Whilst we know all Heavyweights pack a punch, we list some of them who's power precedes them.

10- Sonny Liston

Record: 50-4

Knockouts: 39

KO%: 72

Notable Wins: Floyd Patterson x2, Cleveland Williams x2, Zora Folley

One of the most intimidating fighters to ever live, Sonny Liston AKA ‘The Big Bear’ was also one of the most ferocious punchers of all time. In particular, Liston’s jab was one of the best ever seen in the heavyweight division, arguably only rivalled by Larry Holmes’.





Despite the fact Liston is best known for his controversial defeats to Muhammad Ali, he was a menacing character who Ali would go onto describe as the opponent who scared him the most. Although the late heavyweight champion’s life and death were shrouded in mystery, there can be no doubt that his record shows him to be one of the most punishing punchers there ever was.

Quotes from other fighters:

Zora Foley: “You can’t believe how strong Sonny is until you feel it.”

Cleveland Williams: "No human being hits as hard as Sonny Liston… You can't describe his strength - no man should be that strong!"

9- Vitali Klitschko

Record: 45-2

Knockouts: 41

KO %: 87

Notable Wins: Corrie Sanders, Samuel Peter, Kevin Johnson, Shannon Briggs, Dereck Chisora

As suggested by his boxing alias: Dr. Ironfist, Vitali Klitschko had immense strength and power which led him to the top of the division alongside his younger brother Wladimir. Vitali may not have hit as hard as Wlad, but was perhaps the tougher fighter with a more durable chin.

Vitali’s 45-2 record is even more impressive when you consider the unfortunate circumstances of his 2 losses. Against Chris Byrd, Vitali appeared to be cruising to victory until round 9 when a shoulder injury caused him to retire from the fight. Against Lewis, Vitali was up 58-56 on all three scorecards when the doctor decided to call the fight in round 6 due to a cut on Vitali’s eye caused by a Lewis right hand.





In the end, Vitali retired early in 2012 to pursue a political career in Ukraine, but his legacy as one of the most formidable punchers and an incredible heavyweight lives on.

Quotes from other fighters:

Chris Arreola: “Klitschko, when he punched me. I felt like that m**********r was trying to go through my face… That dude just has mad strength.”

Danny Williams: “He didn’t hit as hard as Mike Tyson but he was more consistent with his punches.”

8- Rocky Marciano

Record: 49-0

Knockouts: 43

KO %: 88

Notable Wins: Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott x2, Ezzard Charles x2, Archie Moore

Marciano is without a doubt one of the most revered and legendary heavyweights of all time. His record speaks for itself along with his incredible knockout percentage. In truth, at 85 kg Marciano would probably be a light-heavyweight or a cruiserweight by modern standards. This is why it is so impressive that Marciano is still considered one of the greatest punchers ever.





Marciano would set the fabled record of 49-0 which many fighters have since strived to achieve in their career. Following his retirement, Marciano took part in a simulated fight with Ali in which he was declared the winner by TKO in the 13th round. Ali would later go on to remark that despite the light sparring, his arms would be incredibly sore from Marciano’s power. Ali believed that Marciano would have been a tougher opponent than Frazier and conceded that in a real fight, it was possible The Brockton Blockbuster could have defeated him.

Quotes from other fighters:

Muhammad Ali: “Oh he hit hard!

Joe Louis: “It hurt to bump into him...He hits harder than Max Schmeling...this kid is tough enough to beat anyone… The Rock didn't know too much about the boxing book, but it wasn't a book he hit me with. It was a whole library of bone crushers."

Jack Dempsey: "I've scored my share of knockouts along the way, but more often than not my opponents got up after being knocked down and had to be knocked down repeatedly. The same is true of Joe Louis. But Marciano needs only one solid smash and it's all over. That's why I say Rocky Marciano is the hardest-hitting heavyweight champion I have seen."

7- Lennox Lewis

Record: 41-2-1

Knockouts: 32

KO %: 73

Notable Wins: Frank Bruno, Shannon Briggs, Evander Holyfield, David Tua, Mike Tyson, Vitali Klitschko

Lennox Lewis is often unfairly overlooked in the argument for the most powerful punchers, mainly because he had so much more to his arsenal than just being a knockout artist. Lewis has the rare accolade of being one of only a few champions to beat every man he stepped into the ring with as a professional. He avenged defeats to both Oliver McCall & Hasim Rahman, while he also defeated Evander Holyfield in a rematch after a controversial draw decision in their first bout.





Lewis possessed a monstrous right hand which saw him stop legendary fighters like Tyson and Vitali Klitschko. The pugilist specialist wasn’t always incredibly aggressive in his approach and could box very tactically against fighters like Tua when needed. Despite this, when Lennox decided to let his hands go and look for the finish, it was rare the former undisputed heavyweight champion didn’t get the job done

Quotes from other fighters:

Evander Holyfield: “Out of all the people, I would say George Foreman was the strongest. And behind him Lennox Lewis”

Ray Mercer: “He’s a big man, everything he did was slick and strong. He was definitely the strongest.”

6- David Tua

Record: 52-5-2

Knockouts: 43

KO %: 73

Notable Wins: John Ruiz, Hasim Rahman, Michael Moorer, Fres Oquendo

David Tua stands out in most people's minds as one of the best heavyweights never to win a title. Though Tua fell just short of being a world champion, the Samoa born New Zealander managed to gain the public's interest with his incredible power. Tua may have lacked the speed and blistering combinations of fellow heavyweight Mike Tyson but the blocky Kiwi wasn’t far behind in terms of being a puncher.





The most obvious reason Tua never quite reached the top of the division is that he competed at a time where the heavyweight division was incredibly stacked with talent. Tua had to fight in an era where Tyson, Lewis, Holyfield, Foreman and many other legends were competing.

Quotes from other fighters:

Michael Moorer: “Tua was the best puncher I faced. Tua knew how to deliver the power, being more flatfooted than being on his toes and being that he kept a fist. Most boxers keep their hands open, and he knew the way he came in – short, stocky – and he had a good chin, but he could do the hitting as well.”

John Ruiz: “He hit like a mule. Sometimes things happen and I admit he really got me.”

5- Wladimir Klitschko

Record: 64-5-0

Knockouts: 53

KO %: 77

Notable Wins: Chris Byrd x2, Samuel Peter x2, Lamon Brewster, David Haye, Ruslan Chagaev, Alexander Povetkin, Kubrat Pulev

Dr. Steelhammer, like his older brother Vitali, was one of the most dominant champions of the heavyweight division, going undefeated for over a decade before finally losing to now WBC champion Tyson Fury. As a youngster, Wladimir was far more aggressive but a somewhat suspect chin led to some brutal knockout losses in the early days of his career.





Under the management of legendary trainer Emanuel Steward, Wlad developed a more conservative jab and grab style which was key to his long reign as champion. On top of having a height advantage over most of his opponents, the Ukrainian also possessed one of the most thunderous right hands ever to exist in the division.





When Wlad truly committed to a right hand and landed, most of his opponents were heading straight for the canvas. In his final fight against Anthony Joshua, he exhibited this incredible strength flooring the Englishman with a monstrous right hand in round 6.

Quotes from other fighters:

Chris Byrd: “Wladimir hits three times harder than Vitali!”

Anthony Joshua: “He hit me with a right hand in the first round and I said, ‘Boy oh boy!’… He had the power just to go *bang* and not just stumble you but to knock you out for 10 minutes. Klitschko through and through had the biggest punch.”

4- Mike Tyson

Record: 50-6

Knockouts: 44

KO %: 76

Notable Wins: Trevor Berbick, Tony Tucker, Frank Bruno x2, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Andrew Golata, Donovan Ruddock

If you asked the average boxing fan who the hardest puncher of all time is, their answer would probably be Iron Mike Tyson. This comes with good reason as Tyson broke onto the scene in the mid-80s with knockout after knockout, becoming the youngest heavyweight champion of all time aged just 20.





Tyson broke the mould of most big punchers, as he seemed to carry equally monstrous power in each hand. Tyson’s power could only be matched by his speed as Kid Dynamite used blistering combinations to floor numerous opponents and become heavyweight champion in what would become an incredibly competitive era.

Quotes from other fighters:

Tony Tubbs: When Tyson hit me I felt dazed. …. He gave up all his strength after five rounds. He was a hitter. Certain fighters would never fight Tyson, Riddick Bowe would never fight Mike Tyson.”

Henry Tillman: “Mike hit me with 3 punches and fractured my ribs in the Olympic trials. I said, if any one of those punches had been on my head, I probably would have been dead.”

3- George Foreman

Record: 76-5

Knockouts: 68

KO %: 84

Notable Wins: Joe Frazier x2, Ken Norton, Ron Lyle, Gerry Cooney, Michael Moorer.

Along with Sonny Liston and Mike Tyson, Big George Foreman goes down as one of the most intimidating fighters to ever rule the heavyweight division. Foreman’s brutal power was exhibited in front of the entire world when he demolished Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in 73 and 74 respectively.





After coming out of retirement in his 40s, Foreman still managed to have competitive bouts with top-level heavyweights such as Holyfield, Briggs, Morrison, and Moorer. Aged 45, Foreman’s incredible knockout over Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight champion ever showed the incredible power the preacher still possessed late into his career.





Quotes from other fighters:

Evander Holyfield: “George Foreman hit me harder than any fighter. He didn’t knock me down but with one shot I thought he knocked all my teeth out.”

Chuck Wepner: “I got hit so hard by Foreman that the bone blew up inside my eye. It burst from the inside out and it was sticking out a quarter of an inch.”

2- Earnie Shavers

Record: 74-14-1

Knockouts: 68

KO %: 76

Notable Wins: Jimmy Young, Ken Norton, Jimmy Ellis

Put simply, Earnie Shavers had power that was out of this world. The Black Destroyer only took up boxing at 22 years of age, but such was the power he was gifted with, Shavers was still able to compete at the very top of the division. Despite his lack of boxing skill, Shavers knocked out fighters like Jimmy Young and Ken Norton and almost caused huge upsets against Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.





In the end, Shavers late start in the sport probably cost him his chance at becoming a heavyweight world champion, but if nothing else the quotes below from some of the people who faced him speak volumes about the terrifying power the man possessed.

Quotes from other fighters:

Larry Holmes: Earnie hit me harder than any other fighter, including Mike Tyson. He hit me and I was face down on the canvas hearing saxophonist Jimmy Tillis."

Ron Lyle: "That’s the hardest I've ever been hit in my life. And George Foreman could punch, but none of them could hit like Earnie Shavers did. When he hit you, the lights went out.”

Muhammad Ali: “He hit me so hard, he shook my kinfolks back in Africa…. Stronger than Joe Fraizer and George Foreman.”

1- Deontay Wilder

Record: 42-1-1

Knockouts: 41

KO %: 93

Notable Wins: Bermane Stiverne x2, Luis Ortiz x2, Dominic Breazeale.

Of all the fighters on this list, it is fair to say that Deontay Wilder is the most technically flawed. The Bronze Bomber often finds himself off balance and loses all technique when he smells blood in the ring. So, when you consider that despite these flaws, the 6’7” heavyweight only tasted defeat for the first time in his 44th fight, it should give perspective on how great of an equaliser his right hand is.





Unlike Tyson, Wilder isn’t renowned for having equal power in both hands, although by all accounts he has great power in his jab. Wilder is known for the absolute bomb of a right hand he throws which has seen him declared the winner by knockout 41 times so far. Wilder may not be a skilful boxer and he may not have the greatest resume, but at this stage, it can't be denied that Wilder possesses the best one-hitter quitter that the sport of boxing has ever seen.

Quotes from other fighters:

David Haye: "I got hit by Wilder in sparring and there was more effect than when Klitschko hit me with 10oz gloves! His punch power is 10 out of 10, that’s it. I don’t know how else to say it. You know when you’ve been hit by him. It’s very different to anyone else. He is the hardest puncher I’ve ever been in the ring with. "

Tyson Fury: “Deontay Wilder is the most fiercest puncher in boxing history, in heavyweight division history. I saw that and I felt it. No wonder AJ didn’t want no part of that right hand!”

Luis Ortiz: “His right hand is more powerful than one could imagine.”

Eric Molina: “Wilder could knock out a bull if he hit it in the head. It’s just a matter of ‘when’ in that fight.”