Bernard Hopkins faced a selection of serious punchers, including Sergey Kovalev and Felix Trinidad, throughout his decorated career, but only one man stands out as the hardest-hitting fighter he ever locked horns with.
The former two-weight world champion amassed 65 professional outings, spanning across 28 years, and therefore came up against an incredibly diverse range of styles.
When it comes to those who built their identity around being a prolific knockout artist, though, it must be said that Kovalev and Trinidad are the two that immediately spring to mind.
In addition to them, Hopkins also discovered that Roy Jones Jr, who generated considerable power through his remarkable speed, was no feather-fisted customer, either.
The pair collided for the first time in 1993, with Jones, despite sustaining a hand injury, claiming the world middleweight title with a clear unanimous decision victory.
For Hopkins, though, it was not until 1999, when he fought the then-leading middleweight contender, Antwun Echols, that he encountered the most heavy-handed puncher he ever faced.
During their 12-round contest, Echols floored his durable opponent with a right hand but, due to the punch arriving while the referee was administering a break, he was ultimately not awarded the knockdown.
Instead, Hopkins eventually claimed a unanimous decision victory, before once again defending his IBF title with a 10th-round stoppage in their rematch the following year.
After that, Echols became something of a gatekeeper in the middle and super-middleweight divisions, but was nonetheless named by Hopkins as the biggest puncher he faced in an interview with Ring Magazine.
“[Antwun Echols] was clubbing, not swift. Thumping. Also, Felix Trinidad, but that’s all. He was really one dimensional. He had great success fighting one-dimensional people.
“That’s not a knock on him but when you run into a Bernard Hopkins, who’s more than one dimensional, then you got a problem.
“Kovalev was a big puncher but I’m going to stick with Antwun Echols – he could crack.”
