P4P hardest punchers of all time....

[jabsRstiff]

P4P, I think Jimmy Wilde was the hardest hitter in modern boxing history. Look at some pictures of the guy, he was one of the scrawniest, softest looking fighters you'll ever see. I knew nerds back in middle school with equal or better physiques and yet this guy knocked out Billy Papke who weighed 160 lbs. The same Billy Papke who beat Ketchel (all time great middleweight) the second time the two fought. We're talking about a guy who weighed little over 100 lbs with a 32" chest KOing an extremely good middleweight in three rounds.

Scientists actually ran tests on him because everyone was so perplexed as to how his tiny frame could generate so much force.

Stanley Ketchel was another remarkable puncher for his weight. To bad he died so young, because we'll never know what he could have really achieved.

In terms of all around best power delivered by a boxer I would have to look to the big guys. I'd go with Earnie Shavers followed by Foreman. Max Baer was also a HUGE puncher. Jimmy Braddock claimed that Baer hit harder than Joe Louis, and I've heard the same from sparring partners and others who had faced both men. Pound for pound heavyweight powerhouses include Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Marciano.

Tyson never impressed me as much in terms of sheer one punch power, for all of his 220 lbs. He certainly combined speed and power with greater effect than anyone since Dempsey but I think Foreman and Shavers were both harder (not neccesarily better or cleaner) punchers and weighed close to what Tyson weighed in his prime.

Boxing is not your "Achilles Heel".
Great post !

[Yogi]

Jimmy Wilde didn't knockout the same Billy Papke who eventually went on to win the middleweight champion. Nor did Jimmy Wilde knock out the great lightweight, Joe Gans, which is another one I've heard in the past.

He knocked out men with similiar names to those two champions and nothing more. But regardless, there's no doubt Jimmy Wilde was one of the greatest p4p hitters in the history of boxing.

[P@pasmurf]

ivan calderon

[n14061981]

Sven Ottke

[Champoreeno]

Kid Achilles,

How can you go back to that invariably mentioned list of old timers, without saying anything about Sam Langford?

[Great]

P4P, I think Jimmy Wilde was the hardest hitter in modern boxing history. Look at some pictures of the guy, he was one of the scrawniest, softest looking fighters you'll ever see. I knew nerds back in middle school with equal or better physiques and yet this guy knocked out Billy Papke who weighed 160 lbs. The same Billy Papke who beat Ketchel (all time great middleweight) the second time the two fought.

You sure?
http://boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=011714 Papke

http://boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=009023 Wilde

Same name, I think.

[Kid Achilles]

I have heard several times that it was in fact THE Billy Papke, but that the bout was not recorded as being official. This happened ocassionally in those days. The fact that the Billy Papke listed on boxrec.com has a 0-0 record looks fishy to me. I am glad you guys noticed this. I would really like to know for sure if it was the Papke we're thinking of or not. Not that it changes much, because Jimmy Wilde was still an incredible puncher and an all time great, but I am curious now.

I apologize to Sam Langford, one of the all time greatest boxers. He was a guy who started off as a welterweight and ended up fighting and defeating notable heavyweights like Harry Wills (whom the great Dempsey was accused of ducking but I don't want to get into that one now!) and even going the distance with Jack Johnson! He was certainly an all time great P4P puncher, and may even hold some kind of unofficial record for knocking out opponents outweighing him by twenty or more pounds.

There are many awesome stories of Langford, like the one where he'd mark off a section of the ring with an x prior to the fight and then positioned and KO'ed his opponent so they fell down on his mark.

Or the one where he touched gloves with his puzzled opponent in an early or mid round of a fight. It's boxing tradition to do this only in the first and last rounds as you know.

"This isn't the last round Sam," the opponent supposedly asked.

"It is for you!" was his reply before knocking the other guy out.

Aside from his incredible power, he may also deserve a place on the top ten P4P badass list.

[simeraksou]

i think george foreman should be higher up on the list since he was a devastating puncher

[Zab Super Judah]

trinidad should be considered one of the hardest hitters.....and judah at 140 could hit pretty hard but not one of the hardest

[Swifty]

1. Julian Jackson (widely considered p4p hardest hitter)
2. Mike Tyson (I think the hardest puncher in history)
3. Nigel Benn
4. Gerald McCllelan
5. Thomas Hearns
6. John Mugabi
7. Razor Ruddock (Tyson said he hit him the hardest)
8. Acelino Freitas (I dislike him, but he can bang)
9. Lennox Lewis (Tyson, Ruddock, Rock, Botha)
10.Rocky Marciano
11.Earnie Shavers
12.Arturo Gatti (Ruelas, Gamache)
13.George Foreman (Norton, Frazier)
14.Felix Trinidad
15.Archie Moore
16.Manny Pacquiao(Mab,Jmm)"Harder Hitting Featherweight of all time"



I disagree with alot of ur list, but i can understand why you'd put alotta those punchers where they are. But i cant understand how u can put lewis above marciano or foreman or shavers. IMO those three + iron mike and julian jackson would make up my top five, with lewis way downnnn.