BoxRec

This has probably been done but, evn so, it seems like a good Friday afternoon thread...

I thought about posting a poll but I'd only embarrass myself by missing someone out...

OK I'll start, Julian Jackson?

A lesser known middleweight, Artie Levine , huge puncher . Had a young Ray Robinson on the deck.

Eugene Hart

Jock Mcavoy, Stanley Ketchel, Ray Robinson are all up there I think... also the very underrated Freddie Steele...

How highly would you guys rate Cerdan's power?

silkov wrote:Jock Mcavoy, Stanley Ketchel, Ray Robinson are all up there I think... also the very underrated Freddie Steele...

silk thanx for mentioning freddie steele, he had one helluvia left hook. only man to floor gorrila jones i believe. he also knocked out granite chin ken overlin. i have steeles knock out of very durable gus lesnevich in 1 round, steele could bang! steele knocked out a lot of great durable fighters!

others

eugene cyclone hart
florentino fernandez- he flattened my family friend joe denucci, only time denucci was ever stopped
bennie briscoe
rodrigo valdez
john beast mugabi



the 1970s produced some of the hardest hitting middles ever

Yes, I've always liked Steele, very underrated... he was described by Ray Arcel as one of the hardest punchers that he had ever seen. Also we shouldn't forget Monzon and Mickey Walker both excellent punchers and how about Lou Brouillard? double world champion who is hardly mentioned today and a murderous puncher by all accounts....

gerald and robert as well.

Would put Benn, McClellen in there or are they rated at Super Middle?

Hoe about Hagler/Hearns?

Hearns
Jackson
Mugabi
McClellan
Benn

were all murderous punchers all around the same time.

Ruben Carter.

Shout out to the Ol Mongoose.....Archie Moore had approx 45 KOs as a middle. Just an inclusion, most the hard hitters have been named.

Graziano?

Hardest middleweight punchers, and 1 mention of Hagler? 52 KO's, 12 KO's in 16 world title fights.

Well Matty we must be the only ones who like him! I must say though with Hagler I always felt he just broke people rather than one punch power although he had that as well!

Arsenal wrote:Well Matty we must be the only ones who like him! I must say though with Hagler I always felt he just broke people rather than one punch power although he had that as well!

I agree, but I don't consider a guy with great one punch KO power the only means to deciding a hard puncher. Hatton hits like a brick, and he is an accumulation KO guy. Same with Hagler. He may not crack you harder once more than any other punch, but every punch is gonna be felt, no doubt.

PS: Ask jcs, I'm obsessed with Hagler, he fought out of Mass.

Im a great admirer of Hagler. One of my all time favorites. I always respcted his Proffesional approach to the game as well as his no nonsense take on all comers style. His willingness to fight all the super tough Philly middleweights on there home turf back in the seventies sealed it for me. Briscoe , Watts, Monroe, Cyclone Hart. He sought these guys out.

silkov wrote:Yes, I've always liked Steele, very underrated... he was described by Ray Arcel as one of the hardest punchers that he had ever seen. Also we shouldn't forget Monzon and Mickey Walker both excellent punchers and how about Lou Brouillard? double world champion who is hardly mentioned today and a murderous puncher by all accounts....

don't know much about lou brouillard, what can u tell me about him that i cant find on boxrec?

Someone mentioned Freddie Steele before, but Al Hostak, IMO, was probably the better pure puncher amongst Northwest Middleweights than Steele. Hostak had a long knockout string prior to winning the title, and he had pretty much everyone he fought on the canvas at some point during a fight, with the exception of Ken Overlin.

tegenm wrote:Someone mentioned Freddie Steele before, but Al Hostak, IMO, was probably the better pure puncher amongst Northwest Middleweights than Steele. Hostak had a long knockout string prior to winning the title, and he had pretty much everyone he fought on the canvas at some point during a fight, with the exception of Ken Overlin.

good point. just remember, steele knocked out overlin

Julian Jackson.

Honourable mention to John Mugabi.

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:

silkov wrote:Yes, I've always liked Steele, very underrated... he was described by Ray Arcel as one of the hardest punchers that he had ever seen. Also we shouldn't forget Monzon and Mickey Walker both excellent punchers and how about Lou Brouillard? double world champion who is hardly mentioned today and a murderous puncher by all accounts....

don't know much about lou brouillard, what can u tell me about him that i cant find on boxrec?

The youngest man to win the Welterweight title... a double champ at 21... Lou was robbed so I've read in his two fights with Marcel Thil as he was penalised rounds for low blows... very tough fighter and a deadly body puncher...

florentino fernandez another name i want to throw out there. the man could wack! in case ur skeptical about fernandez's power, he knocked out a prime jose torres!

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:

tegenm wrote:Someone mentioned Freddie Steele before, but Al Hostak, IMO, was probably the better pure puncher amongst Northwest Middleweights than Steele. Hostak had a long knockout string prior to winning the title, and he had pretty much everyone he fought on the canvas at some point during a fight, with the exception of Ken Overlin.

good point. just remember, steele knocked out overlin

Yes, that is impressive, along with Freddie's annihilation of Gus Lesnevich. Hostak had problems with good boxers, and Overlin was perhaps the best pure boxer of his era.