BoxRec

Here's one list. What's yours?

Louis
Foreman
Wilder
Tyson
Shavers
Lewis
Klitschko

Those are probably the hardest hitters ever that come to mind in the division.

Jim Jeffries should probably be in the discussion.

I doubt that, but maybe.

John L. Sullivan
Max Baer

Corrie Sanders could hit.
Obviously Marciano.

always heard back in the 1970's that Mike DeJohn (of the 1950's)
was one of the hardest punchers.

Shavers followed by foreman.

Tyson was more speed. Lewis was a big puncher but didn’t Rick evander and teed off on McAll with little effect. I mcall had an amazing chin but can’t imagine him standing up to the big two I mention.

Louis more combos. Wlad a big puncher.

All big punchers mentioned but those two are the best for me.

Jack Dempsey belongs in there

Trying to come up with a name I don't see here. Jeff Merritt could hit a bit and so could Max's brother, Buddy Baer. Morrison and Cooney could also punch.

Elmer “ violent” Ray.
Guy had a lot of knockouts.
Tom Sharkey

Liston
Tua

Frazier, Lyle, and Bowe.

Some guys had a big left hook but their right was ordinary or vice versa. Walcott had a big left hook, Schmeling a good right hand.

Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑02 Jan 2026, 18:27 Frazier, Lyle, and Bowe.

Some guys had a big left hook but their right was ordinary or vice versa. Walcott had a big left hook, Schmeling a good right hand.

Yeah there's very few guys that had devastating 2 handed power. Louis and Foreman are probably the all time best in that regard. Could get the KO with either hand, and did with regularity.

Mike Tyson as well could get you with either hand.

I watched that video and was struck by a few things.
Max Baer was wild swinging as hell.
Joe Louis could take a guy out with either hand.
Which, was common knowledge.
Sonny Liston could do the same, and he was more known as a left handed heavy puncher. He had a big right hand also.

Bob Satterfield could bang like hell.

Expug wrote: ↑02 Jan 2026, 19:39 I watched that video and was struck by a few things.
Max Baer was wild swinging as hell.
Joe Louis could take a guy out with either hand.
Which, was common knowledge.
Sonny Liston could do the same, and he was more known as a left handed heavy puncher. He had a big right hand also.

One thing I always notice when I watch Max Baer is that he got away with backhands A LOT. He backhanded the sh*t out of Schmeling and Carnera

It may not have even been a foul then, I'm not sure. It is now though.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑02 Jan 2026, 19:42

Expug wrote: ↑02 Jan 2026, 19:39 I watched that video and was struck by a few things.
Max Baer was wild swinging as hell.
Joe Louis could take a guy out with either hand.
Which, was common knowledge.
Sonny Liston could do the same, and he was more known as a left handed heavy puncher. He had a big right hand also.

One thing I always notice when I watch Max Baer is that he got away with backhands A LOT. He backhanded the sh*t out of Schmeling and Carnera

It may not have even been a foul then, I'm not sure. It is now though.

Crazy. I’ve seen that too.
I can’t think of another fighter , at least one world class who fought like that guy.
Fortunately for him he could definitely crack.
That wildness was perfect for a guy like Louis. Straight short shots. Serious power too.
That’s why Joe annihilated him.
They asked Max why he didn’t get up after the last knockdown.
He said” these people paid 50 bucks to see a fight , not an execution “

One not mentioned yet is Ingemar Johansson. He had that big right hand. Maybe not top 10, but close.

hhaehre wrote: ↑02 Jan 2026, 20:28 One not mention yet is Ingemar Johansson. He had that big right hand. Maybe not top 10, but close.

He's definitely a guy that accomplished all that he did almost solely on the power of his right hand. It took him all the way to the Heavyweight Championship. He may not be one of the greatest Heavyweights ever, but it would be fair to say he likely had one of the great Heavyweight right hands ever. Certainly for his era he did.

Two different boxers to add to the pot are Jeff Sims and Davaryl Williamson.

evrenb wrote: ↑03 Jan 2026, 03:30 Two different boxers to add to the pot are Jeff Sims and Davaryl Williamson.

Those guys could bang but mostly had milted opposition.

Ingo's Bingo is overlooked, ask Floyd.

Of the European heavyweights Tom Cowler, Frank Goddard, Georges Carpentier, Harry Persson, Paolino Uzcudan, Frank Bruno, Henry Cooper, Hein Ten Hoff, Max Schmeling, Rudi Wagener, etc were all bangers, but some had china-chins.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑02 Jan 2026, 19:42

Expug wrote: ↑02 Jan 2026, 19:39 I watched that video and was struck by a few things.
Max Baer was wild swinging as hell.
Joe Louis could take a guy out with either hand.
Which, was common knowledge.
Sonny Liston could do the same, and he was more known as a left handed heavy puncher. He had a big right hand also.

One thing I always notice when I watch Max Baer is that he got away with backhands A LOT. He backhanded the sh*t out of Schmeling and Carnera

It may not have even been a foul then, I'm not sure. It is now though.

I recently watched Tim Witherspoon (v Pinklon) and Greg Page (v Bey) get warned multiple times for backhands, on the same card. Just struck me as being a bit wierd.

Tim could definitely bang, when he punched correctly.

Ron Lyle has to be in the mix. Shavers said he was the hardest puncher he fought. Foreman also said it which isn't surprising as he almost stopped Foreman and dropped him twice, not many fighters dropped big George. Also Eddie Gregg when asked who hit harder out of Cooney and Lyle said Lyle did.

Below is what Bugner said about Lyle

"Ron Lyle nearly killed me. I am not kidding, he nearly killed me. The fight was at twelve noon in Las Vegas (nearly all my fights were during midday in the USA to coincide with the television broadcast back in Europe.) To cut a long story short, Ron Lyle was an ex-jail bird and learned boxing in jail. When I met him he said, “You got no chance of beating me because I am going to kill you.” Here I was at 27 years in the hard world of boxing. The fight went the full twelve rounds. After the bout, I called my brother Bill and told him I could not breathe. I had blood coming out of me. He rang the doctor who called an ambulance and rushed me to the Las Vegas emergency Hospital and they discovered I was bleeding internally. They put me into an ice tank. It took me six months to recover from that fight. Ron Lyle was a punishing fighter and so fu**ing big. He was bigger than me. He kept telling me during the fight, “I am going kill you mother fu**er.” I sacked my manager after the fight after a ten year relationship. He wanted to go to a party after the fight rather than look after my welfare. I had paid him 25% of my purse."