BoxRec

was pondering the other day the question of do chins age???What I mean is as a fighter(some) gets older do there chins weaken but more importantly if there is some truth to that why?
I will use fenech as an example. Some posters noted in discussion pre jF/aZ 3 that jeffs chin was never the same after the second fight.as a result he got KOd by relative light hitters in Holiday and Grove. On the assumption that despite the rise in wt div that against such relative light punchers the fenech chin of old would of stood up against these 2,why did it desert him so on those occasions.
Potential reasons(based on nothing factual i am aware of),
1)the chin(well the TM joint)was damaged in a previous fight(nelson being the damager in Fenechs case)
2)the TM joint ages as the fighter does making it weaker.
3)as a fighter ages and abilties reduce they simply get hit in a way they were unlikely to in their better days.Again using Fenech-to me he just looked frustrated the whole grove fight.sort if like-grrrrrrrrrrrr i cant do what i used to and ....lose concentration ...KABAM.

also are fighters trained to bite firmly on their mouthguard to reduce the likelihood of being dropped because the provision of tension of the jaw reducing the jolt and subsequent movement in the tM joint(TOTALLY HYPOTHETICAL).

Just wondering if any had any thoughts or factual evidence for this "syndrome" or if it exists at all.in Fenechs case was it just simply he got caught badly by a hard puncher in nelson and as for the other 2 the fact that finally at the higher wt he got his chin tested like never before and it failed him???

In short....Glass chin = Dehydration
Most think body fluid loss to make weight is simple, forgetting fluid also has an effect on brain cushioning.
Hit to the head, side hit at the chin in particular, will cause brain to swing & hit the scull & momentarily cause a blackout....Unfortunately, in some cases will cause brain cell(s) bleeding

Hiya TB
so how do you explain heavyweights with no chin?

Since no one else has............ Huh?

Sorry Hounddog - had meant to post it as a reply to Anton's chin question

I think you have either got a good chin or not. You can condition your neck muscles to help with the impact but it is mostly down to genetics.

Cant explain the technical side as ive got no idea about the dehydration side of things, I would say a lot of Heavies get KOd as they are getteing hit by far harder punches than a lot of the lighter fighters.

With the ageing fighters it would be more likely that they get hit with cleaner shots as there reflexes and speed is slowing.

Anyone got a sports science degree then feel free to fill us in

There's a few reasons and most have already been mentioned. Here's another one..........psychology plays a significant role where the chin question is concerned. eg...Fenech thought he was indestructible before Nelson proved he wasn't and destroyed him. His chin was never the same afterwards

re the HW's - it's all about the shock absorber (the neck) not being able to absorb what it's being asked to absorb. Infact, the higher the weight of the fighter, the less he's able to absorb in terms of punching power. I think this it's a fair comment that there's a gradual KO % rise, the higher the weight class

bollox wrote:There's a few reasons and most have already been mentioned. Here's another one..........psychology plays a significant role where the chin question is concerned. eg...Fenech thought he was indestructible before Nelson proved he wasn't and destroyed him. His chin was never the same afterwards

re the HW's - it's all about the shock absorber (the neck) not being able to absorb what it's being asked to absorb. Infact, the higher the weight of the fighter, the less he's able to absorb in terms of punching power. I think this it's a fair comment that there's a gradual KO % rise, the higher the weight class

I dont agree with that mate, Are you saying a 108 pounder will take a shot better than a heavyweight. If they both get hit by the same person ie 108 pounder im sure the heavyweight would take it better.

I'm not directly comparing a 108 pounder to a heavyweight. What I'm saying is that a 108 pounder takes a much better shot from another 108 pounder than a heavy takes from another heavy

I haven't checked the stats but I'm certain that there are infinitely more clean KO's when expressed as a %, (as distinct from stoppages etc) at the higher weights. And the % will go up as the weights go up

forgot the potential psychology factor. more a factor of allowing one self to get hit in a knockout fashion i suppose rather than effect on chin itself. TKO would be affected as well ie i cant be farked taking this punishment anymore whereas a younger hungrier fighter may keep going.
well seems from the replies that the chin itself does not age and i thank those that responded.