Who are the
most dangerous punchers in men's boxing?
Artur
Beterbiev is boxing's only champion with a 100 percent knockout ratio, a
distinction he'll look to maintain Saturday when he defends his three light
heavyweight titles against Callum Smith (10 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+).
Russia's
Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) is again fighting in his adopted hometown of Quebec
City, Canada. And once more, he'll do so against a formidable title challenger
in England's Smith.
Smith (29-1,
21 KOs) is a former super middleweight champion who moved up to 175 pounds
after he was thoroughly dominated by boxing's top star, Canelo Alvarez, in
December 2020.
The
33-year-old owns 21 KOs in 29 light heavyweight fights, and he appears to be a
more formidable puncher at his new weight. But his power figures to be no match
for Beterbiev, perhaps boxing's most imposing puncher.
Beterbiev,
ESPN's No. 7 pound-for-pound boxer, has scored an array of dazzling KOs during
his lengthy reign at 175 pounds. Most recently, he showed off his power against
another Englishman, Anthony Yarde, whom he stopped in Round 7 one year ago.
With a victory
over Smith, Beterbiev will finally be on a collision course with WBA
titleholder Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship.
Bivol told reporters last month he already agreed to terms for a fight in Saudi
Arabia against the winner.
And if
Beterbiev wants to reach his long-held goal of all four major light heavyweight
titles, he must first push past another tough challenger.
Beterbiev is
a dangerous puncher, but he's far from the sport's only fighter who strikes
fear into opponents' hearts. The heavyweight division, of course, features
plenty of boxers who can end a fight with one punch.
There are
plenty of boxers who pack impressive power in the lower weight classes, too.
And there are different kinds of punchers. Some break opponents down with heavy
shots throughout the duration of the bout.
Others
finish fights with a single blow. And there's plenty that goes into packing
punching power. The way a fighter sets up his shots; punch placement; and the
leverage it generates.
Who are the
sport's most dangerous punchers in men's boxing? Considering recent activity,
overall resume and history of devastating knockouts, here's a look at those
whose punches can alter any fight in an instant.
1: Artur
Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) - WBC/IBF/WBO light heavyweight champion
Beterbiev
has shown some vulnerability with his own punch resistance, but his greater
power has always won the fight. That was the case in his most-recent
performance, an eighth-round TKO of Yarde last January in London.
Yarde
stunned Beterbiev, but the Russian rallied, using his blunt-force shots to
break down the Londoner. Beterbiev's best punch -- a looping right hand -- sent
Yarde to the canvas before the referee halted the bout.
The
38-year-old also possesses a power jab and a stiff straight right hand that he
uses to break his foe's guards with his smart, swarming pressure. Once
Beterbiev is rolling downhill and in a rhythm, it's over for those standing in
front of him.
2: Naoya
Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) - undisputed junior featherweight champion
"The
Monster" is a punishing body puncher with an array of shots in his arsenal
to end fights swiftly. Only one of his last 16 opponents -- Nonito Donaire --
heard the final bell, but Inoue left no doubt in the rematch with Donaire when
he finished him out in two rounds.
Inoue's
remarkable stretch of knockouts includes a string in 2018-19 when he stopped
Jamie McDonnell and Juan Carlos Payano in the opening round, followed by a
second-round KO of Emmanuel Rodriguez.
The Japanese
star has carried his power to each new weight class from 108 to 122 pounds. In
two fights at junior featherweight last year, he scored an eighth-round TKO of
Stephen Fulton followed by a 10th-round KO of Marlon Tapales to capture the
undisputed championship.
The
foundation of Inoue's punching power is his impeccable balance. The way he
set-up the finish of Fulton was eye-opening in its creativity and execution:
Inoue landed a jab to the body followed by a right cross to the head. Fulton
was on his way to the canvas when an Inoue left hook crashed into his face.
Fulton beat
the count, but Inoue's killer instinct didn't let him off the hook as a flurry
of punches folded the American in the corner as the referee stopped the bout.
3: Deontay
Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) - former WBC heavyweight champion
Perhaps it
was Wilder's inactivity. Or maybe his age (he turned 38 in October.) Whatever
it was, Parker never seemed to respect Wilder's power. The former champion
wisely backed up Wilder and kept him on the back foot all night, where he
couldn't find leverage for that right hand.
Still,
Wilder is among the biggest punchers in heavyweight championship history. And
power is usually the last aspect of a fighter's game to decline. Dr. Sleep, as
Wilder referred to himself in the lead-up to the Parker fight, scored a bevy of
spectacular one-punch KOs against solid opposition, but also proved his power
on the elite level.
While he's
0-2-1 against Tyson Fury in their heavyweight championship trilogy -- and was
stopped twice -- he also floored the Englishman twice in the first fight and
twice in the third bout.
4: Terence
"Bud" Crawford - WBC/WBA/WBO welterweight champion
"Bud"
proved to be a solid puncher during title reigns at 135 and 140 pounds, but at
147, he reached another power level altogether. All eight of Crawford's
welterweight fights have ended inside the distance.
Crawford's
instinct to finish opponents is perhaps the best in the sport. He's mean and
truly wants to punish foes. Shawn Porter had never been stopped, but Crawford
TKOed him in Round 10 and sent him into retirement.
Errol Spence
Jr., had never been knocked down before, but Crawford dropped him three times
and finished him in Round 9 to capture the undisputed welterweight
championship.
A
switch-hitter with power in both hands, Crawford throws compact, precise shots
that meet their mark. His most spectacular KO came in December 2022, when he
demolished David Avanesyan with a one-two combination that left him in a heap.
5: Gervonta
Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) - WBA lightweight champion
"Tank"
Davis' shot placement is among the best in the sport, a trait that's carried
the Baltimore native to the pound-for-pound list. The southpaw counter-puncher
is patient while he waits for openings. Look no further than his seventh-round
KO of Ryan Garcia in April's superfight.
Davis used a
crisp counter left hand to change the trajectory of the bout in Round 2 when he
dropped Garcia. Then, Davis used a stabbing left hook to the body to end the
fight, another counter shot.
His ring IQ
is among the best in the sport; look no further than his crushing KO of Leo
Santa Cruz in 2020. The Mexican unloaded three consecutive right hands, only to
be timed by Davis, who used a crushing left uppercut to separate Santa Cruz
from his senses.
6: Subriel
Matias (20-1, 20 KOs) - IBF junior welterweight champion
The
volume-punching machine from Puerto Rico overwhelms opponents with his activity,
but there's serious power behind those shots.
All 20 of
his victories have come inside the distance, including a win over Petros
Ananyan to avenge his lone defeat.
He became a
champion last year when he flattened Jeremias Ponce in five rounds, and in his
first defense in November, forced Shohjahon Ergashev to retire on his stool
following a brutal beatdown.
7: Jai
Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) - lineal cruiserweight champion
The
Australian possesses a lanky puncher's body frame and his shots have serious
snap on them.
Opetaia is
one of the sport's quickest-ascending fighters with finishes in five of his
last six bouts. The only foe to last the distance during that stretch: Mairis
Briedis, who gave Oleksandr Usyk all he could handle when they met.
Opetaia
fought through a broken jaw to defeat Briedis for the IBF cruiserweight title
in July 2022 and hurt the Latvian in Round 4 with a right uppercut. His
most-impressive KO came last month, when he scored a spectacular one-punch,
first-round KO of Ellis Zorro in Saudi Arabia.
The
28-year-old owns quick hands, and his power figures to carry to heavyweight
when he eventually makes the jump to the glamor division.
8: Zhilei
Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) - WBO interim heavyweight champion
He's called
"Big Bang" Zhang for good reason. At 6-foot-6, 287 pounds, there's
tremendous power behind those southpaw punches.
And that
power was never more evident than in his pair of fights last year with Joe
Joyce. Joyce has long been regarded for his granite chin, but China's Zhang
cracked it twice in 2023.
First, Zhang
completely closed Joyce's right eye with his thudding shots in a major upset in
April. In the rematch five months later, Zhang scored a highlight-reel KO with
a monster right hook that sent Joyce face-first onto the canvas for the
10-count in Round 3.
In his lone
defeat, Zhang floored Filip Hrgovic in the opening round with a right hand and
dropped a controversial decision. The 40-year-old is now in line for a
heavyweight title shot.
9: Kenshiro
Teraji (22-1, 14 KOs) - WBC/WBA junior flyweight champion
Teraji may
be diminutive, but the punch he carries is far from it. The 32-year-old from Japan
has stopped his last four opponents.
His
most-recent KO victim was former champion Hekkie Budler, whom "The Amazing
Boy" stopped in Round 9 to retain his titles.
With
blinding hand speed and solid punching technique, Teraji is a force at 108
pounds. None of his last four foes have reached Round 10 as he continues his
dominance over the junior flyweight division.
10: Jaron
"Boots" Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) - IBF welterweight champion
"Boots"'
Ennis generates serious leverage on his punches, between his balance, footwork
and punch placement. The 26-year-old from Philadelphia hasn't proven his power
on the elite level, but that's only because he's been avoided to this point.
Now that he
owns a welterweight title, that should change. Ennis is coming off an
impressive 10th-round TKO victory over Roman Villa.
His crushing
power was on full display in a trio of fights against solid opposition in
2021-'22, when he finished Sergey Lipinets in Round 6 followed by a first-round
KO of Thomas Dulorme and a second-round KO of Custio Clayton.
Just missed: David Morrell, Mauricio Lara, Junto Nakatani, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Tim Tszyu, Tyson Fury.