The hardest punch landed that a fighter just shook off

Holyfield received many huge blows from Dokes in their 1989 fight... Evander just shook them off and kept coming. Holyfield had an amazing chin!

 

My vote goes to Muhammad Ali against Shavers - round 2. Oh that punch definitely hurt him - but he did shake it off quickly and make it look much lesser than it was. See it on youtube - this one takes the cake. I recall Foreman landing one of his killer uppercuts against Ali in Ziaire but no one noticed because again, Ali made it look normal.

Additionally, Holyfield vs Tyson in round 1 (first fight) and round 3 (second fight moments before the infamous incident). A lot of people choose to ignore this or don't see it as clearly. Just look at the punch that Tyson lands in the first 3 seconds of the opening! That was a KO punch had it been against a fighter with a normal chin. Holyfield was rocked on several occasions but his expressions didn't show it. To stop an ATG like Holyfield (just see Ali-Frazier III) you'll need a million punches. Tyson landed enough punches in that fight to have KO'd 12 different fighters IMO.

 

watch 3:30 of this clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyReExChNRU

this edit lock is gay - what is wrong with that? individual threads should have the option (if you're making bets or predictons or something) of lock.

i just wanted to add another line - should have edited the thread with the link but rather take up board space with anotehr post

 

I read an inteview with Holyfield back around '98, where he talked about the start of the fight. He'd seen so much videotape of Tyson, and felt utterly certain that Tyson would start the fight with a lunging left hook. Time and time and time again, in Tyson's previous fights he would tend to go with a left hook to close the distance, rather than his right.

Holyfield went all through training camp working with this, pre-visuallizing it so much in his head. He was 100% certain. "I could see the whole thing in my head...Tyson comes out, throws the left, I dodge it and counter, Mike goes down, I win. Simple as that." Over and over, slip the left hook, counter. Slip the left hook, counter. Holyfield was certain.

Fight starts, Tyson comes out, throws a right hand, knocks Holyfield off-balance. Holyfield said he just kinda smiled ruefully to himself, and figured that was just one of those rare lunging rights!

Which was correct too, because for the rest of the fight it's just left-left-left from Mike when he's not close-up and Holyfield repeatedly counters them.

 

Gatti in either the Ruelas or Rodriguez fights.

 

Holy's a good shout, he took some massive hits from Tyson over the course of the two fights. Next to zero reaction. These were the punches that had decimated dozens. I must say, i was impressed to the hilt.

 

That was a pretty big shot....Tyson had a terrific chin.

 

Although he didn't "shake it off", it was still so surprising that Ruddock got up so quickly from Morrison's left hook. He got hit with a beautiful left hook and his head moved violently and he fell like he was dead. It was like hitting the canvas woke him up.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qHoUhrM4y30

 

Pryor ,s chin looked unbeleivable on that night ,what influence the "black bottle had on it we,ll never know.

 

Good post. It just goes to show what poor strategy Mike Tyson had despite his considerable talents! I agree, it was the loopy, predictable left hook all the way. When Tyson used the right - it served him well. It was so hard to avoid because it is straight and fast that Holy looked like a statue who wasn't able to react its speed in time. Lands clean and it's gotta hurt. The lunging right is what he's gotta use if he needs ANY chance against guys like Liston, Foreman, Holmes (who'd probably win because of Tyson's poor strategy). You hear about Holy studying videotapes so carefully and making strategy - he is such a smart fighter. What was Mike doing in the meanwhile? Smoking weed. You gotta have more cowbell err strategy.

Yep, that punch gets #2 after Shavers. It's the punches you don't expect that hurt you the most. Holyfield has NEVER been knocked down by a straight right but that was the closest he was to it (and this was the 1st punch so 0 attrition!). It sent him reeling back.

 

Liston's two fights against Cleveland Williams.

 

Don't forget Foreman's shock-and-awe shots on Ali in Round 5. Foreman was bad! How he swiveled back and forth to land those killers on a rope-a-doping Ali, who, of course, suddenly pulled his guard apart to show that mocking, wide-eyed, "I'm-still-here", look. You could just see Foreman think, "Man, I just hit him with my baddest! I'm George Foreman! He didn't go down! I'm feeling queasy."

 

yeah, tyson did have a great chin. also showed it when he got cracked by bruno in their first fight. got stunned but he kept on coming forward, pressing.

 

lol just when they ask where is the hook.
its amazing he got up at all

 

Greg Page shook off some horrific punches while over the hill vs Razor Ruddock for those that witnessed them.