Top 10 Best Boxing Knockouts In History
September 8, 2021 By Sourav
The knockout is undoubtedly the most electrifying moment in boxing, and all fans wait for it. There have been many famous knockdowns in boxing history, which astonished the world. So, we've run a deep analysis in order to come up with the best boxing knockouts of all time.
Boxing is one of the most thrilling, exciting, and horrifying games in the world. Which has produced many legends like Mohammad Ali and Mike Tyson. In the boxing world, history is only made by players who consistently knock down their opponents. Along with championships, there are different moments that happen in boxing that become lifelong memories and KO is one of them.
In boxing, a knockdown occurs when the opponent blows a heavy box at the player, falling him to the ground unconscious. There are thousands of knockdowns in history that are improbable to forget. Let's get to know the top 10 best knockouts of all time.
Best Boxing Knockouts In History | All-Time Ranking
10. Manny Pacquiao KO Ricky Hatton
9. Juan Manuel Marquez KO Manny Pacquiao
8. Julian Jackson KO Herol Graham
7. Antonio Tarver KO Roy Jones Jr
6. Sergio Martinez KO Paul Williams
5. Mike Tyson KO Michael Spinks
4. Ray Mercer KO Tommy Morrison
3. Thomas Hearns KO Roberto Duran
2. Julio Cesar Chavez KO Meldrick Taylor
1. Buster Douglas KO Mike Tyson
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• Biggest Boxing Knockouts | Infographics
• FAQs Regarding Best Boxing KOs
Boxing is not just one of the toughest endurance sports of all time but is also one of the highest-paying sports in the world. However, this sport is known for some miraculous KOs. So, here are the best of the lot!
10. Manny Pacquiao KO Ricky Hatton
Boxing legend, Manny Pacquiao, is a Filipino professional boxer, regarded as the greatest boxer of all time. And Ricky Hatton is a British former professional boxer who won multiple world championships.
A professional match held in May 2009, between these two giants was named The Battle of East and West. Hatton was knocked out by Pacquiao in the second round. According to The Ring Magazine, it was the knockout of the year.
Pacquiao's evergreen KO title made him win a world title in six different weight divisions. This match has got huge fame, as the fight reportedly attracted around 850,000 buys, bringing in at least $50 million in revenue.
And this match is considered one of the richest boxing knockouts in history. In addition to having enormous fan followings, both are incredible boxers and have wide recognition throughout the world.
9. Juan Manuel Marquez KO Manny Pacquiao
On 9th position out of 10 best boxing knockouts in history, we've Juan Manuel Marquez KO Manny Pacquiao. Juan Manuel Marquez is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2014.
And Manny Pacquiao is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
A professional boxing match between these two heroes was named The Fight of Decade. In which Juan knockdown Pacquiao with one second remaining in the sixth round and This was the fourth and final meeting between Pacquiao and Marquez.
This match got huge popularity around the globe and Ring Magzine named it to fight of the year and knockdown of the year. Widely known as the biggest boxing knockouts in the world drew 1.15 million pay-per-view buys.
8. Julian Jackson KO Herol Graham
On number 8 out of 10 best boxing knockouts in history, we have Julian Jackson KO Herol Graham. Julian Jackson is a former professional boxer from the U.S. Virgin Islands who competed from 1981 to 1998. And Herol Graham is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1978 to 1998.
In the WBC World Middleweight championship match, Herol was fully confident appeared, but the end was different as Julian knocked him down brutally. The match began with Herol beating him for three rounds.
After that, Graham's guide told him you have only one round left while his eyes were beaten and closed. Despite injuries, he defeated the legendary Julian Jackson and won the WBC World Middleweight championship.
Known as the best boxing knockouts ever between Julian Jackson and Herol Graham went viral and sold in millions of dollars. However, many pundits still consider this as one of the most controversial boxing decisions ever.
7. Antonio Tarver KO Roy Jones Jr
On number 7 we have ranked Antonio Tarver KO Roy Jones Jr. Antonio Tarver is an American former professional boxer and boxing commentator. And Roy Levesta Jones Jr is an American former professional boxer, commentator, and trainer who holds dual American and Russian citizenship.
This match between these two phenomenal players was named more than personal. Jones got off to a good start and served as the aggressor and won the first round successfully. Jones attempted to repeat his success in the second round as Tarver held back, seemingly waiting for Jones to make a mistake.
But Antonio played smart and hit him so hard which was the best knockouts ever in boxing. After that, Jones was not able to even get stand on his legs, so, the referee Jay Nady announced Antonio Tarver as the champion.
This match was one of the most-watched matches at that time. Although Tarver landed more punches than Jones, Jones landed a higher percentage of his punches which couldn't help him defeating Antonio.
6. Sergio Martinez KO Paul Williams
On number 6 we have ranked Sergio Martinez KO Paul Williams boxing fight. Which is known as the boxing best knockouts of all time. And during their heydays, both of these studs are widely considered as the richest boxers in the world.
Sergio Gabriel Martínez is an Argentine professional boxer. He held the WBC interim super welterweight title from 2009 to 2010. And Paul Williams is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2012.
The long-awaited rematch between Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams took place on November 20, 2010. Sergio Martinez knocked out the opponent with 2:02 left in the 2nd round of their scheduled 12 round fight. The astonishing knockout shocked the world.
While attempting to deliver his own left hand, Williams was caught by a short-left hook that struck him in the face. Upon contact, Paul Williams' right hand was at his waist when the punch landed, rendering him unconscious. This boxing fight got huge popularity and earned the 6th spot out of the top 10 best boxing knockouts in history.
5. Mike Tyson KO Michael Spinks
On number 5 out of the top 10 best boxing knockouts in history, we have Mike Tyson KO Michael Spinks. Michael Gerard Tyson is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005 and is considered one of the greatest Muslim athletes. And Michael Spinks is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1988.
The competition which rarely happens in decades, The boxing match which took place on Monday, June 27, 1988. Both men were undefeated and each had a claim to being the legitimate heavyweight champion. Throughout the first ten seconds, Tyson hit Spinks with a solid left hook, forcing him to cover up. During the clinch, Tyson pushed Spinks towards the ropes with another attack
After Spinks moved out of the ring but Tyson grabbed him back inside. The fight went so hard between them, both giants stood tall and strong against each other. Afterward, Spinks said: "I came to fight like I said I would. I just tried to do what I knew I had to do, and that was a fight. Not that I stood toe to toe with him, but I tried to take the shot and I came up short."
Tyson said "The first punch I threw, he wobbled a bit. I knew right there I had him," he also added, "my trainer told me before the fight that he bet both our purses that I would knock him out in the first round. So, I went out and knocked him out in the first round. And later I found out he was fooling."
4. Ray Mercer KO Tommy Morrison
On number 4 we have Ray Mercer KO Tommy Morrison. Raymond Anthony Mercer is a retired American professional boxer, kickboxer, who competed from 1989 to 2009. And Thomas David Morrison was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2008 and held the WBO heavyweight title in 1993.
On October 18, 1991, Ray Mercer and Tommy Morrison faced off in what was contested "Test of Courage" for the WBO Heavyweight Championship. Morrison had a great start and was fully energetic in his own way.
A combination by Morrison also opened up an injury on Mercer's lip, limiting his offensive ability. Mercer ended the fight in 28 seconds of the fifth round. Morrison was backed up in the corner by Mercer when 15 punches were landed against him.
Morrison collapsed against the ropes after the exchange. However, the referee announced to end the fight and declared Ray Mercer a winner and the best knockouts in boxing.
3. Thomas Hearns KO Roberto Duran
On number 3 we have Thomas Hearns KO Roberto Duran out of the top 10 best boxing knockouts in history. Thomas Hearns is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Roberto Duran Samaniego is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001.
"Malice at the Palace" was a professional boxing match contested on June 15, 1984, between Hearns and Duran. In the second round of this fight, Hearns knocked out Duran after dominating him throughout the fight.
Toward the end of the round, Duran attempted a body shot on Hearns, but Hearns countered with a left hook just above Duran's eye. Thirty seconds later, Hearns knocked Duran down when he caught him flush with a hard right hand.
In the second round, Hearns landed a devastating right hand to Duran's jaw that sent Duran to the canvas face first. After 1:07 of the round, the referee stopped the fight, giving Hearns a technical knockout victory.
2. Julio Cesar Chavez KO Meldrick Taylor
On number 2 we have ranked Julio Cesar Chavez KO Meldrick Taylor out of the top 10 best boxing knockouts in history. Julio Cesar Chavez is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. Meldrick Taylor is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2002.
The world championship bout was held on March 17, 1990, between WBC world champion Julio and Taylor of the United States. Both at light-welterweight was a historic event in professional boxing. It was named "Thunder Meets Lightning" as both giants had a huge recognition of being the strongest and champions.
Later, it was named Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine in 1990, and "Fight of the Decade" by Sports Illustrated in the 1990s. Chavez needed to win, or be knocked out, in the 12th round to avoid his first loss. In the end, Taylor had sizable leads of 107-102 and 108-101 on the scorecards of two of the three judges. Until the final bell rang, he had nothing to do to win.
The powerful right hand of Chavez knocked Taylor to the mat. The referee, Richard Steele, addressed Taylor in the corner after Taylor rose to his feet by the count of six. At the last second, Steele stopped the fight to give Chavez a stunning knock-out victory in history.
1. Buster Douglas KO Mike Tyson
In 1st place, we have Buster Douglas KO Mike Tyson out of the top 10 best boxing knockouts in history. James "Buster" Douglas is an American former professional boxer. And Tyson is an American former professional boxer who is known as Iron Mike.
On February 11, 1990, Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas fought in a professional boxing match at the Tokyo Dome. Tyson was an undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion at the time but lost to the underdog Douglas by knockout.
After being dropped in the eighth round, the UFC heavyweight champion beat what some believed was a slow count, and he won in the 10th round to shock the world. Tyson's first defeat changed him forever, and he never fought again like that.
Boxing knockouts like this were sold for enormous amounts of money, and they became renowned as the best boxing knockouts of all time. And KOs like this also helped Tyson to become one of the highest-paid athletes of that time.
Conclusion
As you have known the best knockouts which ever happened in the boxing world. We have gone through a deep analysis to bring out the best KO for all sports lovers. And we hope you liked the rankings and enjoyed reading our well-researched article.
If you have any questions regarding our rankings or you think we should add some other Knockout moments, please let us know in the comment box below. We will appreciate your response.
Biggest Boxing Knockouts | Infographics
FAQs Regarding Best Boxing KOs
Q. Who is the best knockout boxer of all time?
The best knockout boxer of all best is Mohammad Ali. The Greatest was not only one of the best heavyweights of all time, but he was also one of the most colorful.
Q. Which is the fastest knockout in boxing?
Mike Collins knocked out Pat Brownson in four seconds in a Golden Gloves tournament at Minneapolis on 4th November 1947, according to Guinness World Records.
Q. What is the best knockout the world has ever seen?
A world championship bout between WBC world champion Julio and Taylor of the United States on March 17, 1990, was the best knockout ever seen in history.
Q. Who has the best knockout percentage in boxing?
The best Knockout percentage holder in boxing is Deontay Wilder with an amazing percentage of 93.2% KO Ratio (44 Fights, 41 KOs).
Q. Who was the hardest-hitting boxer?
Boxing legend George Foreman has been named the hardest-hitting heavyweight of all time ahead of Mike Tyson. He has won the heavyweight championship twice in his illustrious fighting career. He was known for his powerful punches.
Q. Who is the most feared boxer of all time?
The most feared fighter in boxing history is none other than Charles 'Sonny' Liston. He was an American professional boxer. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962.
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