What makes a puncher?
Posted: 07 Mar 2004, 10:10
“If Winstone had carried a worthwhile punch, it is doubtful if any featherweight in history could have beaten him. He had sublime skill, defensive artistry, a left jab of unerring accuracy and withering speed, but the loss of the tops of three fingers in an industrial accident meant he could not punch his full weight” written by Harry Mullan former editor of Boxing News.
What makes a puncher? Why didn’t Winstone have a KO punch?
I know some smart-ass will say the obvious high percentage of KO wins, but what I mean is what makes one fighter able to knock an opponent out with a good punch and yet another fighter can land his Sunday punch and his opponent is still in front of him.
When you punch you close your hands in the glove tightly so as not to break your fingers, and you try to hit with the first two knuckles so the wrist is straight, so you do not break your wrist. Winstone could still have done this even with the missing tops of three fingers.
Lots of fighters had little things that they thought improved their strength or punching ability, Archie Moore has the record for the most knock out’s (129) he put his punching ability down to strengthening his arms by walking on them as part of his training, Marciano would stand up to his neck in water and throw punches as part of his way of improving his punching. So if it was a case of having muscular arms to be able to knock another fighter out then how did Jimmy Wilde and Eric Morales do it so frequently when their arms were like lolly-pop sticks, Winstone had arms thicker than the two mentioned.
Sugar Ray Robinson put it down to speed though Winstone had this ability and the accuracy to go with it.
How about technique then? The fantastic Brendan Ingle says you can be taught to punch and get the KO.
When Tommy Hearn’s was an amateur he was not anything of the KO artist he would become, Emanuel Steward is credited to have showed Hearn` s how to become this, just like he did with Michael Moorer. Though Winstone is said to have had sublime skill, he was a brilliant amateur also, so surely he knew how to punch if it was really something you could learn.
So what does make a puncher?
My feelings are you either got it or you haven’t. Winstone just wasn’t a puncher, with or without the tips on his fingers he would have been the same.
So the article written on Howard Winstone I feel was wrong, sure he was a good boxer, but I think Harry Mullan was wrong about the tips of his fingers being a reason why he did not carry the KO punch, and as for it being doubtful if any featherweight in history could have beaten him if he had not lost them ….well don’t get me started.
Feel free to argue otherwise..
What makes a puncher? Why didn’t Winstone have a KO punch?
I know some smart-ass will say the obvious high percentage of KO wins, but what I mean is what makes one fighter able to knock an opponent out with a good punch and yet another fighter can land his Sunday punch and his opponent is still in front of him.
When you punch you close your hands in the glove tightly so as not to break your fingers, and you try to hit with the first two knuckles so the wrist is straight, so you do not break your wrist. Winstone could still have done this even with the missing tops of three fingers.
Lots of fighters had little things that they thought improved their strength or punching ability, Archie Moore has the record for the most knock out’s (129) he put his punching ability down to strengthening his arms by walking on them as part of his training, Marciano would stand up to his neck in water and throw punches as part of his way of improving his punching. So if it was a case of having muscular arms to be able to knock another fighter out then how did Jimmy Wilde and Eric Morales do it so frequently when their arms were like lolly-pop sticks, Winstone had arms thicker than the two mentioned.
Sugar Ray Robinson put it down to speed though Winstone had this ability and the accuracy to go with it.
How about technique then? The fantastic Brendan Ingle says you can be taught to punch and get the KO.
When Tommy Hearn’s was an amateur he was not anything of the KO artist he would become, Emanuel Steward is credited to have showed Hearn` s how to become this, just like he did with Michael Moorer. Though Winstone is said to have had sublime skill, he was a brilliant amateur also, so surely he knew how to punch if it was really something you could learn.
So what does make a puncher?
My feelings are you either got it or you haven’t. Winstone just wasn’t a puncher, with or without the tips on his fingers he would have been the same.
So the article written on Howard Winstone I feel was wrong, sure he was a good boxer, but I think Harry Mullan was wrong about the tips of his fingers being a reason why he did not carry the KO punch, and as for it being doubtful if any featherweight in history could have beaten him if he had not lost them ….well don’t get me started.
Feel free to argue otherwise..