I don't think he was a great puncher but he certainly was a hard puncher. He was never really a one punch guy like his brother.
Ellis managed to drop Bonavena twice with fast, sneaky right hands .. he was not such a light hitter ..
It's a tricky question because all could hit to some degree ... if the question is who were the lightest compared to the group as a whole I'll take a shot .. Corbett Sharkey Carnera Braddock Ali Spinks Spinks
Why? When I use a term like that, it should be obvious that it's relative. I don't mean they're bums compared to people who actually are bums, I mean compared to other top heavyweights' opposition. And they were, it'd be disingenuous to deny that. Loosen up.
Sorry but I disagree. I don't think we should be disrespecting fighters by calling them bums. I get you don't mean that they are actually bums but what I am getting at is to many of these guys end up broke financially and broke physically from this sport and I have always hated that term used to describe fighters. Maybe you are right and I should lighten up? Then again, if you wouldn't call one of those guys a bum to their face then maybe you shouldn't do it here. P.S. you are still one of my favorite posters on the forum.
A few inappropriate mentions here. Even if Carnera Vitally and Fury didn't have great power for their size, they were undoubtedly heavy hitters, relative to the smaller heavyweights in this argument. Braddock is being mentioned a fair bit, and it might be worth noting that he was regarded as being a puncher in his day. I would say that every fighter who held the lineal heavyweight title, was at least a medium puncher for a heavyweight. It is not theoretically impossible that a Maxie Rosenbloom or Joey Maxim could have won the lineal title, but it never actually happened!
The average poster here has rarely sparred let alone fought at the world level i despise anyone who can call a fighter whom made a living in such a way a bum. These people who spent countless hours on a craft with little to show for it but to be called a can, bum, cab driver would most likely make a mess out of 99% of this forums internet tough guys.
Alright, fair enough. I'm glad you get that I don't think they're actually bums. Sanders was a quality fighter and Hide was a brilliant talent. It's like when somebody calls a world champion ****. They (usually) don't mean that they're **** at boxing, they mean they're **** for a world champion. Yeah, it's probably a little disrespectful, but I'm sure they're not gonna mind.
You're not exactly a full shilling, are you? I don't have to be a world champion to criticize one. I don't have to be a great fighter to look at their flaws. I don't have to be a barber to laugh at my mates haircut. Obviously I don't think they're genuine bums, I think they're bums compared to the fighters that other top heavyweights were beating. And they were.