UPDATED LIST AVAILABLE: Top 10 Hardest Punchers in Boxing 2019.
Knockout artists have enthralled fight fans since the dawn of boxing, and that phenomenon continues to this day in 2018. Boxing Base has the complete lowdown on today’s Top 10 most dangerous, hardest punchers.
Criteria: To enter our Hardest Punchers, boxers had to: 1) have at least 25 bouts on their record (i.e. a prospect with 8 wins, 8 knockouts could not feature, but, we have included an additional Top 5 for those with 20-24 and 19 & Under bouts), 2) possess a 70% or higher KO percentage.
Note: The rankings are produced from a boxer’s KO percentage regardless of opposition level faced. Opponent quality is far too subjective, so, to keep things cut and dry, we’ve kept this a pure numbers game. It’s worth noting, however, that all listed fighters currently feature in BB’s Top 10 World Rankings.
Top 10 Hardest Punchers in Boxing
1. Deontay Wilder – 97.5% KO (40-0, 39 KO), US, Heavyweight
It’s hardly surprising that Wilder, an athletic powerhouse and bonafide goliath among today’s Heavyweights, sits atop the Top 10. The WBC titlist has clocked up a chilling knockout streak, only briefly disturbed by Bermane Stermaine who managed to go the distance in 2015 before being swiftly carved up in a recent rematch.
Yeah, Wilder is a guy who can punch. We’re talking frightening power, the kind that can instantly flip a fight in the 6′ 7″ fighter’s favour. Wilder isn’t celebrated for his pedigree, and may never break the Pound for Pound scene, but there’s no doubting that he’s one of the most aggressive, motivated, merciless finishers in boxing.
Wilder recently shook off a bunch of critics by enduring a gruelling bout with Luis Ortiz, with Wilder bouncing back to brutally stop the respected contender. A mouth-watering showdown with fellow behemoth Anthony Joshua now looms.
2. Gennady Golovkin – 86.8% KO (37-0-1, 33 KO), Kazakhstan, Middleweight
Like Wilder, Golovkin maintains his position in the Top 10. While Golovkin’s air of invincibility has begun to wear off over the past year – following competitive fights with Kell Brook, Daniel Jacobs, and a Draw with Canelo Alvarez – the revered boxer-puncher remains a formidable force at Middleweight.
Golovkin is a smart, economical, all-action fighter with options in the ring, capable of breaking down opponents at a distance with smooth fundamentals or wiping them out with ferocious seek-and-destroy tactics. Golovkin is booked in for a second affair with rival Canelo Alvarez, slated for May 5 in Las Vegas.
3. Eduard Troyanovsky – 85.7% KO (27-1, 24 KO), Russia, Junior Welterweight
‘The Eagle’, boasting a fierce knockout-loaded record, was soaring on the Junior Welterweight scene before getting iced in the 1st round by Julius Indongo in December, 2016. Troyanovsky, who previously held the IBF title, has since started the rebuilding process, clocking up wins over Michele Di Rocco and a then-unbeaten Carlos Manuel Portillo last year.
If Troyanovsky is to make another crack at capturing a championship belt, he cannot afford to bide his time. Along with the Russian approaching a 38th birthday, he finds himself in a lively, competitive, fierce division, inhabited by guys like Mikey Garcia and Regis Prograis.
4. Daniel Jacobs – 82.9% KO (33-2, 29 KO), US, Middleweight
Jacobs, a finely-tuned talent on the Middleweight scene known as ‘The Miracle Man’ – after beating a mid-career fight with cancer – became the first man to almost best Gennady Golovkin last March. Jacobs proved his mettle and resolve that night, getting off the deck to rally back and do damage on the scorecards.
While Jacobs’ power wasn’t enough to rock the granite chin of Golovkin, it has been more than adequate against the majority of the New Yorker’s opponents. The former WBA champion is a renowned knockout puncher, with a notable 1st round drumming of fellow Brooklynite Peter Quillin on record.
5. Lucas Matthysse – 83.7% KO (39-4, 36 KO), Argentina, Welterweight
Matthysse hasn’t been considered unbeatable or in danger of becoming an elite fighter for some time. He does, however, continue to be a vaunted, feared puncher who can change a fight with a single blow. The Argentine banger demonstrated just that in his recent move to Welterweight where he erased Tewa Kiram’s bold effort on the scorecards with a savage knockout.
At 147 pounds, Matthysse is surrounded by legitimate threats, many of whom are younger and fresher, with eyes now firmly fixed on his WBA title. The likes of Errol Spence Jr, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia and Jessie Vargas, among others, would likely be favourites against Matthysse. But, as always, you can never count out a guy with Matthysse’s kind of power.
6. Julio Ceja – 82.4% KO (32-2, 28 KO), Mexico, Junior Featherweight
Never in a dull fight, Ceja, 25, still campaigning during his peak years, is one of boxing’s most exciting toe-to-toe warriors. Ceja has never quite gotten over the hump to capture a fully fledged world title, but does remain a respected, dangerous contender with experience at the top-level, with victories under his belt against fellow banger Hugo Ruiz and Anselmo Moreno, plus a narrow decision loss to Jamie McDonnell.
7. Felix Alvarado – 81.8% KO (31-2, 27 KO), Nicaragua, Junior Flyweight
Alvarado is another born-puncher on our list who hasn’t been able to get over the hump in his two championship attempts. But, like Richard Commey below, Alvarado’s back-to-back defeats aren’t huge blemishes, considering both came against top-drawer opposition in the forms of Kazuto Ioka and Juan Carlos Reveco. Alvarado has been on a thirteen-fight winning streak since 2014, and, at 29, has time on his side to shoot for another championship.
8. Richard Commey – 81.4% KO (25-2, 22 KO), Ghana, Lightweight
Commey isn’t a man who enjoys putting in overtime. The Guana-born knockout artist came up short in highly competitive, back-to-back losses to Robert Easter and Denis Shafikov, but, of course, there was no shame in losing to talents such as these. Commey proved that he could compete at the highest level in both encounters, and has since bounced back with a couple of electric performances, most recently crushing unbeaten contender Alejandro Luna in a frenetic war.
9. Mikey Garcia – 81.1% KO (37-0, 30 KO), US, Junior Welterweight
After a lengthy spell out of the ring, the highly-polished Garcia is back on the scene, bagging titles and looking great doing it, making good fighters look a lot more ordinary. Because of this, Garcia is now finally cracking the Pound for Pound Rankings rather than knocking on the door.
Garcia is renowned for being both a master of boxing’s fundamentals and of turning lights out, always with laser accuracy and purpose behind every punch. Garcia became a four-weight champion after demolishing WBC Lightweight champ Dejan Zlaticanin last January, and most recently outclassing IBF holder Sergey Lipinets.
10. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai – 80.0% KO (45-4-1, 40 KO), Thailand, Junior Bantamweight
Sor Rungvisai was expected to become yet another Roman Gonzalez victim prior to their first encounter a year ago. But the rugged, gnarly Sor Rungvisai seemingly could not care less about Gonzalez’s elite level skills and lofty reputation as the planet’s numero uno Pound for Pound fighter that night.
Sor Rungvisai gave tit-for-tat in a gruelling twelve-round war against Gonzalez, doing enough to leave the ring with a Majority Decision, scoring a magnificent upset in the process. Sor Rungvisai then cast aside any doubts over the narrow verdict by scoring a brutal knockout in their immediate rematch. Most recently, the Thai hero defended his WBC strap against Juan Francisco Estrada in another close battle.
More Hardest Punchers: 11-20
11. Sergey Kovalev | 80% | 32-2-1, 28 KO | WBO | Russia | Light Heavyweight- 12. Adonis Stevenson | 80% | 29-1, 24 KO | WBC | Canada | Light Heavyweight
- 13. Jose Uzcategui | 79% | 27-2, 23 KO | Venezuela | Super Middleweight
- 14. Roman Gonzalez | 79% | 46-2, 38 KO | Nicaragua | Junior Bantamweight
- 15. David Lemieux | 79% | 38-4, 33 KO | Canada | Middleweight
- 16. Jermall Charlo | 77% | 26-0, 20 KO | US | Middleweight
- 17. Luis Ortiz | 77% | 28-1, 24 KO | Cuba | Heavyweight
- 18. Keith Thurman | 76% | 28-0, 22 KO | WBC, WBC | US | Welterweight
- 19. Joe Smith Jr | 76% | 23-2, 19 KO | US | Light Heavyweight
- 20. Anthony Dirrell | 73% | 31-1-1, 24 KO | US | Super Middleweight
And a Few More…
- Zolani Tete | 72% | 26-3, 21 KO | South Africa | Bantamweight
- Terence Crawford | 72% | 32-0, 23 KO | US | Welterweight
- Jhonny Gonzalez | 72% | 65-10, 54 KO | Mexico | Junior Lightweight
Top 5 Hardest Punchers (20-24 bouts)
1. Anthony Joshua | 100% | 20-0, 20 KO | IBF, WBA | UK | Heavyweight- 2. Yunier Dorticos | 91% | 22-1, 21 KO | US | Cruiserweight
- 3. Errol Spence Jr | 87% | 23-0, 20 KO | IBF | US | Welterweight
- 4. Ilunga Makabu | 87% | 21-2, 20 KO | Congo | Cruiserweight
- 5. Jarrell Miller | 86% | 20-0-1, 18 KO | US | Heavyweight
And a Few More…
- Regis Prograis | 88% | 21-0, 19 KO | US | Junior Welterweight
- Dominic Breazeale | 85% | 19-1, 17 KO | US | Heavyweight
- David Benavidez | 85% | 20-0, 17 KO | WBC | US | Super Middleweight
Top 5 Hardest Punchers (19 bouts & under)
- 1. Daigo Higa | 100% | 15-0, 15 KO | WBC | Japan | Flyweight
- 2. Artur Beterbiev | 100% | 12-0, 12 KO | Russia | Light Heavyweight
- 3. Gervonta Davis | 95% | 19-0, 18 KO | US | Junior Lightweight
- 4. Angel Acosta | 94% | 17-1, 17 KO | Puerto Rico | Junior Flyweight
- 5. Josh Taylor | 92% | 12-0, 11 KO | UK | Junior Welterweight
And a Few More…
- Naoya Inoue | 87% | 15-0, 13 KO | Japan | Bantamweight
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk | 86% | 14-0, 12 KO | Ukraine | Light Heavyweight
- Dmitry Bivol | 85% | 13-0, 11 KO | WBA | Russia | Light Heavyweight
(Note: Rankings are accurate to the best of Boxing Base staff and compilers’ knowledge as of March 14, 2018. The next update is due on March 14, 2019, allowing for significant fighter record movement. Staff thanks BoxRec for additional information.)
These are the hardest punchers currently occupying the boxing landscape. But what’s your take on the sport’s most dangerous KO artists? And did we miss anyone out? Spill your thoughts in the comments.
