Top 15 Hardest Hitters 1950-1960 Heavyweight Division

Interesting that half of the top 10 became champions. Power must have paid pretty high dividends during this era.

 

Some of these guys were shlt! Some don't even belong on the list. Ezzard Charles was HW Champ from 1949-1951 and had more power than some of these guys. It's hard to say a guy was one of the hardest punchers when he never hurt or dropped any decent fighters... are we judging people on missed punches or something?... "man if that hook would have landed..."

Joe Louis was past prime but still went 8-2 (3) in the 50's. Just because he couldn't finish guys like he used to... doesn't mean he had less power on his punches than some of the guys mentioned above.

 

power always pays dividends, if not the championship.

 

Is Dan Bucceroni more physically imposing when he takes his robe off?

 

Good list. My instinct tells me that perhaps floyd patterson is too low and williams is too high.

 

I would have Satterfield higher, perhaps even at the top.

I would alkso have Layne a little higher

Any of your top 6 could theoreticaly hold the #1 slot.

 

*On this list, I would move Liston and Williams to the sixties, if you are going by which decade they peaked in. All of Williams' most impressive ko's (Terrell, Miteff, Johnson) came in the sixties.

Liston also (Patterson (2), Folley, Harris, Williams, Clark)

If you rate Liston in the fifties, I think he should rate behind Marciano.

Records in the fifties

Marciano 20 Ko's in 24 fights, including Louis, Walcott, Charles, Moore, Layne, LaStarza, Matthews, etc.

Liston ko'd 16 men in 26 fights in the fifties, and didn't fight the same calibre opposition in that decade.

I would rate Liston the #1 puncher of the sixties.

I agree with the posters who said Patterson should be higher and Charles not only on the list, but rather high on it.

 

I think any list like this is difficult to answer. A knock out punch is a knock out punch after all. All these men hit hard enough to knock fighters out but not all of them could knock out good fighters. Therefore, I would rate those who knocked out good fighters higher than punchers who did not have that knack.


clearly he had power (just as all these men did) but like most, I would also place williams lower.


cleveland williams hit hard but did not register in the ratings until 1961. He had a great Ko record but keene simmons said marciano hit far harder than the big cat. williams did not knock out frankie daniels in two fights and daniels was KOd 11 times altogether. some of those who KOd Daniels were light heavyweights. chuvalo and ernie terrell knocked out daniels yet they are ommited from this list.

 

If it matters, George Chuvalo said the hardest he's been hit (Foreman included) was by Mike DeJohn.

 

and roland lastarza says other fighters hit him harder than marciano as did archie moore.. the thing is its up to the victim of the punch to decide so he gets the last laugh.

with deciding who hits hardest are we saying one man has heavier hands than another or should we be asking this man knocked out great fighters?

I beleive it is posible for a no name fighter to hit as hard as a great fighter only he wont get credit because he wont have the great fighters co-ordination, speed and timing. Hes going to lose to lesser fighters and is not knocking out the fighters who will get him the kind of respect as a puncher a great fighter will. Nobody hit much harder than lional butler - he had world class power but was not a great fighter and (quite rightly) wont make any lists.