Moses Itauma ranks one man above all others as the hardest hitting heavyweight ever

Oscar Pick

Moses Itauma ranks one man above all others as the hardest hitting heavyweight ever
Image credit: Getty

Moses Itauma has weighed in on the hardest hitting heavyweight of all time debate, naming a formidable puncher who ended his career with a 92% knockout-to-win ratio.

When it comes to discussing the most powerful heavyweights in boxing history, fans will often mention Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Earnie Shavers and Deontay Wilder.

Tyson was particularly ruthless before and during his first world title reign, which came to an end when he suffered a stunning stoppage defeat to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in 1990.

Foreman, too, was capable of delivering highlight-reel knockouts at the top level, as evidenced by his stoppages of Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in 1973 and 1974, respectively.

As for Wilder, it could be argued that, while boasting a 95% knockout-to-win ratio, he, unlike ‘Iron’ Mike and ‘Big George’, does not have the resume of an all-time great.

In terms of raw power, though, prodigious talent Itauma has told DAZN that he believes Shavers is the greatest heavyweight puncher of all time.

While never winning a world title, the ‘Black Destroyer’ fought in an era that was brimming with world-class operators, including Hall of Famers Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.

And while he did, of course, lose to both of those champions, Shavers nonetheless gave a tremendous account of himself on each occasion.

Two of his most notable stoppages came against Norton and Joe Bugner, with this generation’s Itauma clearly an admirer of the American’s career.

And with the 21-year-old swiftly becoming a prolific knockout artist in his own right, perhaps he will eventually be mentioned in the same breath as Shavers, Tyson, Foreman and Wilder.

More stories