How do heavyweights take a head punch better than lighter fighters?

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I understand how heavier, more muscular people can withstand body shots easier than bantam weights can.

In terms of head punches, do heavy weights somehow have the ability to take a punch to the head better than a smaller person?

I.e. why can Stipe Miocic survive a Francis Ngannou punch where it would destroy a 135 lb fighter? Does a heavier body somehow help with head punches?

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2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

..do they? I thought heavyweight had more KO’s?

Anonymous 0 Comments

The short answer is that we don’t know. Scientists are still researching what makes someone have a good chin.

The leading theory is that neck muscles play into it. It’s well-known that *how* a force is applied to the head affects whether or not someone gets knocked out. Twisting movements seem to result in knockouts and concussions at higher rates. If you have stronger neck muscles, you can limit the amount of twisting and other kinds of movement that your head does.

Muscle weighs a lot, so heavyweights tend to have more neck muscle than bantamweights.