Is Wladimir Klitschko One of the Greatest Punchers of All Time?
July 30th, 2009
By William Mackay: Although IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KO’s) is flawed in the chin department, his power is undeniable. He punches incredibly hard with both hands and has perhaps the best jab in all of boxing. Since capturing the IBF heavyweight title with a 7th round stoppage against Chris Byrd in April 2006, Klitschko has knocked out six of his seven heavyweight challengers and dominated each one of them. His style of fighting leaves a lot to be desired most people will admit.
His left hook, perhaps his best weapon through much of his career, is rarely used unless he has his opponent gravely hurt and ready to be knocked out. Klitschko learned his lessons from losses to Corrie Sanders and Brewster that it wasn’t safe to throw left hooks unless he was sure that there was little chance for him to be countered.
As hard as Klitschko punches, I still don’t consider him as hard a puncher as some of the current fighters and nor do I see him comparing with some of the past heavyweights as well. Below, I’ve listed by picks as being the hardest punchers in heavyweight history.
1. Mike Tyson -
2. Lennox Lewis
3. George Foreman
4. Corrie Sanders
5. Samuel Peter
6. David Haye
7. Sonny Liston
8. Larry Holmes
9. Ken Norton
10. Lamon Brewster
11. Wladimir Klitschko
12. Vitali Klitschko
Mike Tyson is clearly the hardest puncher in the history of the sport. Not big at only 5’11”, he packed an incredible punch and with his blazing hand speed, he was even more dangerous. In the early part of his career, Tyson was perhaps unbeatable due to his incredible power. Unfortunately, his career never measured up to the huge talent that he had. There’s no comparison to the power that Wladimir has compared to a young Tyson. Wladimir doesn’t punch anywhere near as hard and isn’t able to throw his power shots as easy as Tyson. For Wladimir to throw a power shot, he needs to load up with it and land it just right. In Tyson’s case, every punch was a power shot and he was capable of knocking out an opponent with a grazing punch.
Lennox Lewis had a better right hand and left hook than Wladimir and he wasn’t afraid to use it. Lewis was often criticized for preferring to use his jab to control many of his fights towards the end of his career. However, if you watch those fights closely, Lewis was never afraid to exchange punches with his opponents and go to war with them if he had to. In contrast, Wladimir rarely engages with his opponents and often fights scared. Lewis was the complete opposite of that and seemed to relish going after his opposition. Who can forget his wars with Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer and Evander Holyfield. Lewis never shied away from exchanging shots with his opponents.
George Foreman had great power, but his punches often had less effect because of his poor hand speed. However, his power was so immense that he was able to knock out his opponents by basically clubbing them into submission over the course of a fight. Earlier in his career, Foreman was lethal, knocking out Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in the 2nd round. Foreman was unstoppable at that point in his career and dangerous if he could put his hands on his opponent.
Tags: 47 Responses to “Is Wladimir Klitschko One of the Greatest Punchers of All Time?”
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Absolute nonesense!
Tyson was not a one punch finisher – he threw fast combinations as demonstrated with Pinklon Thomas in May 1987.
Ernie Shavers must be rated as one of the most concussive punchers in the heavyweight division.
Punchers are born,not made and the guy with the perfect body to punch with maximum leverage and maximum VELOSITY IS A BOXER WITH POWERFUL SHORT BENT LEGS,SHORT WASTED ,EXPLOSIVE AND THROWS PUNCHES IN BUNCHES FROM HIS BACK LEG….ROCKY MARCIANO….God bless…kenny weldon
This is a very good topic. Judging a person by a KO percentage is not the only criteria because if the fight finihes before the scheduled end it is deemed a knock out. So TKO and KO are the same.
If we are talking about one punch power, again we still have to look at speed, timing and accuracy as the key ingredients to assess that.
Some fighters can hit with one punch and it is all over. Some hit with two quick punches to get the same effect. Some hit with big wide winging punches like Foreman but others use a short 6-8 punch like Joe Louis.
Bonecrusher Smith buted bones, Shavers cracked ribs and Norton busted jaws. But it all depends on who the fighter is you are facing in order to land a shot. People like Tyosn who can punch with speed and power, had many tomato cans which due to current internet can be seen everywhere.
People like Marciano, Liston, Dempsey and Max Baer hit really hard too but people only look at fighters in today’s top ten. The Klitchkos are very decent guys but through no fault of their own, the heavy division is very weak today. Most guys are big, weak and extremely slow and also are not in good shape.
You know when a guy hits really hard when guys are scared to get hit. Liston, Shavers, Marciano, Louis, Foreman, Tyson and Max Baer. Ali, Holmes and other boxers hit hard but never incited fear of being hit like those one shot bombers.
tyson didnt hurt holyfield. you have to guage their whole career. holyfield was hurt and knocked down by others. vitali is undoubtedly the strongest fighter to ever win a title, but his style is to throw arm punches…its part of his defence, not to commit his body to the punch, but he is also strong enough to hurt his opponants that way as well. it is also easier to punch up, then down, so the shorter puncher will get more leverage, yet foreman was only really effective punching shorter fighters, as he threw from his waist. vlad changed his body structure so he is not as hard a puncher, but is a better boxer. he carries less weight up top and doesnt bend forward for leverage, exposing his chin. in short, there is no one greatest puncher, just as there is no greatest heavyweight, as I am reminded watching ali struggle on espn replays with flabby 200 pounders—all heavyweights have flaws….the p4p are always smaller, more talented…
this is ridiculous. you say klitschko has a weak chin then you put the hardest punchers in heavyweight history 2 men he has lost to. come on dont be silly. by the way, klitschko doesnt have a glass jaw. he was knocked out by corrie sanders after getting up a few times, and he wasnt really knocked out against brewster..thats where the talk of illegal drugs came in.
You all really think that making a guy quit on his stool is same as taking a guy out in one shot and breaking his cheekbone.
Wladimir is way up their in the top punchers of all time. Best part he is still knocking em’ out as I write.
Here is MY short rating of Best knockouters in boxing:
Name: “wins by ko”/wins
1) Vladimir Klichko ( 88% kos ), 53
2) Vitaliy Klichko ( 97% kos!), 37
3) Mike Tyson ( 88% kos ), 50
4) Lennox Lewis ( 78% kos ), 41
5) George Forman ( 89% kos ), 76
……………………………..
100) Nikolay Valuev ( 68% kos ), 50
Opinion from Sunny Russia
where do you guys learn boxing? its not a good thing lewis got into wars, and its not that he tried to engage in them. as his own trainer recently said on espn, he got into them because he was getting outboxed and had to gut it out. for instance emanual said he wasnt as good a boxer as bruno and had to make a war of it, etc. its not a good thing to get hit like that. listen! its not a good thing, lewis got into those exchanges because he was getting beat and was desperate.
2 common opp have said that vlad hits harder than lewis. i think lewis took more chances, but dont think he hit as hard, except for his uppercut, which was great. having haye in that list is delusional, strange, and plainly frighteningly English. he was not that much of a power puncher at cruiser, i could argue many that were harder punchers and had better knockout ratios. remember he only fought one good cruiser before moving up and was knocked down and needed a lot of punches to knock him out.
Joe frazier’s big left hook has to be up there too. It’s as good a punch as tyson’s ever thrown.
Brewster,Peter,Sanders are beaten by Klitschko,
Lennox is lucky that Vit. got cut eyebrow
1.Wlad. Klitschko
2.Vit. Klitschko
3.Mike Tyson
4.Moh.Ali
5. etc………………..
jase you are right. It was Holyfield with a bodypunch.
although Wlad did hit brock so hard that his ears folded forward and wraped around his face
Vitaly hits the hardest out of any hw ever then his brother, he just has raw power he prob has the best chin to, ever!!!
i wouldn’t like a whack off the big fella!!!he’s got to be up there,it’s a shame his chin isn’t as strong as his punch coz he’d be unbeatable.the hardest one punch heavyweight fighter iv’e seen is razor ruddock,that man had phenomenal power,and maybe tyson and ernie shavers and you can’t leave out george foreman!!!!
You lot prove Boxers are all talk ..
Aha … Shows you know nothing about boxing matey … He’s a famous Egyptian boxer, he fought in the 1936 Olympics and contraversially was defeated in the second round ..
I am tempted to play tit for tat but I am sure that very soon site monitors will probably remove your comments.
Just so I can sleep easy tonight who is Mohammed Amin?
You said everything you post is 100% correct so it can’t possibly be a spelling mistake of Muhammed Ali.
Is he a famous arabic boxer that I don’t know about?
Andrew, the size of their biceps has no effect on the power of their punch ..
I think your post proves that Boxing24/7 should implement an IQ test before a comment can be submitted.
Just thought i wold throw that suggestion out there
Andrew, surely being such an interllect like yourself, you’d know that an IQ test is merely to show the knowledge of a person, not to show how much they know about a poor mans sport. I’d have you know that my posts are always 100% correct. Amir Kahn has such a leathal punch, following Mohammed Amin, they can punch you, and you be f*****d … One punch to the illiosical valve and he’ll make you s**t yourself, then and there. And Vladimir only wins so many fights because he suffers with a severe case of hallitosis … therefore, nobody wants to come within 3 feet of him, however, the concentration of holding their nose weakens them instantly as they become one arm weaker, also, do you know how hard it is to squeese your nostrils with boxing gloves?
Black Beard – I think your post proves that boxingnews24 should implement an IQ test before a comment can be submitted.
Just thought I would throw that suggestion out there
+ 1 to Andrew, exacly look at the picture, imagine his sheer size, combine it with his scientific and modern training methods – and you have a guy who can land basically ATOMIC BOMBS into your face. Wlad is definitely one of the hardest hitter of all times if not the hardest of all times – and yes, it includes also speed and precision. In some ways variability, but in the style currently he fights, he only starts to use variability in the later rounds when the opponents have softened up with his stunning jabs, EVERY opponent he faces things they can KO Wlad easily thiking they find a way around his jab – none have succeeded it for years – I think his jab is just soooo hard hitting, that when the opponent first time gets one easy Wlad’s jab landed in, is already mentally weakened thinking “oh s*it, I never though he’s actually 10X stronger than I predicted and I can too easily KO myself agains his jab when I move in”. And Wlad himself seems to underestimate the power of his jabs, since last 2-3 fights the opponents corner have thrown a towel before he really gotten a chance to move in for that super-massive KO shot with his older style fighting with combination-fighting.
Real KO power in both of his hands and every shot easily (only thing I haven’t seen is a KO from his uppercut, but uppercut can KO anyone with even the weakest hands using HW masses involved – so it doesn’t count IMO) and as Roach says – he punches stronger than Lewis or Tyson ever did. With his commanding and ultra-tactical and “scientific” fighting style he’s just not as explosive-aggressive fighter as the last were wich makes him seen like not so big powered puncher altough he definitely is when you look closer of his last fights.
Well, coming from a bunch of competulant morons, i’d quite like to say that you know nothing about Boxing … Clearly! Now if you were to watch the great, perfection masterpiece of Sir Amir Khan, then you’d realise that Vladimir Klitschko would have no chance, despite what catagory Khan came under. Khan has the best punch takings in the world (chin), his punch is leathal, his speed, i don’t know, in many many ways he reminds me of the great Mohammed Amin. Now, shut the f**k up and talk about real powerhouses.
Yeah,and carl the truth williams,biggs,bruno x 2 (was out,just couldn’t get fat ass off ropes),holmes,pinklon thomas,tony tubbs!Its almost everyone,no one else comes close
dont forget spinks blade!
i dont care what klitchko can do in the ring..he is still around,still unknown outside boxing circles and still bloody boring!he will not be featured in debates about 20 years after his prime
For me Tyson,he broke Andrew Golotas jaw with one shot,took out botha with one shot,remember Lenox Lewis’ stoppage of botha,it took him about 15 punches to finish him,Tyson just needed the 1,tko is different than ko i.e quitting on your stool.I bet Tyson had more KO’s than anyone,there been loads,his record is littered with them
didnt holyfield knockdown mercer first?
I think, i’ve seen a good deal of one punch knockouts from Wlad, particularly earlier in his career.
I recall a left hook, that sent Charles Shufford down, Jefferson, Brock etc.
He is the only one to knock down Brewster, the first to knock down Mercer, and so on.
Trust me, he can punch.
Ukansodoff – good point
People automatically assume greatest puncher means the person who punches the hardest.
In that case it could be some dude nobody has ever heard of.
What does greatest actually mean (most powerful , most accurate , fastest , greatest variety etc)
IMHO Ali is the greatest puncher if you rate him on all the variables just mentioned.
david Tua?! he’s got to be in the top 10 hardest punchers
No hes not, hes a very good puncher when he actually lets his hands go but ive seen many bigger hitters than him.
And lets not just limit this to the big names and world champions. Theres been massive hitting flops over the years.
yes Wladimir, Vitaly, top the list of greatest
punchers.
You cannot compare the Heavyweight punch to any other weight class.
no way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ali is the best puncher of all time its between ali and tyson, the rest are all wanabe
sorry had to lg off to google’who is derrick jefferson’.forget size etc otherwise valuev and carnera belong on your list
unbeatable,scary,exciting,ruthless..words used all the time when tyson was a champ and introducing people to boxing on a grander scale.boring,timid,hesitant,lacklustre..you know who im talking about.i guess the germans love him though.punch for punch klitschko might hit somewhere near as hard..its just a shame he wont punch .
are you forgetting the old school heavyweights like max baer who had enough power to kill a man and proved it he easily makes the top ten here. How is earnie shavers not in there he was an unbelievable puncher. I wouldnt put tyson at the top as he was not as powerful as lewis or foreman but was far more accurate with his punches and had fantastic speed thats why he knocked so many out. If it was top ten heavyweights id put tyson at the top of that list as he had great technique compared to the others in the list and also could take a punch better then any of those.
Take a look at Wladimir’s bicep in that picture , and remember the guy is 240 lbs of solid muscle and nearly 6.7 ft tall.
Freddie Roach who should know, said that Wladimir punch for punch hits harder than Tyson and Lewis.
(Tyson in his opinion is more explosive)
He definitely hits harder than Vitali.
Factor in natural athleticism , relentless pursuit of improvement , modern day training techniques and scientific advances and you have one bad dude.
I would rate his right cross as the hardest in history. Ask poor Derreck Jefferson!!!!
dont forget joe louise,he carried a wallop in either hand with speed,accuracy,and a good ring generalship.i cannot really comment on wladimir as i have only seen him throw 5 right hands on opponents who are already finished.imagine what a prime tyson would have done to these ‘contenders’.wladimir fights nervous against some weak opposition,he would have soiled himself against tyson.biggs,tucker,they moved better than klitschko.watch those fights again you would see what tyson would have done to him
worst article ive ever seen on this site, he barely even throws his right hand because it throws him ”off balance”, and hes knocked his opponents out because there all bums. and your list is a joke, has lots of present fighters in it when we know we are in the worst generation of heavyweights ever.
Looking at my name I am sure you know what I am gonna say…. But firstly I would like to make it clear that I am not simply a Haye fan and thats it! I am open to constructive critisim and a sensible debate!! I just dont have time for mindless idiots that say stupid things tha just dont make any sense or have no evidence to back up what they say…
I personally think David Haye will prove to be boxing’s current hardest hitter. His punchin power at cruiserweight was second to none and I think now he has put more weight on and got stronger his power will also increase massivly!!!! Or on the other hand these bigger boys may just be able to take it easiser…… Would be interesting to do a punching power test on these boys cos I am sure Haye would beat both the boring brothers
his bother hits harder look at his record
enjoyable article, the inclusion of Haye is premature though, I personally enjoyed Frank Bruno’s knockout of Jose Ribalta,he was out before he hit the floor, couldnt find it on U Tube though?
Great article but I don’t know the answer!!!
Is Wlad a better puncher than his brother? And for a little heavyweight, Marciano could punch. Dempsey was also a banger and what about Razor Ruddock? – this list could be tricky!!
All of the fans around in the 70s go for Shavers every time but for me the most devastating puncher in my lifetime so far has been Tyson.
I watched Tyson vs Berbick again a couple of days ago and while I was amazed at his combinations and speed, his one punch power wasn’t quite as I remembered.
I think he had a remarkable ability to throw 3-4 very heavy punches in a blur, knocking almost anybody out when they connected. However, his one punch power has been surpassed by quite a few boxers both past and present.
David Haye? You must be joking, over someone like Shavers? Each to their own but David has fought at Heavy…Twice…
Holmes had underated power due to his first rate jab (best heavy jab ever IMO) but again, not sure on top 10.
Can’t really agree but enjoyed reading.