Top 20 greatest punchers in heavyweight history

Leotiis Martin was not a big man but was able to knock a washed-up Sonny Liston out cold with one straight right had in 1969 or so. That seems to indicate that he must have been quite a puncher in his own right.

 

You don't need footage to know that for half a decade no man could last more than 3 rounds with him. During his prime the gap between Sullivan and his nearest rival was greater than that of any other heavyweight champion.

 

Why didn't you include Carnera?. He knocked out more HWs than anybody else in the history of the whole sport.

 

I don't dispute Sullivan was a mighty right hand puncher but the names on his record aren't of the calibre to inspire awe.Would any of them gone more than 3rds with Lamar Clark?
Fitzsimmons was koing men on a nightly basis and he also had real solid names on his list of victims, not yokels and tyros.
During Sullivan's prime the opposition was very weak. How many class men did he have to fight?

 

Why don't you tell us?:think

 

I thought I already did.

 

I think Sullivan could punch with anyone, his opposition was certainly weak but the era is also poorly researched, some of them were probably OK.
You have to be bothered though that the best men he fought with gloves like Cardiff, McCaffrey and McDonald went the distance with him. He also somehow missed out on fighting Godfrey,Farnan, Kileen and Wilson and later on Goddard, Slavin, McAullife and Jackson.

 

His opposition is considered weak because, as you said, it is poorly researched. Judging by the purses that were offered at the time, incentive was there to recruit the best talent and skill.

Prime Sullivan can be judged from 81-85... before the debilitating alcoholism took its full toll, before the coma and paralysis he suffered, before the broken arm that never healed correctly... He was a phenom.

By the time Goddard and Jackson were on the scene he was essentially retired.

 

I have Boxiana it has details of fights 50 years before Sullivan and the respective records of the old bareknucklers. LIkewise ,Bells History Of The Championship.I agree about Jackson, Godfrey is more problematical imo.

Sullivan was the most celebrated sportsman for a 100 years if there was more info to be found it would be out there by now.

 

Pollock's book gives a good representation of him as a fighter, I believe. John L. Sullivan and His America and Strong Boy are quite good, too.

 

1- Rocky Marciano
2- George Foreman (pre-prime)
3- Earnie Shavers
4- Max Baer
5- Joe Louis
6- Jack Dempsey
7- Sonny Liston
8- Cleveland Williams
9- Bob Satterfield
10- Mike Tyson
11- Joe Frazier
12- Lennox Lewis
13- Tommy Morrison
14- Ron Lyle
15- Frank Bruno
16- Donovan Ruddock
17- Gerry Cooney
18- Riddick Bowe
19- David Tua
20- Mike Dejohn
21- Ingemar Johansson
22- Oliver McCall
23- Jerry Quarry
24- Jess Willard

 

tyson over foreman is a bad joke.. foreman not just stopped greater fighters but evander said that foreman was clarly the harder puncher, louis was better puncher than foreman because his skill and accuracy but he did not hit as hard

 

Who did Frazier ko?