same level of pressure as an industrial pressure washer.
How do boxers wield this amazing amount of force at each other without causing catastrophic injuries? Read on to find out more about the force behind an average boxer’s punch and how it compares with other kinds of punches.
Most people don’t have access to PSI measuring tools. So if you are wondering if you are a hard puncher, check out this article after you finish with this one: 17 Signs You Are a Hard Puncher!
The One Punch Wonder
Boxing has been known for centuries as a sport that involves some pretty heavy hitters. It is the only human sport where one competitor aims to knock the other competitor unconscious with a single blow.
These knockout punches are wielded at extremely high levels of impact force, requiring safety gear to protect boxers from lifelong injury. Even so, this protection is only partially effective, and many boxers suffer from the cumulative effects of these high force punches. These effects can range from a boxer’s easily recognizable cauliflower ears to more insidious medical issues like cumulative concussions.
In either case, the blunt force trauma that causes these issues is the direct result of the immense force that a boxer is capable of putting behind his or her first.
How Hard Do Normal People Punch?
Since the average person’s punching force is only a tenth of the average boxer’s punching force, this means the average person only punches at a force of between 120-170 psi. The average person doesn’t have the training to put significant amounts of force behind their punches in comparison to a boxer or other martial artist, who are aiming for power and precision with every blow.
How Hard Do Other Martial Artists Punch?
Other martial arts, such as karate, register much less powerful punches than boxers do. This is because boxing is designed as an offensive fighting sport, while karate is designed to be safe for children to practice around each other without fear of injury since it is taught in many schools.
Boxing matches are often conducted against sparring partners where boxers are expected to directly hit one another in sparring. Compare this to any Eastern martial art, where more emphasis is put on rote memorization of forms and shadow-boxing/punching the air.
Another difference between boxing and other forms of martial arts with regards to the force used during strikes is that boxing focuses all blows on the face and torso, while karate takes advantage of weak areas such as limbs, joints, and balance. Martial artists do not need to utilize as much direct force while punching as boxers do since their strengths lie in exploiting these weaknesses.
Speed and Footwork Are as Important as Force in Boxing Punches
While the force behind a boxing punch is notoriously brutal, how hard a boxer can punch doesn’t necessarily foretell whether he’ll be successful in the ring or not. In boxing, there are several other tactics necessary in order to gain an edge over the opponent. Here are some other important concepts in boxing besides hard knockout punches:
- Speed: Being able to see and react to an opponent’s weak points with split-second precision doesn’t require massive amounts of force, but it’s a vital skill in order for the boxer to exploit the weaknesses of his opponent. Boxers who don’t focus on speed will both find themselves missing more punches and also being on the receiving end of more punches too.
- Footwork: The power of the boxer’s punches comes from their feet. Boxers aren’t worried about their legs getting kicked like in other combat sports like kickboxing or MMA. That’s why they can have a solid stance which allows them to generate huge power.
- Repetition: While athletes from other combat sports train other weapons such as their kicks or their ground game, the only focus of the boxers is their hands. They do shadowboxing and they hit the bag almost every day which makes their punching technique the best of all combat sports. And the crisper your technique is the more power you can generate.
What Kind of Damage Can Boxing Punches Cause?
An earlier section of this article discussed cauliflower ears and cumulative concussions, two serious medical issues that are associated with the boxing ring. But there are also several other serious problems that can arise from the result of taking such high impact blows to the face. Here are some of the injuries that can result from a powerful boxing punch:
- Bleeding on the brain: Brain hemorrhages caused by boxing can result in strokes, brain aneurysms, and a variety of other neurological problems, including death. Small brain bleeds may not be noticeable enough to warrant medical attention right away but can lead to devastating consequences over the long run.
- Blindness: Detached retinas caused by powerful blows to the face can lead to both temporary and permanent blindness for boxers. In almost all cases, a detached retina is a career-ending injury, as it destroys the boxer’s depth perception.
- Broken noses and bruised ribs: While most boxers accept that they are participating in a combat-based sport and will inevitably get hurt either while training or during a competition, boxing is one of the only sports where broken noses are considered part of the territory.
- Neurological disorders: One form of Parkinson’s disease is linked to boxing as the result of blunt force trauma to the brain. This can lead boxers to develop symptoms such as severe tremors, loss of ability to speak or write, loss of motor function, and other serious neurological issues. But that usually happens after many years of regular hard sparring. That’s why modern boxers are much more cautions about whether they should spar hard at all.
Gear to Protect Boxers from Impact Injuries
Due to the serious injuries linked with boxing as a sport, competitive boxing authorities are increasingly forcing competitors to wear protective gear in order to prevent the more serious types of boxing-related injuries. These forms of gear include the following:
- Boxing gloves: Since boxers uses their fists directly as weapons, boxing gloves help prevent the bones in the hands from being repeatedly broken, though this is still a commonplace occurrence in the sport. If you are interested, here are the boxing gloves I recommend (the best I’ve used so far).
- Boxing headgear (with and without cheek guards): Boxing headgear is preventing cuts but I don’t think it is really helpful when it comes to preventing brain damage. Some boxers even get more concussions using headgear because their vision is reduced and they get punched more.
- Mouthguard: The mouth guard, held between the tongue and teeth, prevents the boxer from accidentally biting down on his or her own tongue during a fight after being punched in the face. Most full contact sports require mouth guards to prevent damage to the delicate tongue and teeth during rougher interactions. If you are looking for a mouthguard I personally prefer the Venum Challenger Mouthguard (you can check the price on Amazon.com). It’s cheap plus it has a cool gel frame that fits to your mouth which allows you to breathe freely.
In practice, these measures do prevent some of the more mundane injuries caused by boxing. However, no amount of protective gear short of a full-face mask will prevent a boxer from getting punched in the face occasionally at high force.
Due to the limitations created by cheek guards and other protective accessories in boxing helmets, most boxers wear the least amount of protective gear they can get away in order to be able to see where their opponent is at all times.
Boxers Punch Hard!
No matter what psi they punch at, there’s no argument that boxers punch hard! With the amount of force that boxers use during their matches, it’s no wonder that sometimes they can suffer permanent injury as a result of the sport.