What is the Average Boxer Punch PSI? Different Levels and Power Punches

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Punch PIS is a measure of the punch strength of a particular person, and it’s really important for professional boxers and those trying to achieve that goal. 

So, What is the average boxer punch PSI? This blog will show you the exact number of the punch power from beginner to professional boxers through many sections.

What is the Average Boxer Punch PSI? Different Levels

PSI stands for pounds of force per square inch, which is the measurement of a person’s punch power. There are many reasons that make one’s punch power stronger than others, such as the training, their body weight, and more. 

For this reason, we cannot pick only one number of punch PSI as the average boxer’s punch power because different levels and weight will give out different numbers of PSI. 

Here are the average boxer punch PSI of the three most common boxer levels:

Different Boxer Punch PSI

Flyweight Boxers

As flyweight boxers have the least heavy body weight, their punch PSI will also be the lowest. Their average punch PSI is around 447 pounds (peak punching force). 

There are a few things that might affect this number. It would help if you understood that the energy transferred depends on speed, hands, gloves, and the way they held their wrists. 

Elite Level Boxers

Elite level boxers are those who get trained to fight for national or international competitions, including the Olympics. These fighters normally need to follow a really strict training schedule; therefore, their punches can be more powerful than flyweight boxers, and sometimes, heavy boxers

The average punch PSI of the elite level boxers is around 776 pounds of force. Some studies also show that some elite-level fighters can give a punch with nearly 1,300 pounds of force – more powerful than some heavyweight boxers. 

Heavyweight and Super Heavyweight Boxers

Heavyweight and super heavyweight boxers are at another level as their punches are shockingly powerful. On average, their hits can be somewhere between 1,200 PSI to 1,700 PSI. Mike Tyson – a legendary boxer used to have a punch that was 1,800 pounds of force.

Heavyweight boxers can have punches that are up to 1,700 pounds of force

Compare Professional Boxer’s and Other People’s Punch PSI

To understand how powerful boxers’ punches are, we can compare their punches to ordinary people. Here are the pounds of force measurement of normal people, martial art fighters, and mixed martial art (MMA) fighters:

Normal People

The punch PSI of normal people, including mature females and males, is between 120 to 170 pounds of force. If we pick 150 as the certain number of average punch PSI, then flyweight boxers can hit it three times more powerful, and the heavyweight boxers can give a hit that is ten times more powerful than us. 

Martial Arts Fighters

Martial art fighters have much more powerful punches compared to ordinary people. But still, their punches have less force compared to all levels of professional boxers. 

According to different studies, the punches coming from professional martial art fighters are somewhere between 325 pounds to 689 pounds of force. One study also states that the fighters need to convey a punch with at least 689 pounds for karate punches if they want to break concrete slabs. 

As punches might not be the main move of martial arts, sometimes, they focus more than other parts of their bodies instead of punching. Take Karate as an example. A professional black belt can give a trike as powerful as 1,500 pounds of force while fighting. 

Mixed Martial Art Fighter (MMA)

Mixed martial arts are dangerous and powerful in their ways, but when it comes to punching, the risk of MMA is much lower than boxing. The number of times MMA fighters get knockouts are only half of the number of knockouts in boxing.

What Are the Potential Damages of Boxer’s Punch?

The damages of vicious punches are undeniable from the beginning until now. If you are a boxing fan, you might already read so many news articles about boxers getting injured and need to be taken to the hospital. 

However, the damage of hard punches can be much more serious than treatable injures, and here are some potential risks boxers have to risk while fighting:

Neurological Disorders

Hard punches can cause boxers many different neurological disorders and symptoms that might never be treated. For this reason, many boxers nowadays really consider if they want to spar as hard as they can or not. 

One of the most common neurological disorders those who get serious punches may have is Parkinson’s disease. This disorder will cause you blunt force trauma from your brain. Moreover, those who get hurt might face the risk of losing the ability to write, speak, and use their hands well. Some of them also lose motor function after a long time of fighting and getting serious punches. 

Read also:

Bruised Ribs and Broken Bones

Boxers can get bruised ribs while they are training or fighting hard because their ribs are pretty vulnerable. Besides, vicious hits can break the boxers’ bones that will cause treatable situations or permanent bone damages. 

Broken Noses

The face is one of the most vulnerable parts of our bodies, and during the right, boxers try to punch in their competitors’ faces to get higher chances of winning. For this reason, many parts of your face, including the nose, will run a high risk of being broken. 

Bleeding Brain 

Bleeding on the brain is one of the most dangerous damages, no matter if the bleeds are small or not. 

For small bleeds, the patient might not be able to notice it right away without checking. Therefore, there will be more serious consequences in the future in case the bleeds do not get treated. 

For serious bleeding, then the damage is obvious. People who get these bleeds can have neurological symptoms, aneurysms, strokes, and even death. 

Blindness

Blindness can destroy a boxer’s career and their ability to see again. Hard punches can lead to temporary or even permanent blindness as these punches cause a detached retina. In some situations, a detached retina can ruin the boxers’ perception, and therefore, their career might be in jeopardy. 

Mortality

This is the worst scenario, but once someone is serious about becoming a professional boxer, they may already think about the mortality chances. From 1918 to 1997 only, boxing had killed at least 650 fighters. Hard punches can be deadly, no matter how big or strong you are. 

How Boxers Normally Protect Themselves from the Punches?

For a dangerous sport like boxing, it is crucial to encourage or even force the participants to wear gears to protect themselves. Here are three must-wear gears required for boxers:

Boxing Headgear 

Boxing headgear can prevent cuts in your face and head pretty well. However, there is no proven information that this gear can protect your brain from getting damaged from the punches. Some boxers also report that the headgears sometimes prevent their vision while fighting. 

There are two main types of boxing headgear that you can choose: one with a cheek guard attached and one without a cheek guard attached to it.

See more: Sparring Without Headgear – Disadvantages & Advantages

Mouthguard

Our teeth are vulnerable, and therefore, a mouthguard is a must in most professional boxing rings. Without these little guys, our teeth can easily get injured, bleed, break, or even fall off after getting hit with one hard punch. 

Read: Is It A Risk If Sparring Without Mouthguard?

Boxing Gloves

Boxing gloves have become the must and the inseparable gears of this sport. While punching, the gears will protect your hands from getting hurt. However, they do not reduce the power of your hits at all.

Notice: Even though these gears can reduce the risks of boxers getting hurt, they are not always useful for totally preventing the boxers from having blindness, brain damage, and many other problems. 

Also read: Do boxing gloves hurt more than fists?

In Sum

After showing you the power of boxers’ punches with the PSI measurement, we guess you already understand the huge difference between the levels of boxers, from flyweight to super heavyweight fighters. As you see, the average boxer punch PSI of all boxers levels can be much more powerful than normal people, and sometimes, other athletes. 

When hard punches can cause so many damages to our bodies, we suggest you do your best to protect yourself no matter if you are in your training schedule or actual fights. For those who start learning about boxing, these gears are also highly recommended.

Categories Training Guide

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