Forgive me if I've posted this before. Anyway Oliver McCall, Mr Chin, who has sparred with Tyson, fought Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno etc....was asked who he thought had the purest raw power out of all the guys he's taken punches from. Surprisingly, and without hesitation, he said....... Smokin' Bert Cooper. Thoughts?
Sounds like a typical case of where a fighter picks the opponent he has been able to deal with the best. That being said, I don't doubt that prime Cooper's short, quick shots were very hurtful.
I really don't put much weight in what fighters say about their opponents in any department, tbh. It's interesting to hear his perspective just to hear it, but fighters tend to have pretty distorted opinions about the guys they've faced. Could be that Bert Cooper just caught him with a PERFECT shot one session. Or it could be that he's friends with Bert. Or that Lewis really hit him hardest but he hates Lewis and can't bear to admit it. etc. Interesting though
McCall was/is actually one of my favourite fighters, maybe the best chin in heavyweight history. However I did get the impression he hated Lewis, so it's not shocking that Lennox isn't top of that particular list
I would have guessed Tyson, Bruno, and Lewis in any order ahead of Cooper, but I suppose it could be Cooper.
If you asked Herol Graham who was the hardest puncher he faced it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he didn't mention Julian Jackson.
Like Walcott with Marciano, that's probably a simple case of him having no memory :: A few from the division of punchers --- though bare in mind, many fighters have changed their nominations with the years, & making off-hand comments. Take these as seriously or not as you like... Joe Louis - Nominated Rocky Marciano & Maxxy Baer at different times. Chuck Wepner - Nominated Sonny Liston, & specifically called him a bigger hitter than George Foreman. Evander Holyfield - Nominated George Foreman, ahead of notables Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson & Riddick Bowe --- as well as McCall's Bert Cooper, who did hurt Holyfield. Larry Holmes - Nominated Earnie Shavers, & to my knowledge, has never budged on the subject. Muhammad Ali - Has nominated Earnie Shavers, Sonny Liston & George Foreman, all at different times. Possibly a showmanship issue, presenting whichever name suited him in a given moment. George Chuvalo - Nominated George Foreman, & I don't think he's ever said otherwise, from memory. Jim Jeffries - Nominated Bob Fitzsimmons, & to my knowledge, never budged from it. All of the above men had, to varying degrees, above-average jaws.
George Foreman said Ron Lyle between his first career & second, but would later say Gerry Cooney hit him harder than anyone. I don't know if anyone asked Foreman directly which of the two hit with greater force, though.
True. There is a point to be made there. When Jeff Mayweather used to post here and was asked the question; he gave the name of somebody i don't remember. However, he didn't say that the guy was the biggest puncher, only that it was the hardest shot he could really remember and "feel". Not that the guy was necessarily a bigger hitter than other opponents he'd faced. If you're knocked KTFO where you don't even remember getting hit, it's impossible to gauge the actual power. I've broken both my arms when i was younger. (at two different times) One was just a hairline fracture, and the other was both bones busted straight through clean that required reconstructive surgery. The hairline fracture hurt like a bitch, the complete break i had no pain whatsover. I suppose circulation gets cut off among other things preventing you from feeling any true pain at the moment. All of that said you still know many fighters are outright bullshitting when asked about who hit them the hardest. It's an amazing coincidence that seemingly 90% of fighters list a guy that they defeated as the hardest puncher.
There are guys who fought Cleveland Williams and Marciano. When asked who hit harder, they say Marciano. You know why? Cos the interview was for an article about Marciano.:laughing::laughing:
