Quote Originally Posted by Alan McDougall View Post
Hey I am new but a boxing fan of many years

For the past few years I have concentrated on the heavy weights , over time

By carefully watching videos and TV of great heavy weight fights over the the last century and even into this century of 2009 I am convinced at his best Mike Tyson was both the hardest puncher in heavy weight boxing history. And potentially the greatest of all time, until sadly his money grabbing wife mother in-law and Don King came in and messed up his boxing life

He punched much like the great Joe Louis, short hard and accurate, but with much more power

What people don't remember is he was bigger and stronger than the likes of Sonny Liston, as big as George Foreman in fact, but 100% dynamic muscle

He was the most magnificent physical specimen ever to embrace the boxing arena and it still greatly saddens me that he was never allowed to fulfil his true awesome boxing potential


George Foreman , a really nice guy, also was a very hard puncher maybe the next hardest after Tyson at his very best

Tyson might have had problems with the very tall Foreman and his powerful clubbing punches. Foreman liked fighting shorter opponents and this might have been a factor if both had met at the very best

Alan of South Africa
I think Messrs Muhammad Ali & Larry Holmes can answer this question:-

Ali fought Earnie Shavers (plus a host of other big punchers) & said Earnie was the hardest puncher he had ever faced.

Holmes fought both Shavers & Tyson & after the Tyson fight, someone asked Larry about the relative punch power of the 2 fighters: Larry replied, "Being hit by Tyson was like being hit by a Corvette, but being hit by Shavers was like being hit by a truck!"

That should answer the question, although I do believe that Mike Tyson is the HW champ of the past that would most likely KO an iron chinned opponent due to his speed & combos, although he wasn't as heavy handed as Shavers or even Foreman.