Rate the Puncher

[ScrotieMcBooger]

The smash? It was a very hard shot if it landed cleanly, though it always looked rather awkward and difficult to throw. I wouldn't enjoy taking it of course, but then I really wouldn't want to be punched by anyone on that list.

30 second mark

[nomadman]

agreed on the points. ruddock left his feet with the "smash hook"
that's unique punch if i've ever seen one!
i used to throw them at the bag in the gym back in my day!

Yeah I tried it out myself a few times and ended up cramping my left lat and getting a pain in my lower back. Not really an orthodox punch, but obviously an effective one if you're built to throw it.

when i mention steward's statement in a LIITR interview (a company i used to write for and toward which i am very partial,) i usually preface it with your logic
wladimir is his current HW and his best fighter. he's obviously got a stake in building up his power.

i do believe he;s a bigger right handed puncher than lennox, though, but that's just me agreeing with an opinion

and wladimir also rarely lets his horses run
i think if you line up a heavybag, though, you wont find many guys in history who can hit it harder than wladimir can with that right hand of his

obviously thats an opinion and up for debate

his shoulders are so high and arms so long
his bones are gigantic
and he's 245-250 in supreme condition.

I consider Wlad a harder puncher than Shavers (whose power is a bit overrated) but there's no doubt that Shavers wrung every last bit of power out of his body as he could; it was all he had to fall back on really. Wlad's probably capable of being one of the hardest punchers of all time if he commited more to his shots. On the few occasions he does people lose their consciousness. But he is what he is, and you can only really measure someone on what they do and not what they potentially could do.

if we're talking about an "effective" punchers list he'd be quite far below most of the other punchers, simply on the merits of him not throwing much or in combination

hell, he usualyl starts a fight off with literally nothing but jabs for a few rounds
you cant be an effective power puncher if you dont throw the things

I think Wlad's actually more easily evaluated in this category because he almost only ever throws one or two punches. Guys like Tyson tend to get underrated in one punch power due to their excellent combination punching, which confuses the issue as to whether it was one shot or several that got the knockout. But I think there's more than enough evidence to suggest he was a very hard one shot puncher as well.

[nomadman]

The Smash kinda reminds me of a wilder version of Oscar's 45 shot


Wlad would have scored higher for me but he never commits to a punch the way some of the other do, for instance Ive seen Tyson land himself on the floor after a miss having thrown it with such malice on his mind. Guys like Dempsey and Tyson REALLY committed to their punches, Wlad is too careful to generate his maximum power

SIDE NOTE: Talking of committing to ur punches (throwing with bad intentions) can u think of anyone who threw with more commitment than Gatti or Mosley?

Arthur Abraham almost spins around if he misses a punch. There are pictures of him where his punching arm is literally crossed over his body and facing backwards due to the momentum. Haye is another one who's incredibly wild with his shots, as is Pascal. Vic Darchinyan?

[The Surgeon]

Arthur Abraham almost spins around if he misses a punch. There are pictures of him where his punching arm is literally crossed over his body and facing backwards due to the momentum. Haye is another one who's incredibly wild with his shots, as is Pascal. Vic Darchinyan?

Excellent call on AA he completely sells out on some of his big shots!

[Someone88]

It depends on how we rate power but based on explosiveness, style, technique and results I say Tua is the hardest puncher

[nomadman]

It depends on how we rate power but based on explosiveness, style, technique and results I say Tua is the hardest puncher

Agreed. Can't really see how anyone can say otherwise really.

[Someone88]

Agreed. Can't really see how anyone can say otherwise really.

Size is a factor too but yep explosiveness, style, technique and results are the main criteria because Shavers, Foreman, Tyson, Tua and Wladimir aren't that far apart in size but yep a lot of people are looking at it differently they are great punchers I just think Tua is the hardest puncher

[nomadman]

Size is a factor too but yep explosiveness, style, technique and results are the main criteria because Shavers, Foreman, Tyson, Tua and Wladimir aren't that far apart in size but yep a lot of people are looking at it differently they are great punchers I just think Tua is the hardest puncher

Even though Tua was short, he was built like a wad of muscle, just unbelievably thickset and solid even at 225. A bigger heavyweight like Lennox or Wlad might have been able to get more leverage and weight behind the shot, but there was just something about Tua that seemed almost superhuman at times. It was scary. The dude was born to punch.

[Someone88]

Even though Tua was short, he was built like a wad of muscle, just unbelievably thickset and solid even at 225. A bigger heavyweight like Lennox or Wlad might have been able to get more leverage and weight behind the shot, but there was just something about Tua that seemed almost superhuman at times. It was scary. The dude was born to punch.

Actually when I meant size I meant weight actually, taller and shorter fighters can be hard punchers it depends on explosiveness and their style more I think. But yep Tua punched so hard Lewis and Wladimir hit really hard too but Tua has koed so many fighters with short punches and put opponents out.

Also it was mentioned before that Wladimir could be punching harder than he does I agree, I can see how much power he has he just holds himself back sometimes he could be an even harder puncher than he is but he's so effective

[nomadman]

Actually when I meant size I meant weight actually, taller and shorter fighters can be hard punchers it depends on explosiveness and their style more I think. But yep Tua punched so hard Lewis and Wladimir hit really hard too but Tua has koed so many fighters with short punches and put opponents out.

I'm no expert on bio-mechanics, but there strikes me as a clear difference in the way a taller leaner fighter punches compared to a shorter stockier one, assuming both are of equal "athleticism" (a vague term I know).

A tall fighter seems to be able to generate much more snap and leverage on his shots, straight shots in particular, and tends to engage his shoulders and upper body more, whilst generally punching down on opponents. A shorter stockier fighter can get tremendous explosivity out of hooks, uppercuts and other punches which require torque and is generally punching upward with the legs and core. Both are capable of dealing tremendous damage to opponents, though it sometimes seems that fighters are more vulnerable to one and more resistant to the other. That's why I find it difficult to just rate someone's power on a linear scale.

What separated Tua from the crowd, IMO, was his physical strength, which struck me as immense. Like Foreman, Tua just seemed like a really strong dude, but unlike Foreman he also had handspeed, technique and explosive power to go with it. Unfortunately, his height limited his chances to truly land the devastating blows on better opponents, as well as his poor boxing abilities. As a pure puncher though, Jesus!

Also it was mentioned before that Wladimir could be punching harder than he does I agree, I can see how much power he has he just holds himself back sometimes he could be an even harder puncher than he is but he's so effective

True. I sometimes get the same impression with Mayweather, that he could throw much harder punches if he wanted to but chooses not to compromise himself or give his opponents any unnecessary opportunities. At the very upper level of the sport, punching power becomes secondary to a lot of other things that could cost you the fight if you ignore them, things like ring control, maintaining your defence and distance, and so on. Whilst there have of course been hard punching champions, I think you're more likely to see the hardest punches thrown at the mid level of the sport, where fighters can sell out on shots to get the win.