BoxRec

In one of the multiple threads on Tyson I stated that Jose Ribalta said to me that Mike was not the hardest puncher he had ever fought, rating Bone Crusher as a harder slugger. Ribalta said that Tyson was so destructive not because of numbing power but because he threw a lot more than other heavyweights and he mixed his punches in combos, which Smith and others did not, being one blast at a time fighters.

Since several asked for more info, I talked to Jose a few minutes ago and he states that the hardest puncher was Smith, followed by Frank Bruno and Razor Ruddock. Jose also sparred with Cooney and states that Cooney was a very good puncher.

He reiterated that although these four could hit harder than Tyson punch by punch, Tyson -at the time- was a good combination puncher with an agressive attack that blitzed other fighters.

Why have you come to us now with this information?....the Tyson fans are sure to burn boxrec to the ground for sharing what they will surely intrepret as blasphemy.

I hope you are willing to take responsiblity for the ensuing destruction.

Thats not the first time a fighter has said The Boncrusher was the hardest puncher they ever faced, plus if you look at some of his fights and the way he would knock people out like Bruno, Witherspoon, and Weaver. But he almost never gets mentioned in anybodys hardest punchers list.

Thats because theres a serious bias against the heavies of the 80s. You only have to watch Bonecrusher to see how heavy handed he is. Remember when he was 37 years old yet could still hit Ruddock so hard that he flew across the ring??!

Anyone with the most basic grasp of boxing can comprehend what Enrique and Jose are saying, which is why the Tysonites will soon pollute this thread with abuse.

PS Bruno was the only guy i ever saw knock El Nino out COLD.

Jose's comments about blinding Bruno before the fight really deeply p#ssed him off.

Becasue of Tyson's myth it's hard to discuss his power with anyone who's a fan of his, if you say his power was anything less than the best ever you get labeled a hater.

It's clear from Tyson's fights in his prime that it's his handspeed which gets him knockouts versus the top guys, not pure power. Don't get me wrong I think Tyson had worldclass power, but imagine how lethal he would have been with say Liston or Shavers power, no heavywieght in history would have got out of round one.

Many of Tyson's fans seem to have troble making the distinction between having great power and being a great puncher.

Another reason I believe Bonecrusher is overlooked for his power is he is not an all time great. I think when compiling a list a person is more prone to fill his list with all time greats even if the category is hardest puncher.

kick asner wrote:Another reason I believe Bonecrusher is overlooked for his power is he is not an all time great. I think when compiling a list a person is more prone to fill his list with all time greats even if the category is hardest puncher.

True. I once saw Ali listed in the top 10 HW punchers in KO or some other mag

enrique wrote:In one of the multiple threads on Tyson I stated that Jose Ribalta said to me that Mike was not the hardest puncher he had ever fought, rating Bone Crusher as a harder slugger. Ribalta said that Tyson was so destructive not because of numbing power but because he threw a lot more than other heavyweights and he mixed his punches in combos, which Smith and others did not, being one blast at a time fighters.

Since several asked for more info, I talked to Jose a few minutes ago and he states that the hardest puncher was Smith, followed by Frank Bruno and Razor Ruddock. Jose also sparred with Cooney and states that Cooney was a very good puncher.

He reiterated that although these four could hit harder than Tyson punch by punch, Tyson -at the time- was a good combination puncher with an agressive attack that blitzed other fighters.

ribalta is a lying turd. The only guys who hit harder than tyson were foreman and shavers. If those guys hit harder than tyson then how come tysons punches made more of a thud on impact . the louder the thud the bigger the impact .

red rose wrote:the louder the thud the bigger the impact .

I disagree completely.

red rose wrote: ribalta is a lying turd. The only guys who hit harder than tyson were foreman and shavers. If those guys hit harder than tyson then how come tysons punches made more of a thud on impact . the louder the thud the bigger the impact .

One of the stupidest comments ever committed to Boxrec.

I guess in your mind Jose Ribalta has some mysterious agenda against Tyson?

Judging by Red Rose's writing, we are dealing with a mouthy pre-pubescent here, i think we should act appropriately and not give the troll the attention it seeks.

red rose wrote:If those guys hit harder than tyson then how come tysons punches made more of a thud on impact . the louder the thud the bigger the impact .

Oh Jesus!

Long deep breaths everyone.............. and relax.

KOJOE90 wrote:

red rose wrote:the louder the thud the bigger the impact .

I disagree completely.

I agree with your disagreeance

dear Mr.Red Rose:

Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom used to hit with open gloves and those made a big thud sound..... so I guess that would make him a killer.

Seriously, you call Ribalta a turd.... this is a man who fought a dozen world champions and win or lose gave it his best... and to you he's a turd because he gives his opinion based on his experience.

My friend, take a look in the mirror.... you might not like what you see...

what ribalta says about smith and bruno hitting harder than tyson is bullshit . bruno and tysons power was measured and tyson was found to hit harder than bruno . Tony tubbs fought smith and tyson and tubbs said that tyson hit harder than smith . Michael spinks said that tyson hit harder than cooney . The lesson is that what a fighter says abut who hit harder is very subjective.

red rose wrote:bruno and tysons power was measured and tyson was found to hit harder than bruno .

Jose Ribalta also measured this and found the opposite ;) No need to take this thread as a slight on Tyson. He had excellent power but in testament to his ability he also had fantastic handspeed and threw excellent combinations. Certainly far better than Bonecrusher or Bruno. Some of the best I've ever seen from a heavyweight infact. Some Tyson lovers focus too much on his power and actually fail to recognise the mans full repertoire.

red rose wrote:what ribalta says about smith and bruno hitting harder than tyson is bullshit . bruno and tysons power was measured and tyson was found to hit harder than bruno . Tony tubbs fought smith and tyson and tubbs said that tyson hit harder than smith . Michael spinks said that tyson hit harder than cooney . The lesson is that what a fighter says abut who hit harder is very subjective.

Not for the first time i ask you to cite your references regarding this- I have never heard Tubbs make any sort of remark.

Spinks ditto, and these are two of my favourites & i follow them closely.

I cant believe we're wasting our time trying to converse with this poisonous & offensive troll...

red rose wrote:what ribalta says about smith and bruno hitting harder than tyson is bullshit . bruno and tysons power was measured and tyson was found to hit harder than bruno . Tony tubbs fought smith and tyson and tubbs said that tyson hit harder than smith . Michael spinks said that tyson hit harder than cooney . The lesson is that what a fighter says abut who hit harder is very subjective.

One thing that is important not to overlook is you can take a big puncher and he can go a whole fight and not land any real shots of consequince. Sometimes that was the case with the Bonecrusher, but that doesn't make him less powerful, just a simple fact of him not always landing his best shot in a fight.

red rose wrote:what ribalta says about smith and bruno hitting harder than tyson is bullshit . bruno and tysons power was measured and tyson was found to hit harder than bruno .

it was the other way round mate, i remember at the time they measured a few fighters punches and bruno came out on top.
i seem to remember these scientists were comparing bruno`s right to getting hit by a car at 30mph or a great white shark bite or something stupid like that.
i think half of these scientists that do these surveys know as much about science as i do.
which isnt much....

What is Ribalta up to these days?

Taylor wrote:What is Ribalta up to these days?

I think he is training a few amateurs and training a few 'white collar' fighters.

Cool...Thanks,KOJOE90

Ribalta got out of boxing owning his own home and one rental property. He has a full time job in school security with the Miami Dade Board of education. He trains a few pros and white collar wanna be boxers. He is considering writing a book in which I'm his co author and he relates his life and experiences. I have about 10,000 words of notes so far.

headhunter wrote:

red rose wrote:what ribalta says about smith and bruno hitting harder than tyson is bullshit . bruno and tysons power was measured and tyson was found to hit harder than bruno .

it was the other way round mate, i remember at the time they measured a few fighters punches and bruno came out on top.
i seem to remember these scientists were comparing bruno`s right to getting hit by a car at 30mph or a great white shark bite or something stupid like that.
i think half of these scientists that do these surveys know as much about science as i do.
which isnt much....

Now THAT i do recall. I remember hearing about Brunos punch being compared to being hit by a truck or something.

If Tyson and Bruno were to stand in front of some computer measured punch bag or whatever and both hit as hard as possible with their right, IMO Bruno would come out on top everytime. Looks like he did, too. Not that it made any difference in their fights, but again that is not what we're discussing.