Who Hits Harder Razor Ruddock or Iron Mike ?

Shoot, you're right! Now I see it from another angle.

 

Tyson was better at all those things, including combinations & defense.
But Ruddock certainly hit harder. As most people here recognize.
As did a few fighters, including Bruno & Bonecrusher amongst those he fought.
Tyson would very likely admit as much. Iron Mike his very hard, but it was his other skills, including speed & not being able to properly avoid or minimize combinations, that put people to sleep.

Just off hand, Baer Galento Williams Lyle Foreman Cooney Liston Shavers W.Klithko Tua Sanders Wilder & many more (but a small percentage of HWs) hit harder shot for shot.

 

The last paragraph is very much just opinion. Even the mention of Bruno and Bonecrusher is very much up for debate. I'd be very wary putting my life on Williams and Galento hitting harder and flat out wouldn't take Galento.

If anything Tyson's power has become underrated over time. It was held in absolute awe as he was brutalizing his way up the ranks.

 

Of couse who hits harder is opinion.
Even Earnie Shavers hits harder than the most feather-fisted minimum/atomweight competitor is technically just opinion lol!

He was rightly held in awe. And his power was very high-A nine out of 10 among modern HWs is something special.
But you must be aware that his absolute power can be easily overrated because part of his results were from the effectiveness of things not reflected if you measure purely how hard someone hit::

Speed. of hand & foot. Combinations. Accuracy. Defense & other virtues to get to deliver it.
These made the *effects* of his already very hard punches sometimes seem nuclear.

Now granted I would not want to put my life on ALL of those I suggested hitting harder than Tyson.
Because if I made one mistake-I am dead!
But I would eaily bet that say at least 8 out of 10 who I picked could hit harder.
And it could well be everyone.

Why remove Galento?
Him lacking overall talent-although he did have hand explosiveness-like being fat had nothing to do with how hard he hit.
Butterbean also was a 10, but would have virtually no chance against Tyson.
People who sparred against him & others can testify about his power.

Just like Joe Louis hit very hard & was far superior to most all he fought-& all until he got older-but I doubt he would even claim to hit as hard *shot for shot* as Galento & Baer.

 

I know the punching elements Tyson brought to the table inside out. Speed, accuracy, ability to use in combination, ability to set up etc etc.

These elements are exactly why IMO Tyson's power has been taken for granted in recent years. So many times his power has been slipped to the side for these exact reasons. I think it's become somewhat cliche.

For sure he was unique and came from unseen angles and positions but he still hit like a ton of bricks. Cus D'Amato said very early "i guarantee you, when he hits them, they'll go down". He knew he had a guy with crushing one punch power.

He has a lot of examples where one punch really had an impact on his opponent. It was often one punch that started the end. Sure he could put punches together like few others to find that end but if not for that BIG power one punch wouldn't have got him in that position.

I still don't think Galento hit as hard. I don't think ron Lyle did either to put forward another example.

 

As I mentioned, I look at Mike's actual, brute strength as about the same as Weaver's....except Mike had not just the hand speed, but all the elements both @JohnThomas1 and @Entaowed spoke of. Thus, I think he was right up as far as being effectively powerful as practically any heavyweight.

To elaborate, Mike wasn't didn't have the level of overall brutal strength as Liston and Foreman, didn't have quite the overall prowess with the hook like Frazier did, and didn't quite have the shattering nuclear blast right hand like Shavers and Wilder...but add the elements mentioned by the aforemntioned members, and he was right up there with them.

 

Agree on all those who hit harder except Galento. I also find Tua and Sanders overrated in the power department.

 

All of what you say about Tyson's fisticff virtues are true.
However, much of it supports my unopposed thesis that his whole delivery system set up more effect than guys who had similar absolute power but could not set up a killer blow or landd combinations as well &/or be as accurate.
Even single punch KOs have disproportionate impact if you do not see them coming due to factors like subterfuge or speed.

Foreman cited Lyle as being with Williams & Cooney as the hardest hitters he ever faced.
Galento was world class with little more than devastating power.
We will never know for sure who hits exactly how hard, but it is very plausible that Tyson is a 9, not a 10, on a modern HW punching scale-of absolute force generated by single shots.

Impact for various reasons could be a 10.

 

The only possible quibble anyone could fairly have with this astute post is that Tyson had less than "not quite" the Nuke of a single punch of the few Shavers & Wilders out there.
It was clearly-but not dramatically-less.
But absolutely the elements of delivery made him at least "right up there" with them in terms of impact & effect.

 

It's definitely a tale of opposing viewpoints based on the same nuances isn't it, a bit of a rarity.

Foreman said a lot of things. He made no mention of Liston in his Best I Faced and of course never fought him but did mention him from sparring. He could change his story as bit.

 

I agree with this; & have cited how Foreman can be fanciful, sometimes overly gracious, & innacurate.
I do wonder about why Liston was not there, but they only sparred, who knows if Liston ever really unleashed on Foreman.
Liston was old then, but I am sure he still hit really hard.
Joe Louis was one guy who lost his power when he was still active, no more than 37.
That likely is because he relied on speed, not muscle or being heavy handed.
Marciano said he was told Louis had lost some force on his right, but did not expect it to be "nothing".

I do believe that it is unlikely Foreman did not find those 3 the hardest hitters, citing how it would not hurt, you would "just go numb".
Since he was never really KOed, he likely is in a better position to say than those who lost consciousness, but remembered a painful prolonged beat down, even though the guy who KOed him may well have hit him harder.

 

Foreman's speaks at length about Liston in this article which you've almost certainly seen. He would have been quite young when hanging with Williams and Liston.

https://www.ringtv.com/346563-best-i-faced-george-foreman/

 

I have heard that talk about Liston, but not the whole article, thank you John!
The only thing I take with a grain of salt is that Lyle was the best overall!
Him being rusty & vulnerable must have contributed to that impression.
Lyle was certainly World Class, likely hit him the hardest, but no way was he better than even Ali before...Ali fought Lyke!

 

Your right. Not many fighters hit like Tyson. The opponent doesn't see the punch coming (therefore its "harder") it has more effect. That fraction of a second a seasoned pro can move with it or brace for the shot.

 

It was the perfect storm. Lightning speed, freakish angles AND huge power. His offensive was really something.