- Chin (combat sports)
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In combat sports such as boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts, a fighter's chin is a figurative term that refers to a his/her ability to tolerate physical trauma to the head without being knocked unconscious. The fictional Rocky Balboa character of the Rocky franchise epitomises the concept of a boxer with a granite chin.
Overview
A fighter with a "good chin" refers to a fighter with tremendous ability to absorb punishment in the facial area without being struck unconscious, which can also be called "having a beard", "good whiskers", "granite chin" or "iron chin". Although such fighters have been knocked out, it is rare. There is a dispute as to the physiology of having a "good chin." Some believe that a strong neck that resists a sudden angular acceleration of the head is what makes a "good chin." Supporters of this belief point to Evander Holyfield and Marvin Hagler, both of whom were strong and had large trapezius muscles around the neck. Others believe that it is genetics that decides whether a fighter will have a good chin or not.
A fighter with a "bad chin", "china chin", "suspect chin", or "glass jaw" refers to boxers with limited ability to absorb punishment in the face. Many clubfighters and journeymen may have glass chins, although it may depend on weight class or sometimes legs. Wladimir Klitschko is often referred to as having a glass chin. Some boxing experts, such as Teddy Atlas, believe it to be a mindframe. Additionally, some fighters have been known to have better chins as a result of moving up to a higher weight class. One example of this is Miguel Cotto, who was seen as having a relatively weak chin at light welterweight but was harder to hurt once he moved up to welterweight.[1]
In 2008, Amir Khan was labelled as being "chinny"[2] and lacking a "decent chin"[3] after being knocked out in the first minute of his bout with Colombian Breidis Prescott, although his new conditioning coach has argued that Khan had too big an upper body and too weak legs and this caused his constitution to be unbalanced.
Notable chins
Chins in kickboxing The following kickboxers have been known to possess a strong chin:
The following kickboxers are known for having weaker chins:
- Andy Hug
- Jérôme Le Banner
- Melvin Manhoef
- Badr Hari
- Bjorn Bregy
- Yusuke Fujimoto
- Ruslan Karaev
- Lee Su-Hwan
- Stefan Leko
- Jean-Claude Leuyer
- Yuichiro Nagashima
- Nicholas Pettas
- Bob Sapp
- Errol Zimmerman
Chins in mixed martial arts The following list of mixed martial artists are known to have a strong chin:
- B.J. Penn
- Dan Henderson[12]
- Anderson Silva
- Jeremy Horn
- Yoshihiro Akiyama[13]
- Joey Beltran
- Stephan Bonnar[14]
- Shane Carwin
- Wesley Correira[15]
- Patrick Côté[16]
- Nick Diaz[17]
- Frank Edgar
- Fedor Emelianenko[18]
- Jon Fitch
- Kazuyuki Fujita[19]
- Leonard Garcia
- Takanori Gomi
- Clay Guida[20]
- Quinton Jackson[21]
- Sergei Kharitonov
- Chuck Liddell (in his prime)[22]
- Chris Lytle[23]
- Roy Nelson[24]
- Jordan Radev
- Alex Reid
- Kazushi Sakuraba[25]
- Diego Sanchez[26]
- Chael Sonnen[27]
- Yoshihiro Takayama
The following list of mixed martial artists are known to have a weak chin:
- James Thompson[28]
- Todd Duffee
- Houston Alexander
- Ken Shamrock[29]
- Shinya Aoki[30]
- Andrei Arlovski[31]
- Wanderlei Silva[32]
- Randy Couture[33]
- Rashad Evans[34]
- Mirko Filipović[35]
- Jonathan Goulet[36]
- Roger Gracie
- Kendall Grove[37]
- Matt Hughes
- Keith Jardine[38]
- Chuck Liddell (later in his career)[39]
- Matt Lindland[40]
- Jorge Santiago
- Antonio Silva
- Renato Sobral[41]
- Stefan Struve[42]
- Tim Sylvia[43]
- Cain Velasquez
- Yoshiyuki Yoshida
- Olaf Alfonso
References
- ^ Pro Boxing-Fans; Emen, Jake (2009-08-28). "Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto Preview & Predictions". http://www.proboxing-fans.com/pacquiao-cotto-preview-predictions/.
- ^ BBC News; Dirs, Ben (2008-09-07). "Khan gone in 60 seconds". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A40663091. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
- ^ Daily Express; Hickman, Niall (2008-09-08). "Khan will not survive floor show". Daily Express. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/60344/Khan-will-not-survive-floor-show. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Houston, Graham (2008- 01-08). "The Ten Best Chins in Boxing History". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3184174. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ^ Mannix, Chris (2006-11-06). "Having a Ball: Modern Day Cinderella Man Carlos Baldomir is Going to Find Out Soon if His Glass Slipper Still Fits". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1106801/index.htm. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ^ Barry, Bart (2009- 04- 27). "In Celebration of Froch's Chin, Whether Wagging or Absorbing". CBS Sports. http://www.cbssports.com/boxing/story/11684485. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ^ Mark Hunt profile
- ^ K-1 legend Ray Sefo to make Strikeforce debut against Kevin Jordan
- ^ a b c d e Heavyweight Kickboxing’s Hardest Heads
- ^ Keys to Victory: Daniel Ghita
- ^ Badr Hari vs. Alexey Ignashov; a Battle of the Bad Boys
- ^ Strikeforce Columbus: Dan Henderson and the Top 10 Chins in MMA
- ^ UFC 116 Fighter Analysis – Yoshihiro Akiyama
- ^ Stephan Bonnar: The American Psycho
- ^ Former UFC fighter Wesley Correira arrested in Walmart parking lot, pleads not guilty to burglary and theft
- ^ UFC 90: Can Cote Upset Silva?
- ^ Nick Diaz vs Jeff Lacy: Contract Signed For Fall Showdown
- ^ 5 Reasons Why Fedor Emelianenko Could Beat Dan Henderson
- ^ Worst Life Ever: The Story of Kazuyuki Fujita's Skull
- ^ TUF 13 Finale Results
- ^ The Top 10 Threats To Fedor Emilianenko
- ^ UFC 115: How Far Has Chuck Liddell Declined?
- ^ UFC 116 Preview: Chris Lytle Eyeballing Another Bonus Check Against Matt Brown
- ^ Roy Nelson Shows Granite Chin In Loss to Junior Dos Santos
- ^ Kazushi Sakuraba Most Brutal Beatings Tribute
- ^ Clay Guida, Rick Story and the 10 Best Chins in the UFC
- ^ UFC 127 Results: Michael Bisping Surpasses Chael Sonnen as MMA's Ultimate Heel
- ^ Thompson to test Slice's cage credentials
- ^ Kimbo Slice to Knock Out Ken Shamrock on CBS
- ^ Strikeforce Nashville Preview: Proud Shinya Aoki Battles Gilbert Melendez in Lightweight Title Showdown
- ^ Andrei Arlovski and the Top 10 Most Questionable Chins in MMA History
- ^ Leben wins battle of chins with Silva
- ^ Dream MMA Fight: Randy Couture vs Fedor Emilianenko
- ^ Doubts Remain Over Rashad Evans Chin Despite Victory
- ^ Cro Cop's Last Stand This Saturday?
- ^ MMA Knockout of the Day: Jonathan Goulet's Redemption Knockout
- ^ UFC 130 – Tim Boetsch plans on exposing Kendall Grove’s chin by laying his heavy hands on it
- ^ Strikeforce: Gegard Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine In-Depth Preview
- ^ If I Only Had a Chin: The Sad Ending To The Chuck Liddell Story
- ^ Strikeforce St. Louis: Will This Be Matt Lindland’s Last Stand?
- ^ Robbie Lawler vs Renato Sobral Predictions
- ^ Stefan Struve vs. Pat Barry Added to UFC on Versus 6
- ^ Enough Is Enough: Tim Sylvia Needs To Retire
Categories:- Boxing terminology
- Boxing stubs
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