The Best Heavyweight Knockouts

Boxing history is littered with amazing knockouts and brutal finishes. The best heavyweight knockouts do not depend solely on the power of the finishing punch or the excitement of the fight. These fights have important subplots that make them socially and politically intriguing. Brutal knockouts occur in boxing frequently and few remember them. Fans discuss historic fights with important social undertones for decades.

  1. Louis v. Schmeling II

    • The Louis-Schmeling rematch in 1938 is considered one of the most socially important boxing matches in the history of the sport. Joe Louis had just won the heavyweight championship, but refused to accept the title until he avenged his only career loss, to Max Schmeling. Schmeling was German and widely portrayed as a Nazi before the fight. A year before the outbreak of World War II, the fight represented the battle between the freedom of the United States and the Nazi regime. The fight took place on June 22, 1938 in Yankee Stadium. Louis' first-round knockout victory symbolized the defeat of the Nazis.

    Ali v. Frazier I

    • The "Fight of the Century" was between heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, unbeaten in 26 career matches and Muhammad Ali, the flashy challenger with a 31-0 professional record. The fight represented the country's split opinions on the Vietnam War. The press portrayed Frazier as a hard-working American who embodied the conservative morals of the nation, a quiet man who tended to stray away from the spotlight. Conversely, Ali was a loud anti-establishment proponent, who had previously refused to serve the United States in the Vietnam War.

      The fight matched two boxers who represented vastly different political and social views. The build-up climaxed on March 8, 1971 in Madison Square Garden. Frazier defeated Ali on points. Although the fight did not end on a knockout, Frazier's knockdown of Ali earlier in the fight had tremendous historical significance due to the importance of the match.

    Louis v. Marciano

    • Joe Louis has a reputation as one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport. His fight with Rocky Marciano in 1951 ended his illustrious professional career. Marciano was a young undefeated heavyweight contender quickly moving up the ranks. Louis was a seasoned fighter who came out of retirement in an attempt to resurrect his career.

      On the day of the fight, Louis was 37 years old and much slower than the aggressive Marciano. In the eighth round, Marciano knocked out Louis through the ropes to end the fight and Louis' professional career. Louis had no more professional fights but continued to tour the lower ranks for a short time. The win moved the balance of power in the heavyweight ranks from Louis to Marciano. Marciano would be the only world heavyweight champion to retire undefeated, as of 2010

    Tyson v. Douglas

    • Buster Douglas' knockout of Mike Tyson in 1990 may have been the greatest upset of any heavyweight title fight. Tyson was a devastating fighter who was known for destroying his opponents quickly and brutally. Douglas was an unlikely choice to dethrone Tyson of his heavyweight title. Although many experts believed Douglas to be a good fighter, no one believed Tyson would lose. As a result, Douglas was branded as a 42-1 underdog by odds-makers. In the ninth round, Douglas knocked out Tyson for the first time in his career and handed Tyson his first career loss. Many consider this fight the last great heavyweight boxing match. After the fight the tremendous popularity of heavyweight boxing began to steadily decline.