Was Earnie shavers really the hardest hitter of all time?

I always believed that he was, but he was fairly light and not that fast, I think there is a possibility that he used and had alot of strength in his punches and thats why all the guys he faced said they HURT the most but they might not actually be as powerful as say a Tyson punch!? (Which wouldnt hurt as much but was more likely to put you to sleep)

I look at Tyson putting away huge guys and then I look at Earnies KO highlights and they arnt anywhere near as impressive as in he didnt put away many big guys like Tyson did.

I dont really know though thats my uneducated guess, what do you think?

No one will ever know.
Unless we put every boxer that ever lived on that sport science program and test their punching power.

Even then, thats an experiment and wont take into consideration the adrenaline, fear and confidence you have in the ring to give you that extra bit of edge to push those punches.

Heavyweights will always hit the hardest but if you look at it from a pound for pound status who hit the hardest i would say a toss up of hitman hearns, julian jackson, nazeem hamed (sort off!).

Ali said earnie was the hardest hitter he faced so those words alone put him right up there when you look at who ali faced..

Nobody knows

Unless you can bring a prime Shavers and Tyson back along with Foreman, Liston, Marciano and the rest of the big hitters and have them measure their punching power on one of those machines.

I know that Frank Bruno actually tested his power and had it recorded. Even stumbled on an article on it once.

The most we can do is make educated guesses based on the available evidence.

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Originally Posted by imp

No one will ever know.
Unless we put every boxer that ever lived on that sport science program and test their punching power.

Even then, thats an experiment and wont take into consideration the adrenaline, fear and confidence you have in the ring to give you that extra bit of edge to push those punches.

Heavyweights will always hit the hardest but if you look at it from a pound for pound status who hit the hardest i would say a toss up of hitman hearns, julian jackson, nazeem hamed (sort off!).

Ali said earnie was the hardest hitter he faced so those words alone put him right up there when you look at who ali faced..

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also have to factor counter punching, your opponents own movements for example weaving into a punch, etc. so there would never be a definite answer, and I'd put Gomez ahead of Hamed on the list though, just my opinion

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Originally Posted by imp

No one will ever know.
Unless we put every boxer that ever lived on that sport science program and test their punching power.

Even then, thats an experiment and wont take into consideration the adrenaline, fear and confidence you have in the ring to give you that extra bit of edge to push those punches.

Heavyweights will always hit the hardest but if you look at it from a pound for pound status who hit the hardest i would say a toss up of hitman hearns, julian jackson, nazeem hamed (sort off!).

Ali said earnie was the hardest hitter he faced so those words alone put him right up there when you look at who ali faced..

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Good post and I think its wrong to always default to the heavyweights. I personally believe that the stronger punchers throughout history are/were much smaller men. Knockouts just look bigger and most people including non boxing fans can usually tell you who the heavyweight champion is.

In addition its the when a punch lands which is what @ElTerribleMorales touched on. Most recently for example the punch that put Manny in a coma. Marquez is not a 0ne punch ko artist and yet that punch delivered in the exact same matter would have most likely stopped anyone in the division and probably a lot of people north of 147. Same with the Marciano shot on Walcott. That punch probably ko's Chuvalo.

Yes from what people that have felt his power said Shavers power was the hardest and some of these opponents fought Foreman and Fraizier.

I would say that with today's superior athletes, Earnie's power was probably surpassed by several guys over the years. As hard as he hit, to me it's hard to imagine that Earnie, at 210-215, had the same power as a goliath like, let's say, Samuel Peter, at 250-260.

But it's hard to argue his status when guys like Ali, Holmes, and other guys from that time period say he was the hardest puncher. For that time, I'd say he was the biggest puncher. His power carried him very well, because unlike Foreman, Earnie didn't have the best heart, chin or stamina.

OH YES HE WAS THE BLACK DESTROYER----

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oVgH6sIBuc

How did Holmes and Ali take those right hands.

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Originally Posted by Master

How did Holmes and Ali take those right hands.

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great question mate--I am convinced that Holmes Ali and Foreman had the best fucking chins in the History of Boxing well atleast heavyweights. Thats the only way they took repeated eright hand Nightmare Missiles from Earnie.

Can you imagine the Klitschkos taking those right hands? hahhahaha they'd wake up in Kiev on a fucking stretcher with an IV in their arms.

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

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Originally Posted by Master

How did Holmes and Ali take those right hands.

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great question mate--I am convinced that Holmes Ali and Foreman had the best fucking chins in the History of Boxing well atleast heavyweights. Thats the only way they took repeated eright hand Nightmare Missiles from Earnie.

Can you imagine the Klitschkos taking those right hands? hahhahaha they'd wake up in Kiev on a fucking stretcher with an IV in their arms.

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The wind from those punches would make Waldo do a 720 spin right out of the ring

http://www.boxingnews24.com/wp-conte...ter3636331.jpg

And who knows how many cuts Vitali would have .. dude would probably looked like he was mauled by a giant Kodiak bear ... especially if he could barely handle Lennox Lewis's punches

http://dugger-s-ranch.2299399.n4.nab...hko_03_500.jpg

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

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Originally Posted by Master

How did Holmes and Ali take those right hands.

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great question mate--I am convinced that Holmes Ali and Foreman had the best fucking chins in the History of Boxing well atleast heavyweights. Thats the only way they took repeated eright hand Nightmare Missiles from Earnie.

Can you imagine the Klitschkos taking those right hands? hahhahaha they'd wake up in Kiev on a fucking stretcher with an IV in their arms.

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The wind from those punches would make Waldo do a 720 spin right out of the ring

http://www.boxingnews24.com/wp-conte...ter3636331.jpg

And who knows how many cuts Vitali would have .. dude would probably looked like he was mauled by a giant Kodiak bear ... especially if he could barely handle Lennox Lewis's punches

http://dugger-s-ranch.2299399.n4.nab...hko_03_500.jpg

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yeah the Lummox had to hit you at the right angle or his power was mediocre vis a vis his enormous size and reach. If he didnt get that right distance for his punch to land at its fullest extension he was just a hard hitter and little more. If Big George hit you even a glancing shot or Rocky or Earnie you would be dreaming of Little Bo Peep.

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

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Originally Posted by Master

How did Holmes and Ali take those right hands.

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great question mate--I am convinced that Holmes Ali and Foreman had the best fucking chins in the History of Boxing well atleast heavyweights. Thats the only way they took repeated eright hand Nightmare Missiles from Earnie.

Can you imagine the Klitschkos taking those right hands? hahhahaha they'd wake up in Kiev on a fucking stretcher with an IV in their arms.

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The wind from those punches would make Waldo do a 720 spin right out of the ring

http://www.boxingnews24.com/wp-conte...ter3636331.jpg

And who knows how many cuts Vitali would have .. dude would probably looked like he was mauled by a giant Kodiak bear ... especially if he could barely handle Lennox Lewis's punches

http://dugger-s-ranch.2299399.n4.nab...hko_03_500.jpg

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yeah the Lummox had to hit you at the right angle or his power was mediocre vis a vis his enormous size and reach. If he didnt get that right distance for his punch to land at its fullest extension he was just a hard hitter and little more. If Big George hit you even a glancing shot or Rocky or Earnie you would be dreaming of Little Bo Peep.

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Haha yeah ... I remember Oliver McCall saying that Lennox had overrated power ...Lennox was powerful, no doubt, but not as powerful as some make him out to be

Here's that interview with McCall btw ... he rates Lennox as around the 5th hardest puncher he fought ... Buster Douglas hit harder than Lennox according to him

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Boxinginsider.com: Who else was up there? Lennox?
Oliver McCall: “No, Lennox wasn’t one of the hardest punchers that I – Buster Douglas hit me harder than Lennox did. Right hand.”
Boxinginsider.com: How about Tyson? He has to be up there?
Oliver McCall: “Tyson’s right there too. Lennox would probably be about fifth.”

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Interview with Oliver McCall

OK and thats 5th place among heavyweights who fought in the brief period from the late 80s to the late 90s. Imagine throwing in punchers like Langford and Scmeling and Louis and Dempsey and Jimmy Bivins etc. I think Lennox would then come in 15th or so.

Sweriously some people like Jess Willard and Lennox were just really hard punchers having the 250 pounds behind their shots, I mean even a tree falling from 6 ft 4 inches high would hurt somebody.

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

OK and thats 5th place among heavyweights who fought in the brief period from the late 80s to the late 90s. Imagine throwing in punchers like Langford and Scmeling and Louis and Dempsey and Jimmy Bivins etc. I think Lennox would then come in 15th or so.

Sweriously some people like Jess Willard and Lennox were just really hard punchers having the 250 pounds behind their shots, I mean even a tree falling from 6 ft 4 inches high would hurt somebody.

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That's 5th among the guys McCall has fought ... and he didn't fight everyone from the 80s and 90s so we can't even say he's 5th among all of the heavyweights from the 80s and 90s, just 5th from the guys Oliver McCall fought.

I have no idea where I'd rank Lennox but his power is overrated IMO. He looks good against hype jobs like Michael Grant or guys suffering from local anesthetic toxicity like Andrew Golota but his power is not that special. Wlad looks like he hits harder.

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

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Originally Posted by Master

How did Holmes and Ali take those right hands.

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great question mate--I am convinced that Holmes Ali and Foreman had the best fucking chins in the History of Boxing well atleast heavyweights. Thats the only way they took repeated eright hand Nightmare Missiles from Earnie.

Can you imagine the Klitschkos taking those right hands? hahhahaha they'd wake up in Kiev on a fucking stretcher with an IV in their arms.

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The wind from those punches would make Waldo do a 720 spin right out of the ring

http://www.boxingnews24.com/wp-conte...ter3636331.jpg

And who knows how many cuts Vitali would have .. dude would probably looked like he was mauled by a giant Kodiak bear ... especially if he could barely handle Lennox Lewis's punches

http://dugger-s-ranch.2299399.n4.nab...hko_03_500.jpg

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yeah the Lummox had to hit you at the right angle or his power was mediocre vis a vis his enormous size and reach. If he didnt get that right distance for his punch to land at its fullest extension he was just a hard hitter and little more. If Big George hit you even a glancing shot or Rocky or Earnie you would be dreaming of Little Bo Peep.

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Haha yeah ... I remember Oliver McCall saying that Lennox had overrated power ...Lennox was powerful, no doubt, but not as powerful as some make him out to be

Here's that interview with McCall btw ... he rates Lennox as around the 5th hardest puncher he fought ... Buster Douglas hit harder than Lennox according to him

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Boxinginsider.com: Who else was up there? Lennox?
Oliver McCall: “No, Lennox wasn’t one of the hardest punchers that I – Buster Douglas hit me harder than Lennox did. Right hand.”
Boxinginsider.com: How about Tyson? He has to be up there?
Oliver McCall: “Tyson’s right there too. Lennox would probably be about fifth.”

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Interview with Oliver McCall

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McCall is full of Krap he could take a punch but both Lennox and even a robotic Bruno rocked him. Lewis was way more than he could handle and he folded. The man is just bitter. Lewis whilst certainly not being the biggest hitting heavyweight had his fair share of stoppages.

LOL Bruno was one of the strongest punchers ever and hits harder than Lewis ever could.

He hurt Lewis worst than he hurt McCall .. who seemed mildly affected. McCall probably has the best chin EVER for a heavyweight ... I'm sure he's more of an authority than you.

Lewis couldn't even make him flinch.

And we're talking about punching power, not who was the better heavyweight. Lewis had no effect on McCall. I'm sure he's bitter after easily KTFO Lewis with one shot and having him stumble all over the place :D . Lewis couldn't even hurt a guy who he pulled out of rehab to fight who had his hands to his sides and was taking clean punches to the face.

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

OK and thats 5th place among heavyweights who fought in the brief period from the late 80s to the late 90s. Imagine throwing in punchers like Langford and Scmeling and Louis and Dempsey and Jimmy Bivins etc. I think Lennox would then come in 15th or so.

Sweriously some people like Jess Willard and Lennox were just really hard punchers having the 250 pounds behind their shots, I mean even a tree falling from 6 ft 4 inches high would hurt somebody.

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That's 5th among the guys McCall has fought ... and he didn't fight everyone from the 80s and 90s so we can't even say he's 5th among all of the heavyweights from the 80s and 90s, just 5th from the guys Oliver McCall fought.

I have no idea where I'd rank Lennox but his power is overrated IMO. He looks good against hype jobs like Michael Grant or guys suffering from local anesthetic toxicity like Andrew Golota but his power is not that special. Wlad looks like he hits harder.

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Lennox could smoke you but only with certain angled punches at the right distance of the extension. Marciano could smoke you period.

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

LOL Bruno was one of the strongest punchers ever and hits harder than Lewis ever could.

He hurt Lewis worst than he hurt McCall .. who seemed mildly affected. McCall probably has the best chin EVER for a heavyweight ... I'm sure he's more of an authority than you.

Lewis couldn't even make him flinch.

And we're talking about punching power, not who was the better heavyweight. Lewis had no effect on McCall. I'm sure he's bitter after easily KTFO Lewis with one shot and having him stumble all over the place :D . Lewis couldn't even hurt a guy who he pulled out of rehab to fight who had his hands to his sides and was taking clean punches to the face.

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Lewis was never hurt by Bruno and McCall was probably whacked on something when he broke down in the ring and also had more chin then a Chinese phone-book.

Not sure where this "right angle" nonsense comes from for his right hand to be effective. Anybody with a right hand like that looks for the best time to throw it, Btw it was a left hook that originally hurt Bruno and then a couple of right uppercuts that sealed the deal.

Lewis had the hardest jab in boxing history and being hit by it was like being hit by a power shot from other people and he had one shot stopping power. If he dropped that right hook on you at a 45 degree angle or a 60 degree angle 99% of people are taking a nap.

Lennox could say it is harder to knock someone out with their hands down, not throwing any punches of their own and watching all the punches coming at them.

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Originally Posted by IamInuit

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

LOL Bruno was one of the strongest punchers ever and hits harder than Lewis ever could.

He hurt Lewis worst than he hurt McCall .. who seemed mildly affected. McCall probably has the best chin EVER for a heavyweight ... I'm sure he's more of an authority than you.

Lewis couldn't even make him flinch.

And we're talking about punching power, not who was the better heavyweight. Lewis had no effect on McCall. I'm sure he's bitter after easily KTFO Lewis with one shot and having him stumble all over the place :D . Lewis couldn't even hurt a guy who he pulled out of rehab to fight who had his hands to his sides and was taking clean punches to the face.

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Lewis was never hurt by Bruno and McCall was probably whacked on something when he broke down in the ring and also had more chin then a Chinese phone-book.

Not sure where this "right angle" nonsense comes from for his right hand to be effective. Anybody with a right hand like that looks for the best time to throw it, Btw it was a left hook that originally hurt Bruno and then a couple of right uppercuts that sealed the deal.

Lewis had the hardest jab in boxing history and being hit by it was like being hit by a power shot from other people and he had one shot stopping power. If he dropped that right hook on you at a 45 degree angle or a 60 degree angle 99% of people are taking a nap.

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I'll have to rewatch Bruno vs. Lewis again but I'm almost certain Lewis was hurt by Bruno at some point. Bruno hit harder than Lewis, that is something I'm almost sure of.

McCall is a freak with a superhuman chin but he's actually the one taking these punches so he would know better than any of us.

You're getting carried away now ... lol no way does Lewis have a hardest jab ever ... guys like Foreman, Liston and even Frank Bruno who we've been mentioning had a harder jab than Lewis ... Wlad, his successor, also appears to have a more powerful jab. Lewis is getting overrated in terms of power.

I've seen interviews with guys like Holyfield and Ray Mercer and neither of them rate Lewis as the strongest puncher they've faced ... Holyfield claimed that Foreman hit him the hardest. Bert Cooper seemed to hurt Holyfield more than Lewis and so did Riddick Bowe. Mercer said that Tommy Morrison hit him the hardest. I know for a fact Frank Bruno will tell you that Tyson hits harder than Lewis.

Frans Botha also said that Tyson was the hardest puncher he fought and not Lennox Lewis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbws_ckbxLg

I doubt any of Mike's leftovers that Lewis fought (he fought A LOT of them) would tell you that Lennox Lewis hit them the hardest.

Lennox Lewis was powerful and had a dynamite right hand but his power is overrated IMO.

Bruno did wobble Lewis, think it was a right hand mid way in the fight.

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

LOL Bruno was one of the strongest punchers ever and hits harder than Lewis ever could.

He hurt Lewis worst than he hurt McCall .. who seemed mildly affected. McCall probably has the best chin EVER for a heavyweight ... I'm sure he's more of an authority than you.

Lewis couldn't even make him flinch.

And we're talking about punching power, not who was the better heavyweight. Lewis had no effect on McCall. I'm sure he's bitter after easily KTFO Lewis with one shot and having him stumble all over the place :D . Lewis couldn't even hurt a guy who he pulled out of rehab to fight who had his hands to his sides and was taking clean punches to the face.

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Uhm...LOL? seriously do people really still say that? I am quite aware of Big Franks power and consequently made no claims that Lewis hit harder than arry's mate. McCall was more than mildly affected by Frank and while never looking like going down was clearly rocked a few times. You want me to believe McCall the guy who threatened to turn Frank into a vegetable and make him pay for what Benn did to his friend McClellan ? Lewis hit plenty hard enough and a coked up Oliver McCall claiming otherwise is hardly admissible evidence when the guy making the claim according to you had the best chin ever.

I don't know what you're talking about dude

All I'm saying is that:

- Frank Bruno hit harder than Lennox Lewis for sure.
- Lennox Lewis had good power in his right hand but its overrated. His jab is also not the strongest jab ever, he has a strong jab but its not THAT strong.
- Oliver McCall had probably the best chin ever. He took punishment from very heavy punchers and has NEVER gone down ... at best he may have been stunned. 300 rounds in sparring with Tyson. Fights with Bruno, Lewis, Douglas, Bert Cooper, a bunch of other heavy hitters and being able to last until his 40s without ever really being hurt. His chin is even better than Chuvalos who was floored before by Bonavena. He's literally un-knockout-able. He would've KOed Lewis again if he fought while not in rehab.

Why would anybody consider McCall an authority on the power of Lennox's punches? Their first fight didn't last long enough for Lennox to get anything going. The second fight ended with McCall bawling and refusing to fight. Lennox was denied the same payback he got against Rahman.

Lennox often seemed aloof in his fights, and didn't throw everything with bad intentions. But he was certainly capable of the big, one-punch knockout, as Rahman and Mike Tyson can certainly attest to.

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

Why would anybody consider McCall an authority on the power of Lennox's punches? Their first fight didn't last long enough for Lennox to get anything going. The second fight ended with McCall bawling and refusing to fight. Lennox was denied the same payback he got against Rahman.

Lennox often seemed aloof in his fights, and didn't throw everything with bad intentions. But he was certainly capable of the big, one-punch knockout, as Rahman and Mike Tyson can certainly attest to.

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He KOed Rahman with a two shot combo

Tyson was a zombie by that point and had taken 8 rounds of nonstop punishment. He wanted to get it over with.

McCall had his hands to his sides and Lewis just punched him like a punching bag. McCall probably hit harder than Lewis.

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

I don't know what you're talking about dude

All I'm saying is that:

- Frank Bruno hit harder than Lennox Lewis for sure.
- Lennox Lewis had good power in his right hand but its overrated. His jab is also not the strongest jab ever, he has a strong jab but its not THAT strong.
- Oliver McCall had probably the best chin ever. He took punishment from very heavy punchers and has NEVER gone down ... at best he may have been stunned. 300 rounds in sparring with Tyson. Fights with Bruno, Lewis, Douglas, Bert Cooper, a bunch of other heavy hitters and being able to last until his 40s without ever really being hurt. His chin is even better than Chuvalos who was floored before by Bonavena. He's literally un-knockout-able. He would've KOed Lewis again if he fought while not in rehab.

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Thats cool I never Know what i am talking about ,I met Bruno Once and he called me Guvnor, nowhere near as big as I thought he was going to be but nice guy.

Lewis lands some thundering punches

No effect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjrGcoY2LRo

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

Lewis lands some thundering punches

No effect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjrGcoY2LRo

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As much as it bored me to tears, I watched the vid (again).
I saw the following:



1. McCall dancing and moving away from the big shots in the beginning, lessening their impact.

2. Lots of arm blocking by McCall.

3. He had his arms down, but walked away a lot... and swayed at the waist, away from Lewis's punches.

4. Lewis, who must have been bewildered by it all, never went in full bore in an all-out effort to finish the fight. He may have thought McCall was playing possum.

5. Once in awhile, yeah... a flush shot. We've already established McCall has a good chin.



Sorry... none of this proves Lewis wasn't a big puncher.
All it does is prove that McCall was by no means in the emotional state to fight, much less post-fight analysis of who punches harder between Lewis and anybody else.

No one said he wasn't a powerful puncher ... just not as powerful as some of the elites

And yeah McCall would know better than any of you. Lewis's win over McCall is tainted ... he took a man out of rehab to fight when he should have been no where near a boxing ring.

Had the rematch been a normal fight, I'd be more tempted to put some weight on any opinion McCall might have had. But the guy obviously had other issues. Under those circumstances, the last thing on the guy's mind was to be able to give a solid, accurate opinion about opponents' punching power. And if McCall was in no shape to fight, which he obviously wasn't, it was up to himself and his handlers to say so, and stop the fight from happening. Once you lace up the gloves and step into that ring, all bets are off. Personally, I was disgusted and thought it was a total lack of respect for the fans who paid good money to watch that sham.

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

You're getting carried away now ... lol no way does Lewis have a hardest jab ever ... guys like Foreman, Liston and even Frank Bruno who we've been mentioning had a harder jab than Lewis ... Wlad, his successor, also appears to have a more powerful jab. Lewis is getting overrated in terms of power.

I've seen interviews with guys like Holyfield and Ray Mercer and neither of them rate Lewis as the strongest puncher they've faced ... Holyfield claimed that Foreman hit him the hardest. Bert Cooper seemed to hurt Holyfield more than Lewis and so did Riddick Bowe. Mercer said that Tommy Morrison hit him the hardest. I know for a fact Frank Bruno will tell you that Tyson hits harder than Lewis.

Frans Botha also said that Tyson was the hardest puncher he fought and not Lennox Lewis

I doubt any of Mike's leftovers that Lewis fought (he fought A LOT of them) would tell you that Lennox Lewis hit them the hardest.

Lennox Lewis was powerful and had a dynamite right hand but his power is overrated IMO.

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I don't think I'm getting carried away at all. Lennox had a jab from hell and I'll bet if you ask anyone he faced they would sustain that. He was also a supremely hard puncher. Power punches are harder to measure because the "when" it lands is a big part part of that measuring. Holyfied btw would never admit that Lennox was the hardest puncher he faced and Mercer probably includes him. Ftr I never said he was the hardest puncher in history. I said I believe him to have the heaviest jab in history and a right hand that could most likely put most people to sleep. His left hook isn't that bad either.

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

oh yes he was the black destroyer----

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ovgh6sibuc

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best earnie hl ever thanks bro!!!

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Originally Posted by IamInuit

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Originally Posted by TysonBomb

You're getting carried away now ... lol no way does Lewis have a hardest jab ever ... guys like Foreman, Liston and even Frank Bruno who we've been mentioning had a harder jab than Lewis ... Wlad, his successor, also appears to have a more powerful jab. Lewis is getting overrated in terms of power.

I've seen interviews with guys like Holyfield and Ray Mercer and neither of them rate Lewis as the strongest puncher they've faced ... Holyfield claimed that Foreman hit him the hardest. Bert Cooper seemed to hurt Holyfield more than Lewis and so did Riddick Bowe. Mercer said that Tommy Morrison hit him the hardest. I know for a fact Frank Bruno will tell you that Tyson hits harder than Lewis.

Frans Botha also said that Tyson was the hardest puncher he fought and not Lennox Lewis

I doubt any of Mike's leftovers that Lewis fought (he fought A LOT of them) would tell you that Lennox Lewis hit them the hardest.

Lennox Lewis was powerful and had a dynamite right hand but his power is overrated IMO.

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I don't think I'm getting carried away at all. Lennox had a jab from hell and I'll bet if you ask anyone he faced they would sustain that. He was also a supremely hard puncher. Power punches are harder to measure because the "when" it lands is a big part part of that measuring. Holyfied btw would never admit that Lennox was the hardest puncher he faced and Mercer probably includes him. Ftr I never said he was the hardest puncher in history. I said I believe him to have the heaviest jab in history and a right hand that could most likely put most people to sleep. His left hook isn't that bad either.

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Wlad looks like he jabs harder than Lewis ... Lewis had a somewhat lazy jab ... Wlad is crisp and on point and he retracts it faster than Lewis. Liston had a harder jab and Foreman bounced peoples heads around with his jab.

I've shown interviews and quotes from plenty of fighters to prove that Lewis is not a "super puncher." Look at what Botha said.

Comparing power of jabs is interesting indeed. Foreman's jab seemed to be really devastating especially in his 2nd career. Liston had a pretty jolting jab as well. Tyson buzzed a few opponents with a heavy pole-like jab--when I say buzzed I mean hurt. I saw Joe Louis stick a few jabs that could have knocked you down if you were not really set.

Lennox Lewis definitely had a damaging jab. In fact I think it was his best punch along with his uppercut. I dont wanna say straight right hand because I think he reached his target only due to his amazing reach like when he hit Klitschko which cut his eye as Klit was backpeddling---only 84 inches of reach could have landed there!

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

Comparing power of jabs is interesting indeed. Foreman's jab seemed to be really devastating especially in his 2nd career. Liston had a pretty jolting jab as well. Tyson buzzed a few opponents with a heavy pole-like jab--when I say buzzed I mean hurt. I saw Joe Louis stick a few jabs that could have knocked you down if you were not really set.

Lennox Lewis definitely had a damaging jab. In fact I think it was his best punch along with his uppercut. I dont wanna say straight right hand because I think he reached his target only due to his amazing reach like when he hit Klitschko which cut his eye as Klit was backpeddling---only 84 inches of reach could have landed there!

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Good post. That is what used to bug me most about Williams. An 80" reach and 6'1'' who fought like he was 5 foot 7 with a Marciano reach when he could have made things so much easier on himself. He would get drawn into the phone booth and lose all his physical advantages.

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Originally Posted by IamInuit

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

Comparing power of jabs is interesting indeed. Foreman's jab seemed to be really devastating especially in his 2nd career. Liston had a pretty jolting jab as well. Tyson buzzed a few opponents with a heavy pole-like jab--when I say buzzed I mean hurt. I saw Joe Louis stick a few jabs that could have knocked you down if you were not really set.

Lennox Lewis definitely had a damaging jab. In fact I think it was his best punch along with his uppercut. I dont wanna say straight right hand because I think he reached his target only due to his amazing reach like when he hit Klitschko which cut his eye as Klit was backpeddling---only 84 inches of reach could have landed there!

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Good post. That is what used to bug me most about Williams. An 80" reach and 6'1'' who fought like he was 5 foot 7 with a Marciano reach when he could have made things so much easier on himself. He would get drawn into the phone booth and lose all his physical advantages.

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agreed. I think JJ Walcott made that mistake with Marciano. Why was he crouching down to Rocky's height and firing inside shots punch for punch?

It's common for fighters that get KO'd to say that wasn't the hardest they've been hit.

Where McCall is concerned, it's hardly surprising he didn't think someone hit hard. The Hulk wouldn't KO him. When he got arrested a few years ago it took half the Nashville Police Force and 20 taser hits to subdue him.

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Originally Posted by OMGWTF

I always believed that he was, but he was fairly light and not that fast, I think there is a possibility that he used and had alot of strength in his punches and thats why all the guys he faced said they HURT the most but they might not actually be as powerful as say a Tyson punch!? (Which wouldnt hurt as much but was more likely to put you to sleep)

I look at Tyson putting away huge guys and then I look at Earnies KO highlights and they arnt anywhere near as impressive as in he didnt put away many big guys like Tyson did.

I dont really know though thats my uneducated guess, what do you think?

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How can we measure it?? Im not so sure. I doubt he hit's harder than some of todays SHW's! A lot of mythology surounds the fighters of yesteryear.

Does anybody remember what Crowley said about magick? The proper application of the proper force, in the proper amount at the proper time? Punching power is a lot like that, in that it doesn't matter how hard you can hit, if you can't hit the other guy when he is in a position -"ready"- to be hit.
Henry Cooper, all 185 pounds of him, did a test long ago where they measured the force of his left hook, after it had traveled 5 inches- 5 inches!!-and the force was rated to be equal to a 16 pound bowling ball hitting the headpin. The point being that any trained fighter, a guy that spends all day every day practicing hitting things, can kill you with a punch. But sitting down, winding up and smashing on is a bunch different than hitting a guy that doesn't want to get it and has also spent all his time practicing hitting you.
That is why I think Joe Louis is the most effective HW puncher of all time; he could pull the trigger and finish you with either hand at any time. I think that ought to be the measure- effectiveness versus 'hardest' because that is basically irrelevant.
By the way, that cut in the Lewis/K fight, came from a glancing thumb. K rolls that punch off his shoulder as Lewis is really turning his fist, it catches K with the thumb area.