“Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa,” Muhammad Ali joked following his fight against Earnie Shavers in 1977. While Shavers lost the fight itself, his name became forever synonymous with the hardest punchers in boxing history. But that’s the past. The question is, who is the hardest puncher active in boxing today?

Over the past decade, a plethora of fighters have emerged, showcasing fight-ending power with a single punch. Among them are names like Gervonta Davis and Naoya Inoue, but they aren’t the only bullies in the ring. Here are the top five boxers in the game today who could give legends like Earnie Shavers and Mike Tyson a serious run for their money.

Deontay Wilder

There’s a reason Deontay Wilder is nicknamed the ‘Bronze Bomber.’ But if that’s not enough—take a look at his knockout rate—a staggering 97.67%. Wilder isn’t the perfect boxer. His boxing skills have long been questioned by fans and experts alike. However, his 42 knockouts out of 43 wins should tell you what you need to be convinced he has a hammer for a fist. 

However, you don’t have to believe us. Take it from the people who have unfortunately found themselves at the receiving end of Wilder’s punches. “His right hand is more powerful than one could imagine,” Luis Ortiz told Boxing Insider following their rematch in November 2019. “His power is like a whip type of punch, like Thomas Hearns. He’s got long arms ya know.”

Luis fought him in front of thousands, and Deontay Wilder’s title was on the line. Of course, he would hit hard, but what about in sparring? Punches from Wilder during sparring should be lighter, right? Former world champion David Haye doesn’t seem to think so. “His punch power is 10 out of 10, that’s it,” Haye once told The Sun. “I don’t know how else to say it. You know when you’ve been hit by him. It’s very different to anyone else.”

Gervonta Davis

The Baltimore native is in the lightweight division, this may lead some to believe Wilder must be the harder puncher. And Wilder might be, but these numbers speak for themselves and they say Davis is the harder puncher. Gervonta Davis showcased his incredible punching power by surpassing heavyweight stars Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder in a punch machine challenge. 

During a 2019 appearance on Inside PBC Boxing, Davis smashed the machine with his powerful southpaw left hand, scoring an impressive 939. This beat Wilder’s previous high score of 927, achieved with his weaker left hand, and left Dominic Breazeale’s 889 trailing behind. 

Even Anthony Joshua’s 848, recorded on a different machine during The Graham Norton Show in 2017, couldn’t match Davis’ raw power. Despite being significantly smaller than these heavyweights, Davis’ explosive punching ability proves why he boasts a 93.33% knockout ratio. 

Naoya Inoue

Like Davis, Naoya Inoue might be small in size, but the man from the land of the rising sun packs a hell of a punch. ‘The Monster’ has won his last 10 fights via knockouts, and his career knockout tally is an impressive 25 knockouts out of 28 wins. Inoue’s knockout power even managed to impress his veteran boxing promoter, Bob Arum, who could not stop praising Inoue’s power. 

According to a December 2022 report from Give Me Sport, Arum said, “The only guy who might be able to handle Inoue is Tyson Fury because he’s a little too big for him. But this Inoue, I mean he’s scary. He is like a loaded rifle. I get such a kick out of this guy. You really begin to feel sorry for his opponent halfway through his fights.”

“I’ve never seen anybody with the concussive power, pound-for-pound, that Inoue has. I mean, never, particularly at that weight. He sets the guy up and boom he knocks them out the guy can’t move. He is really something special,” Arum added.

Artur Beterbiev

Speaking of fighters from Top Rank, Artur Beterbiev is one of the scariest men in the scene. If it wasn’t for Dmitry Bivol, the 40-year-old Canadian resident would have maintained his unmatched 100% knockout rate. Beterbiev currently boasts an incredible 95.24% knockout rate with 20 KO wins out of his 21 total.

Up until his last fight, Beterbiev was on a rampage dropping every opponent who crossed his path. Mere-four opponents have made it to the 10th round when faced with Beterbiev in the ring, and three of them still got knocked out in the 10th or the 12th. What’s more, there are several clips on social media, showcasing Beterbiev destroying punching bags, and the stunned reaction people had because of it.

David Benavidez

While fighters like Deontay Wilder and Gervonta Davis look to end the fight out of nowhere with one shot, David Benavidez does things differently. The ‘Mexican Monster’ stalks his prey and softens them up before bringing down the hammer that puts his opponent down for good. Benavidez likes to maintain pressure while staying on the front foot. 

And when he sees an opening, it’s game over. This strategy has helped the 28-year-old rack up 29 wins, 24 of them coming by knockouts, giving him his 82.76% knockout rate. Interestingly, even good boxers aren’t safe from the ‘left-right, goodnight’ treatment. Benavidez has sent the likes of Anthony Dirrell and Demetrius Andrade crashing onto the canvas because of his punching ability. 

Having said that, punching hard doesn’t always guarantee a win, but having heavy hands has never hurt anybody’s chances of winning. While these were the top 5 hardest punchers today, tomorrow, it could be someone else. Do you think we missed anyone? Tell us in the comments.