Since the beginning of the last decade, boxing has become a technical contest where the main emphasis falls on the competitive side of the sport. Despite these changes, great boxing matches are still determined by the raw power of a fighter’s punch.
Knockouts are one of the main attractions of boxing; they are exciting moments that captivate our imagination. The idea that a single punch can turn the tide of a fight and, in some cases, transform underdogs into world champions, is what attracts the masses to this sport.
The physical force of a knockout blow is often such a shock to see that it lives with us in our memories forever. To say that a knockout is an all-time best in the sport is to say that a knockout stands out in history.
Here are the top 10 most memorable stoppages from the ring.
10- Mike Tyson vs. Trevor Berbick
Date: November 22, 1986
Location: Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada
Outcome: Tyson knocked out Berbick in the second round.
This was Berbick’s first WBC heavyweight title defense. The challenger, “Iron” Mike Tyson, had soared through the heavyweight division at a frightening pace.
The knockout that Berbick suffered in the second round became one of those images remembered forever in the history of the sport. Tyson delivered a stunning left hook to the temple that sent a collapsed Berbick to the ground. Twice during the count, Berbick stumbled across the ring like a child's first steps, but to no avail.
Epilogue: Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history at just over 20 years of age. Tyson would go on to revive the heavyweight division for years to come.
9- Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns
Date: April 15, 1985
Location: Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Outcome: Hagler knocked out Hearns in the third round.
Going into this fight, Thomas “Hitman” Hearns held the WBA welterweight and the WBC light middleweight championships. His opponent, “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, established an impressive record of 60 wins with 50 knockouts.
The opening round of this fight is considered by The Ringmagazine to be the greatest round ever fought in boxing history. It set the pace for an all-out war that culminated in the third round, when a bloody Hagler managed to score a sneaky left hook that dropped Hearns to the canvas. During the 10-count, Hearns lay on his back, his eyes vacantly staring at the stars above.
Epilogue: Following the fight, Hagler and Hearns would become commercial fixtures for the sport during the late 1980s.
8- Rocky Marciano vs. Jersey Joe Walcott (first meeting)
Date: September 23, 1952
Location: Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Outcome: Marciano knocked out Walcott in the 13th round.
At age 37, “Jersey” Joe Walcott was the heavyweight champion of the world. His opponent, Rocky Marciano, had won 37 fights by knockouts, including a momentous victory over Joe Louis.
Throughout the bout, Marciano seemed willing to absorb head shots from Walcott in order to administer what became his trademark strategy: Kill the body and the head will follow. Marciano’s strategy paid off in the 13th round, when he administered a crushing blow to the right jaw of a dead-tired Walcott who stumbled in the ropes and never recovered.
Epilogue: Marciano won an unprecedented 49 straight fights as a professional, 43 of which ended by knockouts.
7- Roberto Duran vs. Thomas Hearns
Date: June 15, 1984
Location: Caesar Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Outcome: Hearns knocked out Duran in the second round.
Going into this fight, Thomas “Hitman” Hearns held the WBC light heavyweight title. His opponent, Roberto Duran, had never been knocked out to end a fight.
Hearns knocked out Duran in the second round with a deadly right-hand blow that was nothing short of chilling. Duran fell forward and his face crashed down on the mat. The knockout Hearns scored over Duran may well have been the most perfect right-hand ever thrown.
Epilogue: Hearns went on to fight an epic battle with Marvin Hagler the following year. Duran’s career spanned five decades -- his legacy as a fighter makes him arguably one of the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters of all time.
6- Jack Dempsey vs. Luis Angel Firpo
Date: September 14, 1923
Location: Polo Grounds, New York, New York
Outcome: Dempsey knocked out Firpo in the second round.
Coming into this fight, Jack Dempsey held the world heavyweight championship. Luis Angel Firpo, a fighter fromArgentina, was the first Hispanic fighter in history to challenge for the world heavyweight title.
In the first round, Firpo had been knocked down on seven occasions. However, one of Firpo’s smashing rights caught Dempsey and sent him staggering back toward the ropes and out of the ring. In the second round, Dempsey caught Firpo with a left blow to the jaw and then a powerful right that sent the contender to the mat for good.
Epilogue: Dempsey cemented his legacy as a ring warrior with his thrilling knockout victories, many of which occurred just seconds into the fight.
5- Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Gene Fullmer (second meeting)
Date: May 1, 1957
Location: Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Outcome: Robinson knocked out Fullmer in the fifth round.
Coming into this fight, Gene Fullmer had defeated Sugar Ray Robinson in their first encounter earlier that same year.
The historic punch, a devastating left hook, came in the fifth round. It came suddenly and with no hint of preparation. Instantly, Fullmer went down hard to the canvas. During the 10-count, Fullmer’s powerful legs pumped in an effort to get up, but he had no more control over them.
Epilogue: Robinson and Fullmer would continue their rivalry for two more bouts. Fullmer would eventually regain the middleweight title later in his career. As for Robinson, he retired in 1965 and is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time.
4- Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston (second meeting)
Date: May 25, 1965
Location: St. Dominic’s Hall, Lewiston, Maine
Outcome: Ali knocked out Liston in the first round.
This proved to be one of the most controversial fights in history.
Midway through the first round, Muhammad Ali threw an overhand right that put Sonny Liston on the mat. During the 10-count, Ali stood over his fallen opponent and yelled at him to get up. The blow that ended the fight came to be known as “the phantom punch,” since most people at ringside did not see the hit.
Epilogue: Ali would go on to have a record-breaking and history-making career. His official record stands 56 wins out of 58 fights, with 37 knockouts.
3- George Foreman vs. Joe Frazier (first meeting)
Date: January 22, 1973
Location: National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica
Outcome: Foreman knocked out Frazier in the second round.
Coming into this fight, neither 29-year-old Joe Frazier nor 24-year-old George Foreman had ever lost a professional bout.
Frazier was knocked out three times in the opening round and twice in the second round. By this time, it was obvious to everyone, except Frazier, that the fight was over. Near the end of the second round, Foreman nailed Frazier with a series of left and right uppercuts that caused Frazier to go down for the sixth and final time in the fight.
Epilogue: Foreman is considered one of the best heavyweights in history, and at age 45, he was able to win the IBF world heavyweight title.
2- Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling (second meeting)
Date: June 22, 1938
Location: Yankee Stadium, New York, New York
Outcome: Louis knocked out Schmeling in the first round.
Coming into this fight, Joe Louis had made three successful title defenses after winning the championship in 1937. His opponent, Max Schmeling, had beaten Louis in their first meeting; it was the first defeat Louis ever suffered.
The fight was a massacre, with Louis knocking down Schmeling three times on his way to a first-round victory. Schmeling went down under a volley of punches from the opposing heavyweight. The annihilation of Schmeling might have been one of the greatest displays of power and accuracy in heavyweight championship history.
Epilogue: Louis would go on to have a hall-of-fame career. He retired with an impressive record of 66 wins in 70 fights with 52 knockouts.
1- Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman
Date: October 30, 1974
Location: Stade du 20 Mai, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Outcome: Ali knocked out Foreman in the eighth round.
For Africa, it was the first time a heavyweight title bout was fought on the continent, and it would be the first time that George Foreman would fall to defeat.
Ali's speed was an overwhelming problem for Foreman. To his credit, Foreman was able to dominate Ali for a few rounds through a fantastic work ethic. However, Foreman wore himself down and allowed Ali to get off the ropes in the eighth round. Ali took advantage by unleashing a brutal combination to the head of Foreman, who was sent toppling down to the canvas.
Epilogue: Following the fight, Ali went undefeated all the way until 1978.
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