Tony Bellew has named who he believes to be the hardest puncher in the lighter weight categories since the great Prince Naseem Hamed.
Hamed secured 31 of his 36 professional victories inside the distance, and is widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest ever fighters.
When speaking to iFL TV, Bellew named American star Gervonta Davis as the having the biggest punch the lower weight classes have witnessed since the days of Hamed.
“I love Gervonta Davis, I think he’s a monster. I think he is the biggest punching fighter in the lighter divisions since Naseem Hamed. I have not seen a fighter with that type of power since Hamed.”
“That boy takes people out – he’s a killer.”
Davis actually currently boasts an even higher knockout ratio than ‘Naz’, with 26 of the 28 victories on his undefeated record coming via stoppage.
In less than three weeks time, ‘Tank’ will get the chance to add KO number 27 to the list, in the form of long-time rival Ryan Garcia.
Bellew also touched on Garcia, whom he praised for his speed, but questioned whether his fight IQ was a slight weakness.
“Garcia is lighting quick, but I’m not sure his IQ is the best. I’m not sure his boxing brain is as good as it should be. When you’ve got that kind of speed, you do not need to engage with anyone.”
Davis and Garcia will lock horns at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 22nd, in what is expected to be one of the highest grossing fights of the year.
Despite the pair having both campaigned at 140lbs in recent fights, the contest will take place at a catchweight of 136lbs, which some believe favours Davis.