Rank these guys in order by punching power

Do you have direct quotes for any of this stuff? I've only really read his "Best I Faced" article, and I'd like to see these other statements if they're true.

 

The last sentence "Tyson has a punch to remember" indicates for me that he was also talking about pure power. And he also said this after : "Tyson was also quick but had unbelievable power for his size.".

 

Sure, here is the article : https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/16344356/frank-bruno-hardest-punchers-boxing-career-mike-tyson/

 

I think that the way that Ruddock describes the two's punches- Smith's being an earthquake, and Tyson's being a submachine gun, shows the difference. Same thing goes for, "Every inch of your body felt that power.", and, "Tyson has a punch to remember."
It's whatever, though.

 

Yes, I understand that he it can be apprehended that way. But then, why he didn't mention Smith among the best punchers ? I know there's a difference between "best" and "hardest", but Ruddock had no problem talking about the punching power of Morrison/Lewis/Weaver just before (I'm not saying that he didn't rate Smith high).

You can check this video (at 8:40min) where Ruddock talks about Tyson's power :

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He was also talking about his strength just before.

 

I don't think that he mentioned Smith amongst the best punchers because all of the other men stated had better technique and placement than him. Smith wasn't the most technical guy, he just had a lot of power. You can also see the difference in how Ruddock's body reacts to getting hit by these men by watching their fights- Though Morrison is somewhat an outlier since Donovan was past it at that point.
Just watch how Ruddock gets swept out from under his feet by Smith's punch at 7:31.

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Ruddock had just thrown a big left hook before being down. His lead leg wasn't on complete balance.
I think Tyson's second knockdown during the second fight was equally impressive, if more.

 

Ruddock threw multiple big lefts and rights at Tyson and was not fully on balance, he left himself open in both of these instances but looked drastically different going down. He stumbled down when Tyson hit him with a left, and had his hind leg fully shoot out from under him when Smith hit him.

 

In both case, his right leg didn't react well. And, I may be wrong, but Smith hit him with a right hand at the back of the head, which if true, is a more dangerous place than where Tyson hit him.
Anyway, I was referring to the sort of short lead punch that put Ruddock flat on his back in the 4th round of the second fight. I don't think Smith ever generate such power with a short punch like that against Ruddock.
Don't get me wrong, I rate both Tyson and Smith very highly as punchers.

 

That is true, but Smith hit on the side of Ruddock's head, I wouldn't mention it if it was an illegal shot. Kudos to you for not presuming, though.
I thought you were talking about the first fight, let me go back and look at the knockdown and I'll tell you what I see.
I also rate both Tyson and Smith high when it comes to strength.

 

1. Bonecrusher
2. Weaver
3. Rahman
4. McCall
5. Brewster
6. Maskaev

I think Bonecrusher and Weaver are the clear number 1 and 2.

Maskaev is clearly last.

Rahman, McCall, Brewster, could be in any order they're very close.

 

Fair enough, and it's a pleasure to discuss with you.

 

I went back and looked at the Tyson-Ruddock rematch, and I agree with you, Smith probably wouldn't generate the same force with that short of a punch. Smith could throw very strong hooks and such, but he got the most out of his punches when he was able to fully throw them straight- He did have an 82" wingspan, after all.