As Deontay Wilder Eyes Retirement, Fans Debate to Give the “Hardest Puncher” Crown Between Gervonta Davis, Beterbiev, and Others

For the longest time, Deontay Wilder has held on to the crown of the ‘Hardest Puncher’ in boxing. However, after losing to Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia last weekend, he is considering retirement from the sport entirely. At least, that’s what he said during an interview with DAZN Boxing! So, fans seem to have collectively decided to transfer the crown to someone else.

The main contenders: Gervonta Davis, Artur Beterbiev and a few others! See, the thing is, Sky Sports Boxing hopped on X today to ask the same question to their followers! And considering the talent pool available across the sport, there are more than enough names who deserve the crown!

Who is the hardest puncher in boxing?

Turning to X, Sky Sports Boxing wrote, “Name the hardest hitter in boxing right now”. Of course, there’s Gervonta Davis, who is coming off a spectacular win over Ryan Garcia, a win which was the result of a devastating body shot in the seventh round, so Davis is definitely up there. However, does he have Beterbiev levels of power? 

The undefeated Russian has accomplished something, which is rare and unheard of in the sport. As of today, Beterbiev boasts a 100% knockout ratio, meaning everyone who came across his power had kissed the canvas. So, it seems obvious that he should get the crown, right? While some fans agreed, others—not so much!

Naoya Inoue and Zhilei Zhang were mentioned

Such things have always been a topic of discussion among fans who would love to see their favorite boxers on the top. So, one user named Naoya Inoue—the hardest puncher in boxing right now. The fan argues that Beterbiev has a good claim to the crown, but the ‘Monster’ has knocked people out while being the smaller guy. In fact, Inoue has won his last eight fights all by knockouts, so the user might have a point.

Meanwhile, this user wanted to cling on to Deontay Wilder, as he said despite all the retirement talks, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is still the hardest puncher in boxing. However, his last couple of performances didn’t translate to the same. Even if he still has that kind of power, Deontay Wilder has failed to connect those shots to his opponents. 

Another user was stuck between Zhang and Beterbiev, both in different weight classes, but packed significant power. Zhang had knocked out Joe Joyce twice and scored knockdowns against Joseph Parker as well, so even he has a good chance. However, his power doesn’t always translate into a win, which may hinder his chances. 

Someone else made a case for Beterbiev, highlighting his pristine knockout ratio and undefeated record. Yet there’s a case to be made that he hasn’t fought the absolute elites like Dmitry Bivol, which was recently postponed. 

Finally, this user thought the crown should go to either Inoue or Gervonta Davis! Both are great choices, but Inoue has a slightly better track record. Still, he hasn’t fought outside of his home country, so there might be some issues with him getting the crown. 

As the comments on the post convey, there seems to be quite the array of options who might be able to inherit Wilder’s crown. However, the public seems divided about who should get it. You can help solve the issue by sharing your opinion in the comments below.