Deontay Wilder and Mike Tyson are widely looked at as the two hardest punchers the sport has ever seen. But who is the most concussive?
Due to the unreal feats of Wilder’s strength, a considerable debate rages regarding boxing’s hardest hitter.
Wilder takes down all comers with a single blow. Every single opponent he’s ever faced has hit the canvas at some point in their rivalry.
For his part, Tyson has always been in the argument due to his career achievements as the youngest-ever heavyweight champion.
Even with Tyson Fury doing a number on Wilder in seven rounds, “The Bronze Bomber” remains the biggest threat in the division. His knockout of Robert Helenius was a timely reminder back in October.
Deontay Wilder
The Fury saga only moved to enhance his legacy as a bulldozing bruiser in the ring. That’s despite Wilder publicly refusing to accept his loss.
“Everything that happened – happened in the last fifteen minutes up to the fight,” Wilder explained to PBC Podcast. “A lot of things were known.
“There are many things I don’t want to talk about now. I’m still reflecting on certain things.
“I can’t believe the things that happened, happened to me. And they happened to me at that point in my career.
“Maybe I’ll come out with some things later on, as things unfold and as I get into camp. But there are certain things I don’t want to talk about at this moment in time.
“I’m still reflecting on it and need to figure some things out.”
Putting all that behind him, Wilder demolished Helenius to ignite the fire under his single shots weighed more than Tyson’s.
Mike Tyson
Before the rise of Wilder, Tyson’s position as the most devastating one-punch knockout artist of all time was secure.
But when Wilder emerged from the wreckage of Fury, Tyson had some choice words for him. Their competition has never been a smooth one.
“[Deontay Wilder] He feels like giving up: ‘Oh, my life is over. I’ve made 90 million dollars. My life is over. Oh God, I want to die.’ Grow up,” said Tyson. “Keep going through it until it’s really over.
“Wilder can still make a lot of money. He shouldn’t feel sad or discouraged. And he should continue to go out there and fight with a lot of zest and confidence.”
If Deontay Wilder can come again, Tyson responded: “There’s always a chance. Everyone always has a chance.
“It depends on how much he wants to give in to it. Does he want to dedicate his life to really winning the fight?
“Then anything can happen.”
On why Wilder lost so badly to Fury in the second fight, Tyson added: “Something went wrong with Wilder during the second fight with Fury, and he never did adjust.”
Who is the hardest puncher, Wilder or Tyson?
Wilder has 42 knockouts on his resume. Tyson has 44. The pair owned their respective generation when it came to devastating opponents.
Their discord outside the ring furthers the debate, as shown in their back-and-forths. Wilder believes he’d have knocked out Mike Tyson.’
To his credit, Iron Mike says he expects Wilder to feel that way as that’s how competitive boxers should be – confident.
However, we will never honestly know who was the most destructive wrecking machine from the pair of KO specialists.
One-punch power? Maybe Wilder has the edge. Finishing a hurt fighter, it would undoubtedly be Tyson. Therefore, we should probably let the case rest and enjoy the rest of Wilder’s career while we can.
