10 Best Knockouts

Since the earliest days of professional boxing, a knockout has ranked as the most thrilling event the sport has to offer. A knockout in the ring is a definitive end to a fight. A great knockout typically comes in a significant fight, such as a title bout between two world-class boxers. It showcases the winning boxer's mastery of a particular aspect of the sport, such as the ability to throw a perfect left hook or a strategic series of uppercuts. It often includes a crowd-pleasing spectacle such as the losing boxer collapsing into a heap or falling face-first to the mat upon losing consciousness.

  1. Pre-1950

    • Two knockouts from before the 1950s rank among the top 10: Jack Dempsey's knockout of Luis Angel Firpo in 1923 and Joe Louis' knockout of Max Schmeling in 1930. On Sept. 14, 1923, at the Polo Grounds in New York, Dempsey, the world heavyweight champion, floored Firpo seven times in the first round before finishing him off in the second round with a powerful left hand that landed squarely on Firpo's jaw. On June 22, 1938, at Yankee Stadium in New York, Louis avenged an earlier defeat to Schmeling with a first-round knockout from an unrelenting barrage of punches with both hands.

    1950s

    • Two knockouts from this decade rank among the top 10: Rocky Marciano's knockout of Jersey Joe Walcott in 1952 and Sugar Ray Robinson's knockout of Gene Fullmer in 1957. On Sept. 23, 1952, at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia, Marciano worked Walcott's body for most of the fight before knocking him out with a devastating shot to Walcott's jaw. On May 1, 1957, at Chicago Stadium, Robinson delivered a brutal left hook that stunned Fullmer, took his legs out and sent him crashing to the canvas.

    1960s and 1970s

    • Three knockouts from this era rank among the top 10: Muhammad Ali's knockout of Sonny Liston in 1965, George Foreman's knockout of Joe Frazier in 1973 and Ali's knockout of Foreman in 1974. On May 25, 1965, at St. Dominic's Hall in Lewiston, Maine, Ali floored Liston with a powerful straight right hand, then taunted his opponent as he lay on the mat. The punch remains controversial because many ringside observers did not see it connect. On Jan. 22, 1973, at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, Foreman finished off Frazier with a rapid succession of left and right uppercuts. On Oct. 30, 1974, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ali used a vicious combination of punches to send Foreman to the mat.

    1980s through present

    • Three knockouts from this era rank among the top 10: Thomas Hearns' knockout of Roberto Duran in 1984, Marvin Hagler's knockout of Hearns in 1985 and Manny Pacquiao's knockout of Ricky Hatton in 2009. On June 15, 1984, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Hearns sent Duran flailing face-first toward the mat with a devastating right hand. On April 15, 1985, at the same venue, Hagler put the finishing touches on an action-filled bout by dropping Hearns with a potent left hook. On May 2, 2009, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao cemented his reputation as one of the sport's best boxers when he knocked Hatton out cold with a left hook.