Punching power isn’t the be-all and end-all of boxing, but it certainly helps.
The consensus’s two greatest boxers of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali, rose to the top of the sport thanks to their elite skill, although both of them packed a punch that could get them out of sticky situations.
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The same formula applies today, with most of the current crop of world champions having knocked out over 70 per cent of their opponents.
Up until he was eventually dethroned by Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev topped the list of boxing’s best finishers with a 100 per cent KO ratio.
Before that, Deontay Wilder held pole position, with 39 wins inside the distance from his first 40 fights.
Fast forward to the present day, and the top five look very different; however, the rates are equally impressive.
Here, talkSPORT.com takes a deep dive into those numbers as we count down the most prolific active boxing world champions according to their KO-to-fight percentage.
5. Daniel Dubois – 87.5 per cent KO ratio (21 KOs from 24 fights)
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IBF heavyweight champion Dubois demonstrated his destructive punching power last September when he flattened Anthony Joshua with a dynamite right hand.
Only the incredibly durable Kevin Johnson has seen the final bell with ‘Triple D’ during a 22-2 career that seems like it is only just getting started.
4. Jaron Ennis – 88.2 per cent KO ratio (30 KOs from 34 fights)
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Unified WBA and IBF welterweight title holder Ennis isn’t simply a concussive puncher.
While he does possess the appropriate punching power to turn off his opponent’s lights in a flash, he is best known for his ability to break down his adversaries.
The best example of this came in his last outing against Eimantas Stanionis, where he meticulously softened up the Lithuanian’s body to force the retirement win.
3. Gary Antuanne Russell – 89.4 per cent KO ratio (17 KOs from 19 fights)
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Russell rebounded from a close decision loss to Alberto Puello to put on a punch-perfect 12-round display for the WBA super lightweight title against Jose Valenzuela last time out.
Prior to that, the lightning-fast southpaw had stopped his first 17 opponents.
It is often the punch you don’t see that hurts you most, so it is no surprise that Russell’s blisteringly quick hands have racked up so many KOs.
2. Naoya Inoue – 90 per cent KO ratio (27 KOs from 30 fights)
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Inoue is undoubtedly the most ruthless finisher in boxing today.
When ‘The Monster’ has his man hurt, he goes in search of the stoppage like a man possessed.
His hellacious power, combined with his ability to pick the right punches, has seen him achieve undisputed supremacy at bantamweight and super bantamweight, where he reigns to this day.
1. Gervonta Davis – 90.3 per cent KO ratio (28 KOs from 31 fights)
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Davis was nicknamed ‘Tank’ by his amateur coaches because his head was disproportionately bigger than his body when he was young.
However, he might as well have earned the moniker for his explosive firepower.
The WBA lightweight champion is one of the lowest output fighters in the sport, but when he lands, he does so with violent intentions.
