I think that there are punchers, and there are punchers.

The blow that knocks you cold is the one you never see coming .... whereas people can stand up to much heavier punches if they see it and can subconsciously tense up ready for it etc.

Personally, I think that someone like Tyson or (to a slightly lesser extent) Dempsey, attacked so ferociously and threw bunches of combinations so that the final blow landed was either unseen by the other guy, or landed while he was on the way down. Frazier's wide left hook (which was a bit of a freakish punch as he could not straighten his left arm fully, after a childhood accident) was also like a bolt from the blue and took people out who had not even seen it coming. I guess that the reason that someone like Ingemar Johansson being such a destroyer - without being a devastating pure puncher - was he could hit you so fast you never even saw it.

Marciano was just a guy who would hit you anywhere he could, as hard as he could - knowing it would wear you down. The Rock, didn't knock people cold .... he budgeoned them to smithereens until they couldn't get up any more. Pure power.

I think that Sam Peter probably most closely resembles someone like Sonny Liston. A big solid guy, slightly ponderous, but each shot is thrown with lots of power. That's why Sonny could be outboxed and sometimes ran out of steam even early in his career ... and I think Peter will be the same. If you stand in front of either guy, you are probably going to get stiffed because they both have solid chins and are pretty tough cookies.

For me, the greatest heavyweight puncher of all was Joe Louis.

I didn't say he was the hardest, nor the fastest ..... but he is the hardest and the fastest (if you know what I mean). The guy absolutely controlled distance, and when he got close he was a wrecking machine ..... fast, hard, multiple combinations that you never saw coming. He had everything in terms of an offensive arsenal.

So, I don't think Peter punches harder than Marciano, Foreman or Liston (if you just measured the psi). I think that he might well punch harder than Dempsey or Tyson but they were faster and threw combinations better.

I'd have him on a par with Liston ..... BUT his career needs more time until he can get truly ranked and remembered. Don't forget that those other guys were undisputed all time greats and Peter most certainly is not yet.

I think Louis hit as hard as Peter, but was a more precise hitter, he also threw better combinations and was a better finisher once the other guy was hurt !!