Seems to be the only meaningful Whyte's punch, yet it is deadly. Whyte flattened Browne, KO'd Chisora brutally, dropped Parker and hurt AJ with this exact punch. Strange to see such an average boxer having such a good counterpunch which has helped him throughout his career. I don't compare Whyte and Ruddock in overall boxing ability, but can we say Whyte's left counter hook is such a weapon in today's division as was Ruddock's left hook/uppercut in his day?
I'd say Ruddock's smash was a bigger weapon, that or AJ has a far better chin than we give him credit for because while hurt he still stayed up right and recovered. Don't think AJ could of stayed on his feet from a flush smash from Ruddock. It's clearly a big weapon for Whyte though. He also seems to land it out of the blue when you don't expect it, it's a pretty sneaky punch.
Whyte`s defense is better than Ruddock`s was and his catch and counter style is more effective than Ruddocks one punch at a time style which didn`t help him exploit his amazing power well enough against his best foes.
Whyte has has a hell of year, 2 of the most brutal knockouts of the year in Browne and Chisora whilst beating a former champ in Parker (being the first guy ever to drop Parker).
Joshua did get hit early in the fight. Who's to say that if AJ took that shot in round 11 that he wouldn't have hit the canvas?
His left is certainly a very potent weapon, maybe not quite as powerful as Ruddock's, but certainly up there with the likes of Lionel Butler, Lamon Brewster et al. The way he turns himself into it reminds me a lot of Brewster's hook actually. Saying that, the way he dropped Parker the second time was sickening, like a gunshot going off. Whyte might be a lot more highly rated after his career is over and we have more perspective on his performances and the quality of his opponents. Right now it's kind of hard to rate him against historically regarded punchers.
