TOP 5. Hardest Heavyweight Hitters

Senya13 · Post by **Senya13** » 16 Dec 2006, 23:17

Tua's left hook was harder than Shavers' best punch.

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 17 Dec 2006, 01:35

Decagon wrote:Tua had a good left hook, but I wouldn't rank him above Shavers, Liston, Foreman, Tyson and others, who had power in both hands. Heck, I might not rank him above Cleveland Williams.

Yeah but that's you, so how is it relevant for the question under discussion.

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 17 Dec 2006, 03:28

carnera did say "how hard he hits".....but it is on record by three reporters that after every question they asked, carnera said "jesus christ" and shook his head.

Thunder and Lightning · Post by **Thunder and Lightning** » 17 Dec 2006, 14:01

1. Earnie Shavers
2. George Foreman
3. Sonny Liston
4. Mike Tyson
5. Ingemar Johansson

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 17 Dec 2006, 15:48

...billy conn..how could i have forgotten billy conn?!?!?!?

barry · Post by **barry** » 17 Dec 2006, 16:35

1. Peter Maher
2. Earnie Shavers
3. George Foreman
4. Mike Tyson
5. Jack Dempsey

How about an alternative list...without the usual suspects and taking away the most commonly named punchers like Shavers and Foreman...

1. Tommy Gomez
2. Charley Retzlaff
3. Bob Satterfield
4. “Bombardier” Billy Wells
5. Earl Walls

>>>I'd say more modern heavyweights have an advantage in this category due to improving health and thus larger size but...<<<

Nope...punching power is God-given...though punching techniques may have changed; punching-power hasn't gotten better. Size means little when it comes to true punching power...for instance...Nicolay Valuev, one of the biggest boxers to ever step in the ring, yet for all of that size he is not a vicious puncher, whereas take someone like the late Julian Letterlough...a light heavyweight that could knock out heavyweights...or it doesn't get any better than all-time great, Jimmy Wilde. In appearance Wilde looked like an impoverished weakling who it would seem would be lucky to punch his way out of a wet paper bag, but in reality Wilde was a 100 pound dynamo who could knock out lightweights. Of all of the improvements in terms of physical aspects one thing that has not changed, nor will it ever change is that God-gifted punch. Now just about any one can improve they’re punch with proper technique, but there is absolutely nothing that can be done to turn a feather-fisted fighter into a knockout artist…the punch comes from God and no amount of exercise will change it.

BrocktonBlockbuster49 · Post by **BrocktonBlockbuster49** » 18 Dec 2006, 00:38

1. sonny liston- thats right, hes my hardest hitter of all time
2. joe louis- same as tyson description except louis knocked out even more durable guys than tyson did.
3. george foreman- no one can match foremans brute force of power. he lifts guys in the air with punches.
4. mike tyson- he put guys lights out who had never come close to being stopped before. he made guys do funny things when he hit them.
5. rocky marciano- pre 1954, few possesed the one punch power marciano had. marciano hit so hard, he could break bones, and worse ruin opponents. opponents were never the samew

Ambling Alp · Post by **Ambling Alp** » 18 Dec 2006, 10:01

1. Shavers
2. Foreman
3. Tyson
4. Louis
5. Frazier

Frazier is a borderline pick; several other guys that you could argue for.

DoubleM · Post by **DoubleM** » 18 Dec 2006, 14:31

Can't believe Cooney has been mentioned only once. He was potentially the hardest hitter of all.

Ambling Alp · Post by **Ambling Alp** » 18 Dec 2006, 15:34

Than why did you have Liston at #1? :)

It's hard to say about Cooney. Norton, Lyle, and Young were all over the hill by the time he fought them. He never knocked out anyone else worth mentioning. to be considered among the real elite of the hard punchers , you have to knockout or at least hurt better fighters than those Cooney fought.

DoubleM · Post by **DoubleM** » 18 Dec 2006, 22:50

Ambling Alp wrote:Than why did you have Liston at #1? :)

I never said Liston wasn't #1 did I?

He didn't have the power to take out Michael Spinks.

No, he didn't have the skills to take out Michael Spinks.

It's hard to say about Cooney. Norton, Lyle, and Young were all over the hill by the time he fought them. He never knocked out anyone else worth mentioning. to be considered among the real elite of the hard punchers , you have to knockout or at least hurt better fighters than those Cooney fought.

No you don't. There are skills involved within punching that Cooney didn't possess so he wasn't able to further himself and knock out the best opposition - doesn't take away from the fact he hit like a truck though.

Sweet Scientist · Post by **Sweet Scientist** » 20 Dec 2006, 13:27

Decagon wrote: Heck, I might not rank him above Cleveland Williams.

Actually...there's a lot of guys mentioned on this thread I wouldn't rank above Cleveland Williams...everybody must have forgotten about him...or...they just remember the Ali fight when Williams was about half of his former self...when he fought Liston, it was billed as the two hardest hitting heavies at the time...

Ambling Alp · Post by **Ambling Alp** » 20 Dec 2006, 13:43

DoubleM wrote:
Ambling Alp wrote:Than why did you have Liston at #1? :)
I never said Liston wasn't #1 did I?

He didn't have the power to take out Michael Spinks.
No, he didn't have the skills to take out Michael Spinks.

It's hard to say about Cooney. Norton, Lyle, and Young were all over the hill by the time he fought them. He never knocked out anyone else worth mentioning. to be considered among the real elite of the hard punchers , you have to knockout or at least hurt better fighters than those Cooney fought.
No you don't. There are skills involved within punching that Cooney didn't possess so he wasn't able to further himself and knock out the best opposition - doesn't take away from the fact he hit like a truck though.

well, you said that Cooney was potentially the hardest puncher of them all. I thought you meant he should have been #1.

A fighter needs to knockout or at least seriously hurt someone good to show that he was one the hardest punchers of all time puncher. (there are lots of guys who have padded ko records against no names )You have to prove it against tough competition. Which Cooney didn't really do.