How Fast Is Boxer Punch?

A professional jab reaches 9 m/s — about the same speed as a falling raindrop hits the ground. Heavyweight punches can deliver up to 5,000 newtons, equivalent to a 12-pound bowling ball dropped from a metre.

Mike Tyson's punch generated forces equivalent to a 720-kg sledgehammer swung at 32 km/h — measurements taken in the late 1980s remain among the most powerful ever recorded.

• Same as a falling raindrop
• Heavyweights deliver 5,000 newtons