Ranking the Hardest Puncher in Boxing History (My Opinion & Tell Yours Also)

Exactly!

 

Joe Louis was basically the full package heavyweight. However, Walcott said Marciano hit harder and Tony Galento stated Dempsey was the hardest hitter he was in the ring with from sparring.

 

A laundry list of great fighters, opponents and sparring partners stated Dempsey was the hardest hitter.

 

Louis can take you out with combination punching where Marciano really needed one good smash to end things. Now I am not calling Louis a light hitter by a long shot lol. Marciano, Dempsey, Louis, all 3 of em can lay a man down for the full count.

 

Interestingly Fleischer who watched all three in all their major prime bouts felt that Dempsey and Louis punching power were on par and that Dempsey hit a bit harder than Marciano. Further although Dempsey “could box Louis was the superior boxer” and for that reason chose Louis in a mythical matchup to ko Dempsey in six rounds.

 

No disregard to Fleischer, but he never been in the ring with both Marciano or Louis. Most guys that shared the ring with BOTH said Louis hits harder with combos and Marciano hits harder punch for punch as Walcott said with Louis in room during their review of their 1947/48 fights during the 70's. Sharkey and Tony both claim Dempsey hit harder than Louis. But again all 3 can hit, so I really do not think the "Harder" power will be a major factor in a dream fight.

 

My order based on the eye test would be Dempsey>Louis>Marciano.

 

No way was a long retired Dempsey the hardest hitter fat Tony faced.
Louis & Max Baer must have hit harder.
Dempsey sort of dominated Galento psychologically, was disgusted by his (lack of) work ethic, & that made an impact on his erstwhile protege.
Dempsey even said Rocky hit harder-old Dempsey must have still hit very hard compared to an average man though.

 

Dempsey said Marciano hit harder, that he generally had to beat on a man for a while to achieve the KO.
Although in pure raw power, I do not think there was a dramatic difference between any of them.

 

This makes much sense, & seems very fair coming from a man whose username channels the Manassa Mauler lol!
However old timers almost invariably choose the fighters of their youth as superior in most things.

DId Nat Fleisher EVER pick a much more recent fighter over an old timer-if so it must have been an absurd mismatch, like if he chose Ali or Liston (modern by his standards), over a relatively tiny contender in the early 20th century!

 

Nor should,or Holmes for that matter but both are in the top7 ATG's imo

 

Why would Galento lie? Power is the last thing to go

 

Well pal, the fact that you react that way merely confirms how clueless you are.
You actually think it’s a joke that Bob Fitzsimmons is in the argument.

 

I did not say or imply Galento lied.
See what I wrote-which involves Tony being influenced by Dempsey being the trainer & over all Alph Male "over "Tony".
For example Dempsey beat him up in sparring.
Now it is possible but unlikely that years after he retired in a going 100% balls-out fight Jack could kick his ass-but more likely Gelento held back, in part due to psychological intimidation at his aura/reputation & the nature of their relationship.

When it is said power is the last thing to go, it does not mean that a man has 100% of their peak power-but they still have most of it or quite a lot, such as still much more than an average man.
Like "Old"/second career Foreman.
I think that until his mid 40's he had *near* his peak power-but far less speed, agility & ring cutting ability.
Much wiser & preserved his endurance due to this & a lack of the old nervous energy.

But that was an actively training, not yet ancient Foreman.
By the last fights in his career his absolute power had declined-although he still hit hard even for a modern HW.

A Dempsey who was not boxing years after retirement likely still hit hard, but something less than at his very peak.
When he certainly hit hard-but no reason to assume he was the hardest hitter even of his own era.
Even Tyson was not that, as he would-& has I believe-readily admitted.
Although more skilled than a bruiser like Firpo...

Fair enough?

 

Of course I do, he doesn't belong. Sure, if it was p4p, maybe, but in terms of overall output, hell no.