How can a boxer take a punch to the head, from a fighter like say Mike Tyson in his prime, and not be killed. Almost any normal person would be unable to take that type of damage.

Question

I am aware they cover up and are trained, but some of those fighters have taken clean, straight shots and lived to tell the tale

In: Biology

Answer 1

Well you would survive too. I mean you wouldn’t feel great but you would live. If you’re wondering how they don’t get knocked out after a few hard punches it’s all about desensitization. Your brain will adapt to certain sensations to save itself the trouble of having to spend limited mental processing power on them.

For example, I have been near hypothermic a few times in my life. I am an outdoorsman and I didn’t always bring the right gear for the weather. So I spent some cold nights freezing. Nowadays though, the cold doesn’t affect me as much. I mean I feel cold, but my mental and physical reaction to cold isn’t as extreme. I’m slower to shiver and can honestly walk around comfortably in shorts and a t-shirt for a few minutes during cold weather.

The same thing happens with punches. They’ve been punched in the face before. So they physically feel the punches, but the automatic response that others might feel is suppressed allowing them not to be as disoriented by it.