Which Heavyweight had the single hardest punch

[-CANE-]

Which of the heavyweights had the single hardest punch.

[WLAD OWNS]

Where the **** is Wladimir Klitschko, he is arguably the hardest puncher of all time and I think he has one of the single hardest punches. Vitali should also be on that list too.

[Celtic_Warrior]

Surprised Bruno isn't on that list? He may not have had the skills of many but he certainly had the power.

[bklynboy]

I like, and root for Wlad, but I don't think he is "arguably the hardest puncher of all time." He simply hasn't faced enough quality opponents for us to judge. For example Larry Holmes may have been one of the all-time greats but we don't know. He dominanted the 80s but against what competition? If he had come up 10 years earlier and fought against Ali, Norton, Frazier, Foreman and we would have had a better idea. The same goes for Wlad. Foreman knocked Frazier down 6 times. Frazier was the heavyweight version of Hatton (although I think with a much better defense) pressuring opponents, willing to get hit to land devasting body shots and hooks to the head.

Wlad is one of the hardest punchers but

1. his KO record is not better than a young Forman and
2. he doesn't have the same kind of one punch knock out power that they had and
3. he hasn't faced enough top-tier fighters with world class chins (Frazier) for us to truly evaluate him.

[-CANE-]

Both Klitchkos and Bruno were really hard hitters and there is only a maximum of 10 options and as they haven't knocked down anyone of any note they are not in there. Sorry if it offends you but there will always be someone that has to miss out.

I'm undecided and yet to vote, it's difficult to gauge because while Lewis hits harder than Marciano because of his size and weight, fighters were smaller in Marciano's day. I think you have to think of it like a P4P because Heavyweights are so much bigger now than years ago.

Ron Lyle could certainly hit with the best of them and had titanic battles with both George Foreman and Earnie Shavers. These fights are some of the best and most dramatic in Heavyweight History. Ron Lyle could have been champion in many other eras other than the one he fought in.

Joe Louis had some of the most dramatic knockdowns of them all, he would hit people and they would spin 360 degrees.

Jack Dempsey and Rocky Marciano knocked people out a lot bigger than themselves.

It's not as easy picking one as you think

[Panamaniac]

Urban Legend?

The name of Earnie Shavers figures prominently in every discussion of hard punchers in the heavyweight division. I suspect that many who declare him the hardest puncher ever, do so for the sole purpose of seeming cool, hip and knowledgeable. If he was as hard a puncher as so many purport him to to be, he must have been one lousy fighter. Otherwise, how do you explain a puncher of his caliber never having won a championship?

I must cop to extreme prejudice against non-champions. To put this in perspective: I have more respect for John Ruiz (a lousy fighter) than I do for Earnie Shavers (a great puncher). In my ****-retentive-narrow-minded point of view, a great puncher who has never won a championship is akin to a toothless pitbull - all bark and no bite.

[grayfist]

Tough one.

Maybe I'll just mention here that Shavers racked up 33 consecutive stoppages, only two of which were TKO's. 13 of the KO's were in the first round, 8 were in the second round and 4 were in the third. The streak was from 1970 to 1973. It was abruptly stopped by Jerry Quarry who TKO'd Shavers in the first round.

Prior to the streak, Shavers had 12 stoppages in 12 victories alongside two losses.

He finished his career with 68 stoppages in 74 wins. Only 5 of those stoppages were TKO's.

Ron Lyle and Shavers met in '75 and proceeded to exchange KD's with Shavers flooring Lyle in the 2nd round and Lyle returning the favor to end the contest in the 6th.

Lyle won by UD over Jimmy Ellis and lost by UD to Jimmy Young. Shavers KO'd Young in the third in their first meeting then was held to a draw in their second. Ellis was stopped in the first round.

Shavers KO'd Norton in the first round; Foreman dropped Norton three times in the 2nd round to win by TKO.

Foreman had 68 stoppages in 76 career wins. More than half of those stoppages were by TKO's. Foreman had a 24-fight stoppage streak which begun after he UD'd Manuel Peralta and ended when he was defeated by Ali.

Then there are those other names on that poll...Marciano is said to have the highest stoppage percentage among heavyweight champions, all-time....

Then, there are those other factors to be considered such as the quality of the victims...etc....etc...

It's tough...it's really tough.

[Fox McCloud]

I'm astounded that no one choose Joe Louis, just because The Ring choose him as the hardest puncher of all-time.

I choose Foreman, he was destroying everyone when he was young, and still had the power to destroy Moorer when he was like 44.

[dmaclv]

One guy is Derrick Jefferson "D-Train" when he landed his shots, BOOM man ppl went out. Tyson still I think was ferocious but If you measured psi i think D-Train might have a damn high rating.

[Tobi.G]

Im going with Shavers. The problem with Shavers was, he could give but he couldnt take. Had he a better chin, not such an fragile chin he had, he would have been much more successfull.