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Inoue, Davis, Nunez: The 10 world champions with the highest knockout ratios
Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez will return to the ring on Saturday night to defend his IBF super featherweight title for the first time against Christopher Diaz, live on DAZN.
Nunez, 28-1 (27), won the belt back in May when he went over to Japan to outpoint Masanori Rikiishi as he was taken the distance for only the second time in his career.
It was Nunez’s first ever points victory as a professional, with the 28-year-old developing a reputation as a fearsome knockout artist in recent years.
But is he the hardest punching current world champion?
It’s time to look at the 10 world champions with the highest knockout ratios in boxing right now ahead of Nunez’s Mexican homecoming this weekend.
=10. David Benavidez and Kyosuke Takami – 80%Ed Mulholland/Matchroom
David Benavidez won his first world title when he was only 20 years of age down at super middleweight back in 2017.
Eight years on, he is now the WBC light heavyweight champion after Dmitry Bivol vacated the title earlier this year following his win over Artur Beterbiev in their undisputed clash.
Benavidez is a huge physical presence at 6ft 2in tall, and often overwhelms his opponents before taking them out. He has a perfect record of 30 wins, with 24 of them coming inside the distance to give him a knockout ratio of 80%.
The 28-year-old has been taken to points in three of his last four fights, but has still picked up impressive wins against the likes of Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. He is set to defend his title against Britain’s Anthony Yarde on November 22.
Meanwhile, all the way down at light flyweight, Japan’s Kyosuke Takami has also stopped 80% of his opponents.
Takami is still only 23 and has had just 10 professional bouts but he has already worked his way up to world honours.
He picked up his first world title last time out, knocking out Erick Rosa in the 10th round to claim the WBA belt back in July.
David Becker/Getty Images
8. Yoshiki Takei – 82%
Another Japanese star makes the list in the shape of WBO bantamweight king, Yoshiki Takei.
Takei started out as a kickboxer and was ranked the eighth best pound-for-pound fighter in the world at the time on his retirement in 2020.
He has since made a seamless transition into boxing and won his first eight fights via knockout.
Takei fought for a world title in his ninth outing as he was taken the distance for the first time by Australia’s Jason Moloney. He still did enough to win a unanimous decision, and then picked up another points victory in his first title defence.
Takei made his first appearance of 2025 in May and knocked out Thailand’s Yuttapong Tongdee inside a round to move to 11-0 with nine stoppages.
7. Thanongsak Simsri – 85%
Thanongsak Simsri is another fighter who chose a different combat sport before switching to boxing.
Simsri practiced Muay Thai during his early teenage years but left that behind to try his hand at professional boxing when he was still only 18.
He won his first 24 fights before losing to Masamichi Yabuki, the current IBF flyweight champion.
Simsri has bounced back to win his last 15 fights, and has only been taken the distance three times during this run.
He got his shot at the vacant IBF light flyweight title in June and edged a split decision against Christian Araneta in Japan.
Simsri has won 34 of his 40 fights by knockout, leaving him with a knockout ratio of 85%.
6. Rafael Espinoza – 85.2%
Mexican featherweight Rafael Espinoza is a unique talent who stands at 6ft 1in tall, yet somehow manages to get down to 126lbs.
This gives him a huge height advantage over almost every opponent he faces, and he knows how to make the most of his attributes.
Espinoza won 23 straight fights before getting his shot at the highly-skilled double Olympic gold medallist Robeisy Ramirez in December 2023.
Espinoza beat the Cuban southpaw by majority decision to win the WBO title and has since made three successful defences, including stopping Ramirez in their rematch last year.
No one has figured out how to beat Espinoza yet, who is now undefeated in 27 bouts. Espinoza is comfortable at range and on the inside while also having concussive power, making him a nightmare for all his rivals.
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
5. Subriel Matias – 88%
Puerto Rican star Subriel Matias is a two-time super lightweight champion with power in both hands.
He won his first 15 fights by knockout before losing his unbeaten record when he was outpointed by Petros Ananyan in February 2020.
Matias avenged that defeat two years later and then won the vacant IBF super lightweight belt by stoppage in his next fight.
His reign ended the following year when he was beaten on points by Australia’s Liam Paro, but Matias worked his way back into contention and challenged Alberto Puello for his WBC title in July.
Matias got the nod via majority decision, his first ever points victory. His record currently stands at 23-2 (22), and he is due to defend his title against Britain’s Dalton Smith later this year.
Melina Pizano/Matchroom
4. Gary Antuanne Russell – 89%
Staying at 140lbs, we move on to Gary Antuanne Russell. He is one of five brothers named Gary after their father, with Russell Sr training four of his sons who chose to box professionally.
Russell won his first 17 bouts inside the distance to earn himself a shot at the WBC interim title against Alberto Puello.
It was Puello who got his hand raised as he won a split decision after a close fight in Las Vegas last year.
But Russell went straight back in to fight for the WBA belt in March and this time he beat Jose Valenzuela on points.
Russell may have been taken to the scorecards in his last two outings, but his previous knockout run means he has won 89% of his fights by knockout.
3. Naoya Inoue – 90%
Naoya Inoue is known as ‘The Monster’ for a reason. Very few get to hear the final bell when they face the pound-for-pound superstar.
Inoue has won world titles in four different divisions and has carried his power as he has moved up in weight.
He is a two-weight undisputed champion – a feat only matched by Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford in men’s boxing.
Inoue was last taken the distance back in 2019 by Nonito Donaire. He didn’t seem to take too kindly to that as the rematch only lasted two rounds.
The 32-year-old future Hall of Famer will be back in action later this month when defends his super bantamweight crown against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
He will be looking to extend his perfect record which currently stands at 30-0 (27), before potentially jumping up to featherweight.
Getty Images
2. Gervonta Davis – 90.3%
Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis has grabbed the headlines in recent weeks after agreeing to face Jake Paul in an exhibition fight later this year.
Paul is set to have a huge size advantage but Davis may still fancy taking him out due to his incredible knockout power.
He may be small in stature, but Davis certainly packs a punch and he has held world titles in three separate weight classes.
Despite taking the Paul fight, Davis is still the WBA lightweight champion for now after his controversial draw with Lamont Roach Jr in March.
From 31 professional contests, Davis has picked up 28 victories by stoppage, with two points wins to go with the draw against Roach.
Davis was once promoted by Mayweather and has been compared to his mentor in the past. While he may not have the skillset that Mayweather possessed, Davis does have the power to stand out from the crowd.
Esther Lin & Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
1. Eduardo Nunez - 93%
There can only be one man at the top of the tree and that is Eduardo Nunez.
The Mexican lost a six-rounder on points back in 2018, but has won all 28 of his other fights and only gone to the scorecards once.
Interestingly, that decision win came in his only world title fight to date, when he outpointed Masanori Rikiishi in May.
Some fans may wonder whether Nunez will still be the same knockout artist now that he has reached the elite level of the sport. He will get the chance to silence his doubters this weekend.
A knockout victory over Christopher Diaz would be the perfect homecoming and could set Nunez up for some mouthwatering unification clashes heading into 2026.
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