Tony Bellew has picked George Foreman as the hardest hitter in boxing history. The former cruiserweight world champion, known for his own powerful punches, shared his thoughts on social media recently.
Bellew's career packed a punch too. He won the WBC cruiserweight belt in 2016 when he knocked out Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park. The win marked a high point in his career. He also scored two knockout wins over David Haye and stopped other top fighters like BJ Flores, Edison Miranda, Ovil McKenzie, and Valery Brudov. In total, Bellew knocked out 20 opponents during his time in the ring.
But even with his own impressive record, Bellew thinks Foreman's power stands above all others. He shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter):
"This is without doubt the greatest puncher boxing has ever seen! He knocked out living legends! I've never seen power like this at the level he was showing it at!"
Foreman's record backs up Bellew's claim. The boxing legend ended his career with 76 wins and only 5 losses. An amazing 68 of those wins came by knockout. He knocked out Joe Frazier twice and fought other greats like Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield.
Many already see Foreman as one of the best heavyweights ever. He also holds the record as the oldest world heavyweight champion. He won the title at 46 years and 169 days old.
That record might be in danger though. Wladimir Klitschko has started talking about maybe coming back to boxing. If he does, he could take Foreman's oldest champion record.
But for now, in Bellew's eyes at least, Foreman's power remains unmatched in boxing history.
