Was Earnie shavers really the hardest hitter of all time?

[TitoFan]

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.

[IamInuit]

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.

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.

[OMGWTF]

oh yes he was the black destroyer----

best earnie hl ever thanks bro!!!

[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.

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.

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.

[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!

[IamInuit]

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!

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.

[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!

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.

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?

[Fenster]

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.

[THE PHILOSOPHER]

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?

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.

[greynotsoold]

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.

[TysonBomb]

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?

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.

Bruno had his measured on a machine.

I'll try and fight that article about it.

[brocktonblockbust]

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?

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.

Bruno had his measured on a machine.

I'll try and fight that article about it.

yes give it a good uppercut before reading it