only 30 KOs in 106 fights, how do you rate Jake LaMottas power?

This is both absurd and incorrect.

 

He fought top level guys that didn't get knocked out.

There are plenty of high % knockout artists who cannot hit for **** at elite level.

 

He was also endlessly struggling to make weight as Jake would be a natural 168 pounder today .. He clearly hit hard enough to defeat most fighters of his era.

 

I think LaMotta may have punched with solid power to the body. It didn't hurt his hands as much as head shots unless you catch an elbow.
Overall he was a pressure volume hitter who was rough/dirty. He would try to make it a physical fight.

 

Did he fight some good light heavyweights?

 

This. Lamotta was fighting very good competition. When a fighter’s competition improves the knockouts tend to stop or become very hard to get.

 

Especially at lower weights.

 

Zivic and Robinson were two all time greats with terrific chins. Jimmy Edgar was a tough black fighter most white fighters ducked. Bell was very tough when Jake fought him .. Vern, whatever ..

 

I view him similar to guys like tim Bradley and holyfield. Although they lack power, they had enough to get your respect (no one just walked through or ate their shots on purpose). They had good physical strength and made it a rough fight to wear the opponent down. And since they brought a granite chin, it basically meant a ko on either side of the equation was unlikely.

In other words, youd better be in shape for the long haul or they'd grind you down and get the decision on sheer workrate. Because if they didnt get a stoppage and/or you ran out of energy fighting them, they made you WISH theyd just knock you out and get it over with instead of becoming a heavy bag! Pressure fighters can sometimes, ironically, do more damage to opponents' careers than an early KO artist.

 

The vast majority of FMJ KOs were against bums. Like, half of them had losing records.

 

Ike Williams KO rate at 39% isn't especially impressive, but he was well known as a very hurtful puncher.

 

I'm not sayin he was a big puncher either .. I do think he hit hard enough to be a top twenty five middleweight or so and that's pretty good.

 

For sure, i think he'd be well inside that too.

 

25? I have never seen a list by the old time boxing experts that did not have La Motta in the top 10. Ever. And these guys saw and knew everybody at middleweight.

 

It's been a long time since the old timers .. I don't see LaMotta beating Hagler, Toney, Jones, GGG or Hopkins and that's just the last thirty years ..