Most powerful heavyweight left hooks: Does Frazier rank high?

That's a testament to his conditioning more than anything else. If someone wants to make a list of best conditioned heavyweights, Frazier has got to be in the running for #1. His conditioning contributed as lot to his success -- even if an opponent could keep up with him or outbox him in round 2, could the guy still do it in round 6 when Frazier is somehow even fresher than he was in round 1?

 

Frazier is difficult to rate for raw power. Much like a welterweight Cotto or a middleweight Hagler, he was in no uncertain terms a puncher, but in terms of proving one-punch raw power, it wasn't necessarily his thing. His hook may've been more a mechanics thing than a brute strength thing. The snap, the speed, the torque, the consistency, the smothering, the pretty much unwinnable judgment calls on whether to protect your head with your glove or your ribs with your elbow. If a guy can keep snapping your head back with a 7/10 punch through to the last round, he may not put you to sleep, but ffs, you're not going to be feeling well by late fight, if you make it. Virtually no one isn't worried about taking that kind of damaging power.

But, no, he's not going to be bringing the force of a Tua or Morrison, neither of whom are great fighters, but they're going to be way up there in terms of what they show they can generate in one shot. Frazier is much more a puncher than Holyfield, to me, but I'll use Holyfield, in a way. It's like Tyson, who took way more gigantic shots from other fighters said about Holy KO'ing him. "It's not that he hits you so hard, but so damn often." You don't get to regroup before the next one spins your head around. When Frazier forces you against the ropes and lands those sevens, consistently, sure, if they were tens, you may sleep any second on anything, but almost no one who throws nines and tens is going to relentlessly hit you with them through to the last round, the way Frazier did. In some ways, he's the worst kind of puncher you can fight. Because it never really flags, as long as Frazier is standing.

 

The biggest difference between Dempsey and Frazier is that Jack knew how to throw the left hook properly.

 

The first knockdown Ramos took a knee after either a body shot or it was to the head and he had actually blocked it with his guard up, it's hard to tell from the footage

 

In terms of raw power, Tony Galento, Buddy Baer and Joe Louis' left hooks should be on the list.
Frazier probably had the best hook because of how often he used it and how accurate it was, even it wasn't the most powerful.

 

I had that copy of The Ring from your avatar. Love how Evander's taking proper defensive precautions with his hands. He knew what was coming.

 

Well put.

Nice to see you back in the mix, my man. I consider you about the most educated in these parts. Hope you are well.

 

You forgot Galento

 

I had in mind the way he left Ali so rubbery with one shot in the 11th, but in retrospect, “took his legs away” sounds more like the 15th than the 11th, so understand the confusion.

 

Joe Frazier & Jack Dempsey...Lots of historians think that Dempsey's left hook was the best...

 

Definitely don't want to be hit by those Ed!!!!

 

Thank you S.I'm good just had my second cataract op ,now have two good eyes to watch the fights.

 

Great to hear about two good eyes, McVey! And extra great to have you back.

Joe's hook I think was more in line with Mike Tyson's: it had speed and whipping power, but not the thudding mac truck bust of Foreman's (or, let's say Tua). It was nasty, grueling, ubiquitous...unbelievably punishing.

Joe also threw it a LOT, which made it even more of a day-ruiner for the opponents.

 

I don't think Frazier actually ko'd a ranked heavyweight.Doug Jones was probably his best ko victim,he was an attrition puncher who wore you out.

 

Frazier didn't hit the hardest with his hook, compared to true monster bitters, but scores arguably the greatest knock down out of the HW champions with his hook and throws his hook so consistently well, it's unreal.

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, Shavers throws a very mean looking left hook. Underrated part of his arsenal for my money.