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There are plenty of bangers in boxing, but these top five–assembled on KO percentage, opposition faced and sheer thrill factor–are the most feared power punchers in the modern day fight game.
5. Lucas Matthysse
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There is a substantial amount of competition to be slated as one of the top five power punchers in boxing today, but Lucas Matthysse, and his 34 knockouts in 37 bouts, sees him sneak in at number five.
You know when the Argentine, who competes in the 140 pound division, gets in the ring that you are going to get fireworks, and that it’s going to be a spectacular show.
He has sent the likes of Lamont Peterson, Mike Dallas Jr and Olusegun Ajose sprawling to the canvas without reply. If he could have gotten rid of Ruslan Provodnikov in his majority decision win that would have been something special, considering the “Siberian Rocky’s” unwavering chin.
Still, he did complement Matthysse as being the hardest hitter he’s ever fought, and that’s a worthy achievement in itself.
4. Carl Froch
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Fight fans may see this as a controversial pick, considering “The Cobra” has only 24 Knockouts in 33 contests. But he has pulled off some unbelievable stoppages during his glittering career, and has been facing world class opposition ever since he fought Jean Pascal back in 2008.
Carl Froch’s ability to grind out a stoppage during adversity makes him a little bit different to every other power puncher on the list. He delivered a 12th round stoppage of Jermain Taylor when he was trailing on two of the judges scorecards, and nobody will forget how he managed to muster up a ninth round TKO of bitter British rival George Groves in their first meeting after being heavily sent to the canvas in the first round.
In their rematch, he produced a startling one-punch stoppage, but this time in front of a raucous 80,000 inside Wembley Stadium. He also handed Lucian Bute his first defeat with a 5th round stoppage, simply wearing the Canadian down, and many now consider him to be shot after losing to the Nottingham man.
At 37, and with not many avenues to go down after vacating his IBF strap, and being stripped of his WBA one, the end is near for the hard-hitting fan favorite.
3. Deontay Wilder
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Deontay Wilder would have come in higher on the list had his 32 knockouts in 33 fights come against better opponents.
Nonetheless, before beating Bermane Stiverne to become WBC Heavyweight champion, the man from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, conquered all 32 of his foes within 4 rounds, and that’s still some achievement.
He also rocked Stiverne to the core and it was astonishing to see how his chin stood up to so much punishment. It will be interesting to see if Wilder can knockout world class competitors in his reign as champion, so keep tabs on that one fight fans.
2. Sergey Kovalev
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Sergey Kovalev’s nickname, “Krusher” certainly lives up to the billing, and his after tearing up the light heavyweight division with 24 knockouts in 27 fights, it means only fellow power puncher Adonis Stevenson stands in his way to achieve stardom.
His one-punch power is devastating, and those with a good memory will remember that he nearly sent Ismail Sillakh out of the ring with a right hook back in 2013.
Many were left disappointed and are keen to point out that he failed to get rid of then 49-year-old veteran Bernard Hopkins. But those were left staggered after he teed off on Canadian favorite Jean Pascal, bullying him around the ring with brutal shots before dispatching him in Round 8, handing Pascal his first knockout defeat.
1. Gennady Golovkin
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Coming in at No. 1, who else but “The Beast From The East?” Gennady Golovkin has incomparable power, stopping his last 20 opponents within the scheduled distance. The likes of Matthew Macklin, Daniel Geale, Martin Murray and Curtis Stevens, who are genuine top class opposition, have all fallen to Golovkin’s thunderous fists.
His sensational footwork and incessant pressure allows him to maneuver his opponent onto the ropes, and unleash those fearsome body shots, which are a key trademark to his power-punching game.
Many fight fans are disappointed that he hasn’t yet managed to strike a deal to face lineal champion Miguel Cotto or Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez, and it may be that the Kazakh is just too powerful for his own good.
