Stevenson or Kovalev - Who hits harder

On Kovalev's power.

Nathan Cleverly

“Kovalev is a massive puncher; each punch is like being hit by a sledgehammer,” Cleverly said. “He sparked Ismayl Sillah clean out in the second round – he was completely gone. He didn’t do that to me, he shook me up and I was in no position to continue really, I was drunk from the punches and I have got a great chin, so he does hit hard and he’s probably the most dangerous Light Heavyweight out there.”

Were you surprised by how hard he hit?

I suppose I wasn't surprised because with his record it was inevitable that he was a banger and every shot he threw was a thudding shot. It was like a hammer. He wasn't rapid fast, he had good timing, good distance and his punches were just so hard... His jab, his right hand. Just when he caught you on the shoulder he would have an impact and he was just clubbing me. He just clubs you with his heavy hands and he's the type to just club you into submission. That's his aim. To club you until he puts you down. I just kept it tight early but I knew, after taking a few of his punches, I knew I couldn't afford to be caught with a shot on the chin. I knew that. I remember thinking in the first round, if he catches me clean, I'm gone. I remember thinking that.

Yeah. I did think I would be able to take it but I knew, I knew – and especially from the first round – I knew if he caught me clean it was highly likely I would go. Even the shots on the gloves and the shoulder, the impact was really heavy. It was clear to me from the first couple of punches that when this guy landed I would be in trouble.

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Kovalev is an animal of a puncher''

-- Nathan Cleverly

2:36

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Darnell Boone

'KOD: Who is the hardest puncher that you have fought?

Darnell Boone: The hardest puncher was [Sergey] Kovalev. He knows exactly how to use his height and leverage with punches. He keeps you on the outside, away from getting on the inside on him. He fights tall.

Boone says Kovalev hits harder than Stevenson in this interview too.

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Cornelius White

“His power is unreal,” White said of Kovalev. “I've never felt that power before. I've fought heavyweights, cruiserweights and I've never felt that before. And they weren't bricks. It was steel.”

Interview with former Kovalev victim Lionell Thompson. Thompson has sparred against a who's who of the LHW and SMW divisions: Dawson, Bute, Froch, Pascal Troy Ross, David Lemieux and numerous others too. He said every shot he throws is heavy, even the ones on the arms and gloves hurt. He said that no one hits like Kovalev.

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''I ain't ever been hit that hard. When he hit me it felt like somebody lifted the soul out of my body.''

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On Stevenson's power

Tony Bellew

“Stevenson is talented, strong and he is very hard to hit. For me elusiveness is his best asset because he appears out of range then suddenly catches you with hard shots. He’s great at what he does and pound for pound he’s got to be one of the top three best punchers in the sport.”

''Stevenson knocks out any 175-pound fighter he hits flush.''

“He was not as fast as I thought he would be but he was powerful and he dropped me.

“I remember lying on my back and seeing my hands in the air and just thinking ‘I’ve got to get up and fight’.

“The referee asked me if I was OK and I said ‘just let me fight’. I don’t remember much after that. He nailed me a few more times and could see most of them coming.

“I wanted to carry on and I thought it was the gaffer who stopped it at first but he says he didn’t. I wanted to carry on.”

Bellew does not believe Stevenson possesses one-punch knockout power but says his shots have more of a bludgeoning effect.

“I’ve been hit by David Haye and it’s a different kind of power,” he said.

“Stevenson is more a thudder and it lands with more of a thump. You hear a ‘boom’.

“He hit me straight on the forehead with a left hand in the fourth round and it made a ‘boom’ noise in my head, like an explosion. I’ve had that before and he’s a heavy hitter.

“It didn’t feel like he was a one punch killer even though he looked like that in the Chad Dawson fight. He was a thudder – ‘boom, boom’.

“The shot he got me with was an uppercut-cum-left hook right through the middle of my guard and hit me on the chin.”

But Bellew says his job was made even harder on Sunday morning because of Stevenson’s slick defensive skills.

The ‘Bomber’ drew blood from the champion’s nose early in the fight but admits he was very difficult to hit cleanly.

“The one thing I would say about him the most is that he is very hard to hit,” Bellew added.

“I was trying to get him to exchange with me but he is very hard to hit.

“You can see his coach Sugar Hill has completely changed up his style and has made him that slick counter-puncher.

“I labelled him as a ‘Pernell Whittaker with a severe punch’.

“Listen, he has nowhere near the defensive skills of Whittaker but you know what I’m saying. He is slick on the back foot. I was hitting him with my jab a few times and busted his nose in the second round but didn’t hit him with another jab all fight.

“I’d rocked and hurt him in the third round and I was trying to engage with me. At short range he is not as effective but he is very powerful when he leaps in.

“My game-plan was to keep him either him all the way out or all the way in. No mid-range stuff because he is highly dangerous there. He hurt me a few times.

“He hurt me downstairs as well and he can whack. It is one of the hardest I’ve been hit.”

Donovan George

You endured almost 12 hard rounds with Stevenson in Montreal. He dominated but fans will never forget your words to your Dad and trainer, “If you stop this fight, I will never speak with you again.”

Donovan George: Yes, I said that to my Dad. This fight was tough, very tough. Adonis was at his best. I can’t say the same about my performance. He’s a great fighter, a complete package with power and explosiveness. Nobody hits harder. I know what I’m talking about. I did spend some time with Kovalev in the ring. Stevenson hits hard every time. No matter where he hits you – it hurts. I was ****ing blood for a month after this fight. For a week I could not imagine standing up in the morning. If I could offer advice to Andrzej Fonfara, it would start with this: forget that the ring has ropes. Never go near them, trying to block punches because Stevenson’s punches will eventually go through. Even if not, he will purposely want to hurt your arms, to make you more vulnerable for later rounds. This is the way he fights.'

George and Stevenson are friends though.

A poster on another forum said Fonfara has sparred Beterbiev and said he hits harder than Stevenson. He said Fonfara has said this in numerous interviews but I couldn't find any where he mentioned it and someone from Fonfara's team said that as far as they're aware Fonfara and Beterbiev have never shared a ring together.