The Top 5 Knockout Artists, Pound per Pound in My Lifetime
Posted: 13 Nov 2024, 11:38
At 56, I am celebrating the top 5 all-time pound per pound great punchers of my lifetime. These 5 punching power hitters are still in my consciousness and were totally unforgettable. Boy!, can they hit?
1. Julian "The Hawk" Jackson: When it comes to RAW POWER, natural raw power, I got to put this guy at number one. And by watching his knockout reels, I wonder myself what this guy ate for breakfast that morning? I asked myself, is this guy's power that real? Was he born with the punch? Where his power comes from? He was unbelievable! The best knockout artist that I have ever seen. No buts or if about it. His KO victims fell down like Christmas trees. Forget the stats, and who he didn't knocked out. You're not going to stop everybody you fight. Just look at the KO reels and you will say to yourself, this guy's power is not real. Not even Superman hits like that!
2. George Foreman : The first time Big George came into my consciousness was on January 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica when he totally destroyed and thrashed the great Smokin' Joe Frazier. He decked Smokin' Joe 6 times in two rounds! Nobody has done that to Frazier before. Nobody! How can a heavyweight hit so hard? I mean, Big George had brutal power! He was so strong at heavyweight, weighing about 220lbs and measuring 6'3" in height. That's a scary thing to see. He didn't seem to hit that hard when you watch his films, but, his opponents' faces told the story. Worse when he came back much bigger and stronger. Can you imagine got hit by a 250lbs guy full of muscle? Ask Gerry Cooney and Adilson Rodriguez for example. They were out like if a bus hit them dead on. A complete face of unconsciousness.
3. Alexis Arguello: They used to call him "The Explosive Thin Man". He was tall, thin, lanky and to fighting featherweights, it was kind of unfair. It was much more competitive fighting Jr Lightweights and lightweights. At one time, he was slated to fight the great Roberto Duran in 1978 for $300,000 dollars at Madison Square Garden in New York. That would have been one of the greatest matchups in boxing history. The Explosive Thin Man vs the Hands of Stone. Many people would have picked Duran in that fight. But, Duran better be careful if they fought. Arguello, when you thought you had him in a corner, will always come out of nowhere with a wicked left hook shot. Just ask Alfredo Escalera in their second meeting in Italy. Ask Ruben Olivares. Ask even Kevin Rooney. Can we even ask Aaron Pryor? What a puncher! In my view, below 147lbs, the best puncher ever in my lifetime. He could really set you up to sleep for days!
4. Thomas Hearns: How can we forget the incredible Hit Man from Detroit? The answer is that you can't. He was a terror to his opponents win or lose. He will bring the pain. And if you wasn't ready, it wasn't his problem. You're going to get knocked out! No buts, or ifs about it. Just ask Pipino Cuevas on that night in Detroit of August 2, 1980. An unbelievable knockout to an unbelievable chin. It was only 2 rounds! And Hearns looked much more devastating, much better when he decapitated my boy Roberto Duran in two. It was a classic decapitation that I have never seen before or after. Duran fell like a Christmas tree face first. It was June 15, 1984. The impact of that knockout makes me wonder what did the Hit Man ate for dinner that night? And he had a terrific right cross. But he had an underrated left hook to the body. It brings pain if you didn't do situps. Hearns' power consisted of speed and power all the way to cruiserweight.
5. Mike Tyson: When you had to see his fights live, in most of them, don't go to the store. Don't go to the kitchen to grab a slice of pizza. Don't go to the refrigerator to get a beer. As a matter of fact, don't go to the bathroom. Don't go anywhere! Just be ready for the spectacle in the first round. Maybe it would last 91 seconds. Maybe 89 seconds. Maybe 30! It will not take long! Iron Mike Tyson was short, sticky, powerful. His power came from his legs. He had the most damaging uppercut shot that I have ever seen. And it was also with speed and accuracy. At one time in watching his knockout reels, I saw that he hit an opponent and the opponent flew like 5 meters from his original position to the ropes. I have never seen nothing like that! OMG! What this guy got in his knuckles? Iron? I don't know. But, Tyson in my lifetime was one of the greatest knockout artists I've ever seen.
1. Julian "The Hawk" Jackson: When it comes to RAW POWER, natural raw power, I got to put this guy at number one. And by watching his knockout reels, I wonder myself what this guy ate for breakfast that morning? I asked myself, is this guy's power that real? Was he born with the punch? Where his power comes from? He was unbelievable! The best knockout artist that I have ever seen. No buts or if about it. His KO victims fell down like Christmas trees. Forget the stats, and who he didn't knocked out. You're not going to stop everybody you fight. Just look at the KO reels and you will say to yourself, this guy's power is not real. Not even Superman hits like that!
2. George Foreman : The first time Big George came into my consciousness was on January 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica when he totally destroyed and thrashed the great Smokin' Joe Frazier. He decked Smokin' Joe 6 times in two rounds! Nobody has done that to Frazier before. Nobody! How can a heavyweight hit so hard? I mean, Big George had brutal power! He was so strong at heavyweight, weighing about 220lbs and measuring 6'3" in height. That's a scary thing to see. He didn't seem to hit that hard when you watch his films, but, his opponents' faces told the story. Worse when he came back much bigger and stronger. Can you imagine got hit by a 250lbs guy full of muscle? Ask Gerry Cooney and Adilson Rodriguez for example. They were out like if a bus hit them dead on. A complete face of unconsciousness.
3. Alexis Arguello: They used to call him "The Explosive Thin Man". He was tall, thin, lanky and to fighting featherweights, it was kind of unfair. It was much more competitive fighting Jr Lightweights and lightweights. At one time, he was slated to fight the great Roberto Duran in 1978 for $300,000 dollars at Madison Square Garden in New York. That would have been one of the greatest matchups in boxing history. The Explosive Thin Man vs the Hands of Stone. Many people would have picked Duran in that fight. But, Duran better be careful if they fought. Arguello, when you thought you had him in a corner, will always come out of nowhere with a wicked left hook shot. Just ask Alfredo Escalera in their second meeting in Italy. Ask Ruben Olivares. Ask even Kevin Rooney. Can we even ask Aaron Pryor? What a puncher! In my view, below 147lbs, the best puncher ever in my lifetime. He could really set you up to sleep for days!
4. Thomas Hearns: How can we forget the incredible Hit Man from Detroit? The answer is that you can't. He was a terror to his opponents win or lose. He will bring the pain. And if you wasn't ready, it wasn't his problem. You're going to get knocked out! No buts, or ifs about it. Just ask Pipino Cuevas on that night in Detroit of August 2, 1980. An unbelievable knockout to an unbelievable chin. It was only 2 rounds! And Hearns looked much more devastating, much better when he decapitated my boy Roberto Duran in two. It was a classic decapitation that I have never seen before or after. Duran fell like a Christmas tree face first. It was June 15, 1984. The impact of that knockout makes me wonder what did the Hit Man ate for dinner that night? And he had a terrific right cross. But he had an underrated left hook to the body. It brings pain if you didn't do situps. Hearns' power consisted of speed and power all the way to cruiserweight.
5. Mike Tyson: When you had to see his fights live, in most of them, don't go to the store. Don't go to the kitchen to grab a slice of pizza. Don't go to the refrigerator to get a beer. As a matter of fact, don't go to the bathroom. Don't go anywhere! Just be ready for the spectacle in the first round. Maybe it would last 91 seconds. Maybe 89 seconds. Maybe 30! It will not take long! Iron Mike Tyson was short, sticky, powerful. His power came from his legs. He had the most damaging uppercut shot that I have ever seen. And it was also with speed and accuracy. At one time in watching his knockout reels, I saw that he hit an opponent and the opponent flew like 5 meters from his original position to the ropes. I have never seen nothing like that! OMG! What this guy got in his knuckles? Iron? I don't know. But, Tyson in my lifetime was one of the greatest knockout artists I've ever seen.
