Fighters with deceptively low KO%

Many fighters in the first half of the 20th century.

They fought so often. Maybe it was often to preserve their hands so they took off something from their shots in tune-up bouts. But whatever the case, even the big punchers back then (below HW) tended to have low KO percentages compared to big punchers in more modern times.

Fewer than half of Ike Williams’s wins were KOs. About 70% of Sandy Saddler’s wins were KOs. It’s still a good percentage nowadays, but lower than you would think for someone with Saddler’s rep for power.

 

Jersey Joe
Michael Spinks
Jack Johnson
James Toney
James J Braddock
Rodrigo valdez
Jimmy Ellis
Mathew Saad Muhammad
Tim Witherspoon