Meaning:
Competing against someone who you are no match for.
Background:
The different classes of contestants in boxing matches are distinguish by the
weight of the competing boxers - heavyweight, middleweight, lightweight,
flyweight etc. The sport is regulated so that only boxers of the same weight
fight each other. Someone from a lighter weight wouldn't be expected to have
much chance if `punching above his weight' against a heavier fighter.
The term is often used figuratively in situations where someone finds
themselves competing outside their usual class; for example, the Irish
comedian Graham Norton described that, since becoming well-known, he was able
to attract better-looking partners than previously and that he was `punching
above my weight' when it comes to relationships.
The phrase might seem to be something from 1930s boxing or the like. In fact
it is much more recent. The earliest example I can find of it in print is an
article in the English magazine The Economist, August 1986:
Though only some 12% of Nevadans are Mormons, they punch more than their weight.
- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]
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It's fair for jiu-jitsu to boast technique over brute strength and the weak
beating the strong. On the street, a person trained in the gentle art does have
a good chance.
But on the mat, it's a different matter, at least at my level. The big guys,
especially those of blue belt and above, know what I'm doing when I go for a
move and strength still plays a big role at this stage. I found myself punching
above my 155 lbs most of the time.
