Some fighters are just plain scary. To watch, to see score knockouts. To fight. Call it the Mike Tyson syndrome if you want (or the Sonny Liston). Tyson, and before him Liston, terrified opponents as they scared as well as thrilled fans. Good men were often beaten sometime before the sound of the opening bell when they fought – or tried to fight – Liston and Tyson.
So who are the scariest, most intimidating fighters out there today, making legs tremble, and knees shake? To this writer’s way of thinking, the three guys currently operating are each equally standout in terms of getting to an opponent prior to the start of the fight.
Naoya Inoue
How frightening must it be getting into the ring with this guy? As lethal with his left hand as he is with his right, to both head and body, “Monster” Inoue is also an all-devouring entity that can take a great shot. And Inoue has great stamina and energy levels. Can anyone beat Inoue? Does he have any weaknesses?
Soon to invade another weight division in search of more scalps and yet more belts, Inoue will be terrifying the world’s super-bantamweights this year.
Deontay Wilder
Just one look at Wilder’s numbers, those 42 knockouts, lets any potential Wilder foe know what he’s up against – namely make one mistake, and the lights may well go out. For the night. Permanently. Even the only man to have beaten Wilder, Tyson Fury, had to go through hell to do so; in two of his three fights with “The Bronze Bomber,” anyway.
Wilder may never rule the heavyweight division again (his previous reign of the WBC kind only) but each and every man who fights Wilder from here on in knows he has to be perfect, or else…. Wilder has don’t blink, flip the switch KO power.
Artur Beterbiev
“He takes your soul” are words that gave been used to describe what Beterbiev does to his opposition. Not once has this Russian tank been taken the distance in a pro fight, let alone beaten. Tonight, it’s Anthony Yarde’s turn to step into the horror house that masquerades as a boxing ring whenever Beterbiev fights. As tough and durable as he is wickedly powerful, Beterbiev is another fighter who has us asking the question, does he have any weaknesses?
Beterbiev is even looking at moving up in weight to cruiserweight and maybe even heavyweight (and a fight with Oleksandr Usyk). If this happens, the fighters up there may well start having nightmares. The way Beterbiev goes to work, with a stone face and with an apparent complete lack of emotion (forget him ever showing pity) is simply chilling.
Who are YOUR picks for today’s scariest ring warriors?
