Which Heavy Champ Fought The Most Top Punchers?

Sorry nothing personal,I am sticking up for the fighters of the sixties and seventies, early eighties.Outside of Foreman's comeback in the 90's,I know or watched little of boxing,I quit watching because of the watered down half dozen versions of world titles.To totally disregard the power of the Foster's Mac and Bob,Shavers,Foreman,Frazier etc is a bit of a stretch.But this forum is all opiniated,and every decade had it's share of big bangers.

 

I made a thread a long while ago on this topic with an extended evaluation per champion, and i got to exactly the same top3. Walcott is the surprise here; when i started going through the numbers, i did not even expect Walcott to make the top5.

 

Started counting Ali's competion,came up with 454 knockouts after 7 guys.Don't really have the patience for this.

 

Liston's getting a little overrated as a puncher too, numbers do matter, and his numbers are not very impressive. Both his punching power and offensive ability are somewhat blown out of proportion.

 

Ali.

He faced Liston, Williams, Frazier, Foreman, and Shavers.

 

How on earth does Layne get ranked a top heavyweight puncher? You guys need to look at the opponents. Layne doesn't get to 50 percent and he faced a lot of tomato cans.

 

Don't forget Ali opponent LaMar Clark who KO'd 42 men in a row and had a 91.5 KO%.

 

Don't think Mercer's power was exceptional

 

I don't think of Henry Akinwande and Michael Grant as top punchers.

Akinwande also only has a 55% KO ratio and never knocked out a live body except chinny Jeremy Williams.

Grant was a big guy and had an impressive record. He didn't stop too many top men though aside from Golota who quit in a fight he was winning.

 

Grant badly broke Corey Sander's nose and had it pouring blood like a faucet, and in general was hitting him with shots that were putting other fighters who Sander's had fought (Maskaev, for starters) punches to shame.

 

Sanders was pretty tough but I'm not sure if this proves Grant's punching power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE8qQJEtIcE

Savarese went the distance with Grant and Grant landed about 300 punches on him.

 

Savarese wasn't the easiest guy in the world to put away. Remember his last fight with Holyfield?

 

"Throw out the record book on Layne, he was a rugged brawler with a quick, very heavy right. As he got shopworn and discouraged, more and more, he got outworked and beaten down.

But, when he first raged out of Utah -- full of **** and vinegar -- he'd have been a handful for anybody. He could crack with that right."- John Garfield

 

Bizarre that Lewis fought so many great punchers yet got K.O'd by McCall and Rahman, two very average punchers.

Lewis was not in bad shape for the first McCall fight, but when unmotivated could be caught, and at HW that's all it takes.

But for me, it's Lewis. Tyson was still a seriously dangerous puncher (if not a great boxer by that point) and Tua, Mercer, Hell, even Frank Bruno are right up there too.

I would say Lewis, then Ali, although a case for Ali can be made easily.