Ranking the 10 Most Impressive Stats in Boxing from 2014 Fights

I always feel like stats mean less in the combat sports than they do in team sports. They are not gathered with the same uniformity or in the same sample sizes as they are in sports that take place in leagues over long seasons.

Still, for analyzing a fight that has happened, they can be useful, even if only to confirm impressions. Marcos Maidana certainly looked to be giving Floyd Mayweather the fight of his life in their first meeting. And CompuBox confirmed he landed more punches on the pound-for-pound king than any previous opponent.

And despite that fact, it looked to most observers like Mayweather was winning the fight overall. This impression, too, is bolstered by noting that Mayweather landed an incredible 65 percent of his power shots.

Some boxing stats are simply amazing to note. A fight with eight total knockdowns, like Tommy Coyle vs. Daniel Brizuela, is a fight you want to make sure you see on video.

Knowing Wembley Stadium was packed with more than 80,000 fans to see Carl Froch rematch George Groves forces anybody to respect the robust domestic boxing scene in the United Kingdom.

10. Bernard Hopkins Outlands Beibut Shumenov by 29 Percent

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Bernard Hopkins' ability to continue winning world titles at 49 is a testament to his technical skill. The Alien is a master craftsman. 

That was on display last April against Beibut Shumenov. How judge Gustavo Padilla possibly saw that bout as 114-113 for Shumenov is one of the year's great mysteries. The fight was all Hopkins. 

The punch stat numbers back this one up. As reported by BoxingScene.com, Hopkins outlanded Shumenov 49 percent to 20 percent in total punches and 51 to 20 percent in power punches.

Particularly notable is the way Hopkins' connect rate ballooned as the fight went along. It was clear the old master was reading his inexperienced and poorly prepared opponent like a book.  

9. Over 80,000 Fans Pack Wembley Stadium for Froch vs. Groves II

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I spar in the comment sections with my British readers from time to time when they think I have slighted their fighters and I feel they are overestimating them. But one thing I'm always impressed with is the amount of passion U.K. fans have for their domestic scene.

They support their fighters. And this was on full display last May when Carl Froch and George Groves faced off in a rematch of their exciting November 2013 clash. More than 80,000 fans packed London's historic Wembley Stadium.

It wasn't Julio Cesar Chavez in Aztec Stadium, but it was one of the biggest crowds in recent years and made for one of the biggest boxing events of 2014.

8. Manny Pacquiao's Accuracy Against Timothy Bradley

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It's no secret that Manny Pacquiao's activity level in fights has been on the decline in recent years. The once whirlwind-like Pacman now fights at a more mortal pace.

That's probably one reason a surprising number of boxing media were picking Timothy Bradley to beat Pacquiao heading into their April rematch. It looked like it could be a case where a younger fighter might be able to outwork a great champion on the downside of his career.

As reported by The Philippine Star, Pacquiao landed 50 more punches than Bradley, connecting at a 12 percent higher rate. No longer able to work at the frenetic pace of his prime, the eight-division champion demonstrated he was more than capable of winning the crucial technical game of hitting without being hit against an elite opponent.  

7. Orlando Salido and Terdsak Kokietgym Combine for Seven Knockdowns

Orlando Salido is a world champion who came up in the sport the hard way. With none of the protection given to blue-chip prospects, Salido built himself into a champion while taking his knocks.

The veteran warrior's resilience was on full display last September when he battled Terdsak Kokietgym for the interim WBO super featherweight crown. Salido had to pull himself off the canvas in Rounds 1, 2 and 5 before prevailing by stoppage in Round 11.

But Kokietgym showed equal heart in the blood-and-guts war. Salido dropped the Thai veteran in Rounds 1, 4 and 7 before putting him down for good in Round 11. 

6. Bermane Stiverne's Power Punch Rate in Round 6 vs. Chris Arreola

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For most of his May title fight with Chris Arreola, heavyweight Bermane Stiverne's punching stats were nothing special. His limited use of the jab, in particular, allowed Arreola to get off first in exchanges and slowly build up a lead in the first half of the fight.

But Stiverne knew what opening he was looking for in his rematch with Arreola. The Haitian native went into the fight planning to counter Arreola with the big right over the top of Arreola's jab.

In Round 6, Stiverne began to find the openings he was looking for and went on the attack. As reported by BoxingScene.com, Stiverne landed 17 of 23 power punches in the final and decisive round.

The big punches Stiverne landed to put Arreola away and capture the WBC heavyweight title appeared to nearly come out of nowhere. But as the punch stat numbers show, Stiverne had strategically waited for his chance to strike and amped up his attack when the time was right.

5. Tommy Coyle and Daniel Brizuela Combine for Eight Knockdowns

For British fans, this fight is a clear front-runner for 2014 Fight of the Year. It's unfortunately received limited attention in North America.

IBF international lightweight champion and Hull native Tommy Coyle welcomed Argentine Daniel Brizuela to town last February and nearly dropped his belt in his first defense. Brizuela dropped Coyle in Round 2 and put him on the canvas twice with brutal body shots in Round 6. It was remarkable that Coyle even survived the round.

But in the latter third of the fight, Brizuela began to fade, while Coyle started to assert himself. He knocked the visiting fighter down in Round 8. In a blistering Round 11, Coyle knocked Brizuela down twice, and Brizuela returned the favor by dropping Coyle for the fourth time in the fight.

When Coyle put Brizuela down for a fourth time in Round 12, referee Steve Gray waved off the action. In addition to the eight total knockdowns, both fighters were docked points, with Coyle losing two and Brizuela one.

4. Terence Crawford's Plus/Minus Connect Rate over Yuriorkis Gamboa

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Terence Crawford entered 2014 a highly regarded contender. In March he traveled to Scotland and captured the WBO lightweight title from Ricky Burns.

For his first defense in June, he took on fellow unbeaten fighter Yuriorkis Gamboa, an explosive puncher with a deep amateur background. Many fans regarded him as a potential superstar.

But Crawford instead staked his own claim to emerging superstar status. After Gamboa got off to a quick start, Crawford made excellent adjustments and took complete control of the fight, knocking the Cuban down in Rounds 5 and 8 before stopping him in Round 9.

As reported by ESPN, CompuBox recorded a 42 percent connect rate for Crawford against Gamboa's 24. A plus/minus of nearly 20 points against a fighter like Gamboa is a major accomplishment for a young boxer like Crawford. 

3. Robert Guerrero and Yoshihiro Kamegai Combine for 689 Power Punches Landed

After losing badly to Floyd Mayweather and taking a year off from the ring, Robert Guerrero needed a big performance last June to put himself back in the spotlight in the ultra-competitive welterweight division.

Fortunately for Guerrero, Japan's Yoshihiro Kamegai proved to be exactly the opponent he needed. In a fight that is on the short list for 2014's Fight of the Year, Guerrero and Kamegai worked and landed at a relentless rate for 12 brutal rounds.

According to the Showtime Boxing Blog breakdown, CompuBox recorded the two landing 689 power punches on each other, more than double the weight-class average. Kamegai connected with 278, while Guerrero landed 411.

For the entire fight, the two threw 1,913 total punches and 1,505 power punches. Eighty-nine percent of the punches they landed were power shots, while the division average is just 68 percent.

2. Marcos Maidana's Punches Landed on Floyd Mayweather in First Fight

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been one of the toughest boxers to hit in the history of the sport. It's been a major component in keeping him undefeated all these years.

Last May, in his first fight with Marcos Maidana, Mayweather was pushed more than he had been in a decade. While he escaped with a majority-decision victory, there was no doubt that Maidana had made the fight close.

The punch stats on the fight backed up what appeared to be happening in the ring. As noted by Bad Left Hook, CompuBox credited Maidana with landing 221 total punches and 185 power shots. This was the most punches landed on Mayweather in any of the 38 fights CompuBox has tracked for him.

1. Floyd Mayweather's Power Punching Accuracy Against Maidana in First Fight

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While Marcos Maidana's ability to land more punches than any other previous opponent made for a tougher night than usual for Floyd Mayweather last May, one of the pound-for-pound king's primary strengths carried him to yet another victory. Not only is Mayweather one of the best defensive fighters in history, but he's also one of the most accurate punchers.

And that accuracy was his ace card against Maidana in their first fight. As noted on Bad Left Hook, CompuBox credited Mayweather with landing an eye-popping 65 percent of his power punches.

With Mayweather landing at that rate, it's a testament to Maidana's durability that he slowed as little as he did during the second half of the fight.