To Ken Hissner: At low weight today, WBA lightweight regular champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis went 27-0 with 25 stops. WBO International Welterweight Champion Virgil Ortiz Jr. is 19-0 with 19 stops.
Philadelphia’s most avoidable welter was top-ranked Jaron “Boots” Ennis, who went 29-0 with 27 stops. Gary Antuan Russell, 16-0 in 16 stops. Super Featherweight and Lightweight Champion Edwin “El Inca Dinamita” Valero, 27-stops for him 27-0. They’re the best punchers on average, but let’s focus on the heavyweights.
Was there a puncher harder than Earnie “Black Destroyer” Shaver, 70 stops at 76-14-1? Sonny Liston, a 50-4 champion with 39 stops, had the hardest jab. The other was champion “Big” George Foreman, who went 76-5 with 68 stops. Champion Joe “The Brown Bomber” Louie, 66-3, 52 stops. Champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder, 43-2-1, 42 stops. “Iron” Mike Tyson, 50-6, 44 stops.
Let’s start by looking at the shaver. He stopped former champion Jimmy Ellis in the first round with 43 stops in his 44-2 record. He then lost to Jerry Qualley 47-6-4. His 25 wins, the first of his career, were all by knockout.
Contender and granite-jawed Randall “Tex” Cobb said: If there is a fighter who hits harder than Shaver, I shoot him! Cobb was 16-0 when he beat the Shavers 60-9-1 in August 1980.
In March 1979, the Shavers knocked out former champion Ken Norton, 41-5. In December 1976, he was defeated in the final round by Roy “Tiger” Williams, but stopped the latter in his last 12 rounds. He went right after him and scored a stop! Only six of his 76 opponents kept the distance.
Sonny Liston He was 34-1 when he knocked out Floyd Patterson, 38-2, to win the title in September 1962. In a rematch, he knocked out Patterson again. He lost the title via suspension and a rematch with Muhammad Ali. Only 11 of his 50 opponents kept the distance.
George Foreman 1968 Olympic gold medal. In January 1973, he won the title by knocking out “Smokin” Joe Frazier. He lost his title to Muhammad Ali in October 1974.
Joe Louis Had the division record of 25 title defenses. Only 14 of his 66 opponents kept the distance. Wilder is an Olympic bronze medalist with 43 wins and he has 42 knockouts. It was the highest percentage of knockouts.
Mike Tyson 27-0 when he won the title and 37-0 when he lost it. Of the 50 opponents, only 6 kept their distance.
Although Shavers was the only one to fail to win a world title, he was for years considered the hardest puncher among heavyweights.it was Deontay Wilder Highest knockout percentage among heavyweights. So who was the hardest puncher in your opinion?
