HW Punchers - Who Faced The Five Best?

[Russell]

A game of sorts. What heavyweights faced the five best punchers? Did they live to tell the tale?

To begin, I've always been amazed by the caliber of punchers Lennox Lewis faced since he was so "chinny". His top five in my opinion, no real order, would look like...

Mike Tyson
David Tua
Shannon Briggs
Tommy Morrison

Beyond those four I think it becomes questionable. The last fighter there would either be Vitali, Ruddock, Bruno, Mason or potentially even Lionel Butler. I'm not sure who I'd favor.

Mason was really a poor mans Frank Bruno in many ways. Vitali in my opinion was a guy who wore you down, he was in no way a one punch KO artist like Tyson, Tua, Morrison or Briggs.

All said and done, a unbelievable set of punchers.

[Russell]

Ali fought a nearly unheralded level of punchers as well.

Earnie Shavers
George Foreman
Mac Foster
Sonny Liston

And then rounding that list out it'd be either Bonavena, Frazier, Moore or Patterson.

[mr. magoo]

I don't think he ever fought all five, but Everett Bigfoot Martin fought

1. George Foreman

2. James " Boncrusher" Smith

3. Tim Witherspoon

4. Michael Moorer

5. Gary Mason

6. Johny Duplooy

7. Riddick Bowe

8. Tony Tucker

9. Herbie Hide

10. Wladimir Klitschko ( twice )

11. Bert Cooper

12. Lamon Brewster

Is he still alive? Yes. Does he have a brain left????????

[Russell]

Is he still alive? Yes. Does he have a brain left????????

:lol::lol::lol:

[rydersonthestorm]

A game of sorts. What heavyweights faced the five best punchers? Did they live to tell the tale?

To begin, I've always been amazed by the caliber of punchers Lennox Lewis faced since he was so "chinny". His top five in my opinion, no real order, would look like...

Mike Tyson
David Tua
Shannon Briggs
Tommy Morrison

Beyond those four I think it becomes questionable. The last fighter there would either be Vitali, Ruddock, Bruno, Mason or potentially even Lionel Butler. I'm not sure who I'd favor.

Mason was really a poor mans Frank Bruno in many ways. Vitali in my opinion was a guy who wore you down, he was in no way a one punch KO artist like Tyson, Tua, Morrison or Briggs.

All said and done, a unbelievable set of punchers.
frank bruno was a massive puncher, his one shot power was up there with some of the very best, it was his stamina and chin that manly let him down.

[DamonD]

Marion Wilson's been in there with some crazy competition. A real who's-who, with some good punchers.

frank bruno was a massive puncher, his one shot power was up there with some of the very best, it was his stamina and chin that manly let him down.
I also feel that more fluid combinations could've made him even more deadly. Sometimes he'd have someone really stunned with a shot but would not have those follow-up punches ready that could've put them down.

Per punch, though, he was a beast.

[Russell]

Marion Wilson's been in there with some crazy competition. A real who's-who, with some good punchers.

Jaaaackhammah'! :lol:

[DamonD]

Yeah, always liked Marion :D

All those fights and just a single stoppage loss...from cuts. Combination of a tremendous chin and the ringcraft to protect himself right when hurt. A real rock. Should've had a win over Mercer too.

[Russell]

He also dropped a undefeated Jeremy William's hard, made Mercer look bad when Marion had a new and good trainer behind himself.

Took Orlin Norris to a SD, and beat the ultra dangerous Mike Hunter.

Dropped an old Greg Page, damn near knocked out Ezra Sellers, fought on with his iron chin intact TO THE FUCKING AGE OF 60.

I mean, all this with Joe Calzaghe plus level piss poor punching technique and a career that started when he was past 30 years old.

Definitely wouldn't think that by looking at his record of 40 plus losses.

[Sweet Pea]

A game of sorts. What heavyweights faced the five best punchers? Did they live to tell the tale?

To begin, I've always been amazed by the caliber of punchers Lennox Lewis faced since he was so "chinny". His top five in my opinion, no real order, would look like...

Mike Tyson
David Tua
Shannon Briggs
Tommy Morrison

Beyond those four I think it becomes questionable. The last fighter there would either be Vitali, Ruddock, Bruno, Mason or potentially even Lionel Butler. I'm not sure who I'd favor.
As far as punchers go, I'd rate Ruddock, Bruno, and Vitali over Briggs at least. Arguably Morrison and the shot version of Tyson he faced as well.

[Russell]

As far as punchers go, I'd rate Ruddock, Bruno, and Vitali over Briggs at least. Arguably Morrison and the shot version of Tyson he faced as well.

I think Ruddock's knockouts were partly due to his ability to land unorthodox shots with that "Smash" of his. He had massive power, but consider his knockout ratio wasn't terribly high.

I feel Briggs had more one shot knockout power then Ruddock, and I believe Shannon has the record for 1st round heavyweight knockouts, on top of Marion Wilson saying he was the hardest puncher he ever faced in a interview.

Tyson did say no one ever hit him harder then Ruddock, though. Not sure when that was said, or here, but still.

[DamonD]

Tyson has said that quite a bit over the years actually, and never changed.

Sometimes it's not the guys you always expect that catch you with the biggest shot of your career. McCall went 300 rounds sparring with Tyson, and yet has always said the heaviest punches he ever took were from Bert Cooper.

[Duodenum]

Louis: Max Baer, Buddy Baer, Jimmy Braddock, Tony Galento, Max Schmeling, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano, take your pick.

His chin's badly underestimated because of the number of knockdowns he sustained, but he was frequently dropped while coming in (thus magnifying the impact of those punches). Only Schmeling ever really knocked him completely senseless. (After his fight with Marciano was stopped, he did walk back to his corner under his own power after being helped up.)

[Russell]

Louis: Max Baer, Buddy Baer, Jimmy Braddock, Tony Galento, Max Schmeling, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Rocky Marciano, take your pick.

His chin's badly underestimated because of the number of knockdowns he sustained, but he was frequently dropped while coming in (thus magnifying the impact of those punches). Only Schmeling ever really knocked him completely senseless. (After his fight with Marciano was stopped, he did walk back to his corner under his own power after being helped up.)

I don't see how Braddock finds his way alongside those other punchers?

[janitor]

I don't see how Braddock finds his way alongside those other punchers?

Braddock was the Tommy Hearns of the 30s light heavyweight division before his hand problems busted him down to journeyman level.

At heavyweight he is hard to guage but Louis did say that he was one of the hardest hitters he had faced up to that point.

Some names that might have been on that list are Lou Nova, Tami Maurellio, Abe Simon.

[Duodenum]

Braddock was the Tommy Hearns of the 30s light heavyweight division before his hand problems busted him down to journeyman level.

At heavyweight he is hard to guage but Louis did say that he was one of the hardest hitters he had faced up to that point.

Some names that might have been on that list are Lou Nova, Tami Maurellio, Abe Simon.As I said, take your pick.

"Only Max Baer could hit harder than Jimmy Braddock."-Joe Louis. (I don't know when Joe said this, but it mush have been before Marciano.) Max Baer was known to have a granite chin, but Jimmy stunned him on more than one occasion, and dealt with the fast starting Louis on more than even terms over the first four rounds.

[Conn]

I don't think he ever fought all five, but Everett Bigfoot Martin fought

1. George Foreman

2. James " Boncrusher" Smith

3. Tim Witherspoon

4. Michael Moorer

5. Gary Mason

6. Johny Duplooy

7. Riddick Bowe

8. Tony Tucker

9. Herbie Hide

10. Wladimir Klitschko ( twice )

11. Bert Cooper

12. Lamon Brewster

Is he still alive? Yes. Does he have a brain left????????

He was actually just a fat light-heavyweight too !
Or a "super middle" even.

He was a gutsy fighter.


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[Foreman Hook]

He was actually just a fat light-heavyweight too !
Or a "super middle" even.

He was a gutsy fighter.


[Only registered and activated users can see links]

I have not watched that fight since 1989!! And WOW Bigfoot was a proper WARRIOR. :!:

[MMJoe]

Ali fought a nearly unheralded level of punchers as well.

Earnie Shavers
George Foreman
Mac Foster
Sonny Liston

And then rounding that list out it'd be either Bonavena, Frazier, Moore or Patterson.

True Story, Ali by far! no one else is close.
This fact of facing 5 of the heaviest punchers in the universe is evidenced by how fucked up Ali is now. None of them could KO Ali, but the effects caught up with him later.

[Conn]

Holyfield fought

Lewis
Tyson
Foreman
Bowe


... fifth place is up for grabs, I'd say Bert Cooper or Michael Moorer.

[Azzer85]

Holyfield fought some big punchers too.

Foreman
Bowe
Cooper
Tyson
Lennox

[RockysSplitNose]

Just thought I'd add on behalf of the great man Muhammad - he also dealt with Big Cat Cleveland Williams who personally I'd put in the same bracket as Shavers in terms of power - watched a documentary about the build up to Bruno Vs Jumbo Cummings where one sparring partner and one Opponent both of whom had tangled with Cleveland Williams (and Foreman & Shavers) both mentioned Cleveland Williams with those two as the biggest punchers they'd ever been in with - interestingly tho both wouldn't go as far to say Bruno was as powerful they both said he was not 'too dissimilar' - but yeah I'd put Big Cat pretty high on the list of Ali's punchers possibly on par with Shavers

[Conn]

Just thought I'd add on behalf of the great man Muhammad - he also dealt with Big Cat Cleveland Williams who personally I'd put in the same bracket as Shavers in terms of power - watched a documentary about the build up to Bruno Vs Jumbo Cummings where one sparring partner and one Opponent both of whom had tangled with Cleveland Williams (and Foreman & Shavers) both mentioned Cleveland Williams with those two as the biggest punchers they'd ever been in with - interestingly tho both wouldn't go as far to say Bruno was as powerful they both said he was not 'too dissimilar' - but yeah I'd put Big Cat pretty high on the list of Ali's punchers possibly on par with Shavers

Was Leroy Caldwell one of those guys ?

[Conn]

Speaking of Leroy Caldwell, his credentials stack up well for this thread :

He fought :

Earnie Shavers
Cleveland Williams
George Foreman
Gerrie Coetzee
Ron Lyle

[RockysSplitNose]

Yeah Leroy Caldwell yeah he was the guy they had Bruno sparring with then and he said and I'm paraphrasing here but something like "I've sparred with with some of the hardest punchers like Shavers and Big Cat Williams an I'd say Bruno is not far off those guys in punching I honestly would"

[MadcapMaxie]

Yeah Leroy Caldwell yeah he was the guy they had Bruno sparring with then and he said and I'm paraphrasing here but something like "I've sparred with with some of the hardest punchers like Shavers and Big Cat Williams an I'd say Bruno is not far off those guys in punching I honestly would"

Interesting :think
Is he the same guy who said George Foreman hit about the same as Ron Lyle and that Shavers hit harder than both togethor?

[big man]

70's journeyman heavyweight Ted Gullick fought:
Cleveland Williams
Earnie Shavers
George Foreman (He fought Foreman and Shavers in b2b fights !!)
Duane Bobick (yeah I know he was no great shakes but he was 18-0 {18 ko's} going in)

[fists of fury]

Holyfield fought some big punchers too.

Foreman
Bowe
Cooper
Tyson
Lennox

As well as Moorer and Mercer, although Mercer wasn't a real huge hitter, but he could crack.

[DonBoxer]

Holyfield fought some big punchers too.

Foreman
Bowe
Cooper
Tyson
Lennox

Exactly who i thought of when i saw the title.

[Azzer85]

As well as Moorer and Mercer, although Mercer wasn't a real huge hitter, but he could crack.

Hmm, i wouldnt say Mercer was a big puncher, he was a more all round tough guy with a decent right hand.

Although ill never forget Mercer unloading on the poor dude who was already hanging off the ropes

[Azzer85]

Exactly who i thought of when i saw the title.

I reckon Lennox fought more punchers than Holyfield