Knockout artists have enthralled fight fans throughout boxing history – a phenomenon that continues to this day. In this updated list for 2019, Boxing Base has compiled the Top 10 most ferocious, dangerous fighters on the planet.
Top 10 Hardest Punchers in Boxing (25+ bouts)
CRITERIA: To enter our Hardest Punchers, boxers had to have: 1) 25+ pro bouts (i.e. a 10-0, 10 KO prospect couldn’t feature), 2) a 70%+ KO rate, and 3) a Top 10 rank in their respective weight class.
Rankings are compiled using a boxer’s KO rate regardless of opposition level; opponent quality is subjective, so, to keep things simple, this is a pure numbers game.
Below this list are two more Top 10s for fighters with 20-24 and 19- bouts.
1. Deontay Wilder – 95% KO (40-0-1, 39 KO), US, Heavyweight
Wilder, a prime Heavyweight behemoth, retains his top spot here. The WBC titlist has clocked up a chilling KO streak, only briefly disturbed by Bermane Stermaine in 2015 (who has since been swiftly carved up in a 2017 rematch) and Tyson Fury in December.
Wilder has enviable power, the kind that can instantly turn the tables and undo an opponent’s work. Wilder, athletically built and standing at 6’ 7”, isn’t celebrated for his boxing pedigree or ring IQ, and may never break the Pound for Pound scene.
But when you’re one of the world’s most aggressive, motivated, merciless finishers, it often matters little. And Wilder proved this when it mattered most: in explosive 2018 encounters with front-runners Luis Ortiz and Tyson Fury.
2. Eduardo Hernandez – 89% KO (27-0, 24 KO), Mexico, Junior Lightweight
Despite clocking up his 21st consecutive knockout in October, Hernandez probably isn’t on most fight fans’ radars at present. Besides possessing an impressive powerhouse record, which includes 16 KOs coming inside 2 rounds, Hernandez’s career is yet to truly ignite.
But that’s OK. Hernandez, currently sitting at No.9 in BB’s Junior Lightweight Rankings, is a bonafide prospect. Still just 21-years-old with time to grow and build momentum, hopefully we’ll witness a breakout moment for ‘Rocky’ sometime in 2019. The division is perilously deep, however, with no easy pickings in the Top 10.
3. Miguel Berchelt – 86% KO (35-1, 31 KO), Mexico, Junior Lightweight
Dynamic, hard-punching, and simply very, very good, Berchelt is a revered boxer-banger on the 130-pound scene. After suffering a 1st round KO defeat to Luis Eduardo Florez in 2014, Berchelt quickly resumed his knockout spree, with only gnarly veteran Takashi Miura lasting to hear the final bell.
Berchelt hasn’t shied away from world-class opposition in recent times. The 29-year-old found acclaim in 2017 by stopping unbeaten WBC champ Francisco Vargas, and wasted no time with veterans Maxwell Awuku and Jonathon Victor Barros before halting relentless battler Miguel Roman in 2018.
4. Gennady Golovkin – 85% KO (38-1-1, 34 KO), Kazakhstan, Middleweight
Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin slips a couple of places in our Top 10 this year. While Golovkin’s air of invincibility has started to wear off over the past couple of years – following competitive fights with Daniel Jacobs and Canelo Alvarez (twice) – this boxer-puncher remains a formidable, iron-chinned titan at Middleweight.
Golovkin is a smart, economical, all-action fighter with options in the ring, capable of breaking down foes at a distance with smooth fundamentals, slugging it out ‘Mexican Style’, or wiping them out with ferocious seek-and-destroy precision. Golovkin is currently out of the boxing headlines while finalizing a deal with next-gen broadcaster DAZN.
5. Luis Ortiz – 84% KO (30-1, 26 KO), Cuba, Heavyweight
It’s hardly surprising that Heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz, known for his clinical, brutal finishes, wears the alias ‘King Kong’. The man’s big. And definitely bad. But with Father Time creeping up fast, this Cuban standout could soon find himself battling an extra opponent in the ring. Ortiz, it seems, may have entered the Heavyweight scene a little late in the game.
Still, you can’t dispute Ortiz’s pedigree, lights-out power and ability to find cracks in opponents; even against live, dangerous dance partners like Deontay Wilder. Following 2018’s defeat to the dynamite-fisted ‘Bronze Bomber’, the question seems to be whether Ortiz now has the mental stamina and literal legs to rebuild one last time and capture a world title.
6. Jaime Munguia – 83% KO (30-0, 25 KO), Mexico, Junior Middleweight
Junior Middleweight newcomer Sadam Ali shocked most of us with an upset victory over WBO champ Miguel Cotto in late 2017. But Ali’s title reign was to be very short-lived indeed, ending not long after touching gloves with Munguia. Ali succumbed to the raw power of the big, hard-cracking – yet previously unheralded challenger – falling inside just 4 rounds.
Munguia has kept busy since, out-brawling a game Liam Smith and quickly dispatching of an outgunned Brandon Cook in 2018, before outpointing durable slugger Takeshi Inoue in January. There are bigger fish – such as Jarrett Hurd and Jermell Charlo – still out there, sure, but, aged just 22-years-old, time is no enemy of Munguia’s right now.
7. Richard Commey – 83% KO (28-2, 25 KO), Ghana, Lightweight
‘Commey’ and ‘overtime’ are words seldom used in the same sentence. The Guana-born bruiser quickly established a reputation as a fearsome destroyer, but picked up his first blemishes following back-to-back defeats in 2016, being narrowly edged by closely-watched prospect Robert Easter and seasoned contender Denis Shafikov.
Commey, having proven that he could mix it up at a high level, has since bounced back with more electric performances, crushing an unbeaten Alejandro Luna in early 2018, and lifting the vacant IBF title versus Isa Chaniev in February. Commey, now 31, is currently out of action with a hand injury.
8. Felix Alvarado – 83% KO (34-2, 30 KO), Nicaragua, Junior Flyweight
Alvarado is another born-puncher on our list, but thus far has failed to get over the hump in his two championship attempts. Like Richard Commey (above), Alvarado’s back-to-back defeats aren’t huge blemishes on his slate considering they came against top-drawer fighters Kazuto Ioka and Juan Carlos Reveco. Alvarado has now been on a sixteen-fight winning streak since the 2014 Reveco loss, and, at 29, has time on his side aplenty to shoot for another world title.
9. Eduard Troyanovsky – 82% KO (27-2, 24 KO), Russia, Junior Welterweight
‘The Eagle’, boasting a fierce knockout-loaded record, was soaring on the Junior Welterweight scene prior to getting iced in the 1st round by Julius Indongo in 2016. Troyanovsky, who previously held the IBF title, managed to rebuild, clocking up wins over Michele Di Rocco and a then-unbeaten Carlos Manuel Portillo in 2017.
The Russian set his sights on the WBA belt last October during the WBSS Junior Welterweight tournament, but was outpointed by titleholder Kiryl Relikh. Today, with Troyanovsky approaching his 39th birthday, he finds himself in a continually fierce division with guys like Mikey Garcia and Regis Prograis. The big question: Does Trovanovsky have enough left to rise one more time?
10. Emanuel Navarrete – 81% KO (26-1, 22 KO), Mexico, Junior Featherweight
Despite an early career blip, the tall, rangy Navarrete never looked back, going on to conquer his next 21 opponents, with 17 unable to withstand the 24-year-old’s intensity and firepower. Navarrete became the Junior Featherweight Top 10 kingpin here at Boxing Base after shocking unbeaten Isaac Dogboe in December.
Navarrete impressed during this career-defining outing, pressuring, hurting and convincingly beating Dogboe, the reigning WBO champ, over the course of 12 rounds. The plot now thickens, however, with puncher Dogboe hoping to avenge this sole career defeat shortly in May 2019.
More Noteworthy Punchers
11. Oscar Valdez | 80% | 25-0, 20 KO | WBO | Mexico | Featherweight- 12. Roman Gonzalez | 79% | 47-2, 39 KO) | Nicaragua, Junior Bantamweight
- 13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai | 78% | 47-4-1, 41 KO) | WBC, RING | Thailand | Junior Bantamweight
- 14. Luis Nery | 78% | 28-0, 22 KO) | Mexico | Bantamweight
- 15. Daniel Jacobs | 78% | 35-2, 29 KO) | IBF | US | Middleweight
Top 10 Hardest Punchers (20-24 bouts)
1. Anthony Joshua | 95% | 22-0, 21 KO | WBA, WBO, IBF | UK | Heavyweight- 2. Gervonta Davis | 95% | 21-0, 20 KO | WBA | US | Junior Lightweight
- 3. Angel Acosta | 95% | 19-1, 19 KO | WBO | Puerto Rico | Junior Flyweight
- 4. Yunier Dorticos | 87% | 23-1, 21 KO | Cuba | Cruiserweight
- 5. Ilunga Makabu | 87% | 22-2, 21 KO | Congo | Cruiserweight
- 6. Errol Spence Jr | 87% | 24-0, 21 KO | IBF | US | Welterweight
- 7. Kevin Lerena | 86% | 21-1, 19 KO | South Africa – Cruiserweight
- 8. David Benavidez | 85% | 20-0, 17 KO | WBC | US | Super Middleweight
- 9. Jarrell Miller | 83% | 23-0-1, 20 KO | US | Heavyweight
- 10. Regis Prograis | 82% | 23-0, 19 KO | US | Junior Welterweight
Top 10 Hardest Punchers (19- bouts)
1. Artur Beterbiev | 100% | 13-0, 13 KO | IBF | Russia | Light Heavyweight- 2. Naoya Inoue | 88% | 17-0, 15 KO | Japan | Bantamweight
- 3. Josh Taylor | 86% | 14-0, 12 KO | UK | Junior Welterweight
- 4. Oleksandr Gvozdyk | 81% | 16-0, 13 KO | WBC | Ukraine | Light Heavyweight
- 5. Adam Kownacki | 79% | 19-0, 15 KO | US | Heavyweight
- 6. Nordine Oubaali | 78% | 14-0, 11 KO | WBC | France | Bantamweight
- 7. Jason Moloney | 78% | 17-1, 14 KO | Australia | Bantamweight
- 8. Sergiy Derevyanchenko | 77% | 12-1, 10 KO | Ukraine | Middleweight
- 9. Andrew Tabiti | 76% | 17-0, 13 KO | US | Cruiserweight
- 10. Dmitry Bivol | 73% | 15-0, 11 KO | WBA | Russia | Light Heavyweight
(Note: Rankings are accurate to the best of BB staff and compilers’ knowledge as of March 1, 2019. The next update is due on March 1, 2020, allowing for significant changes in boxer records. Staff thanks BoxRec for additional information. Top 10 Hardest Punchers Archive: 2018, 2017)
These are the Top 10 Hardest Punchers currently inhabiting the boxing landscape. What’s your take on the sport’s most feared athletes? Have your say in the comments.
