As one of the most accomplished strikers in Ultimate Fighting Championship’s history, with a personal record of 37 undefeated fights, you’d be forgiven for thinking Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson takes his training exceptionally seriously. And for the most part, he does. But as with a lot of professional fighters and athletes who tend to be YouTubers, influencers and entrepreneurs, he makes sure to find time for some fighting-related #content. Such as, for example, testing out his striking using some kids’ toys.
In a recent video filmed with his pal Sweet T, Thompson decides to conduct a “durability test” on Socker Boppers, the inflatable boxing gloves formerly known in the ’90s as Sock’em Boppers.
In order to see just how hard you can hit them before they pop, Thompson deploys some of his trademark blows against a punching bag. “You know what, these are pretty solid, man,” he says. “My hand was actually pretty secure in this bad boy.”
He then carries out the ultimate test: punching T in the stomach from 2 feet away.
“Did you feel anything?” He asks.
“Honestly,” T replies, “no.”
T and Wonderboy also try out a set of adult boxing pillows, which are made from durable PVC and purport to be more suited to fight training—but both guys are surprised to learn that, once inflated, these pillows are actually smaller than the kids’ toys they had just been using. They also prove to be flimsier; T pops the seam on his after just a couple of goes on the punch bag.
However, when it comes to the true test—another gut punch—Thompson’s verdict is that the adult boxing pillows provide more cushioning on the fist, and T agrees that they “feel better to be punched with.”
Source: Read Full Article