Certain moments occur in sports which raise everybody’s spirits instantly. In soccer, it is a goal, a penalty or a red card. In basketball, it is when the three-pointer goes in to increase the point spreads in a game. However, the equivalent in boxing is the knockout punch.
The best knockout punches listed here didn’t just bring down their opponents. They made sure their opponents stayed down and highly favored the puncher in the fight, leading to a big win.
The Best Knockouts in Boxing History
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George Foreman vs Michael Moorer
This is possibly the greatest knockout punch in the entire boxing history. At 46, Foreman knocked down Michael Moorer, who was in his prime, for the heavyweight belt.
This match had Big George losing out on points to Moorer, who was younger, fitter, and possessed a better boxing style than George’s slugger style. In the late rounds of the match, it looked like George would leave the boxing scene empty-handed after coming out of a 10-year retirement.
In the 10th round, a right cross landed on Moorer’s chin, and he went down, unable to get up for the count.
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Rocky Marciano vs Jersey Joe Walcott
Before this fight, Walcott had been cocky, asking boxing fans to not take him seriously if Marciano managed to beat him. In the early part of this fight, Walcott was indeed winning on points. Down till the 13th round, it seemed Walcott would indeed win both the trash-talking and the match.
However, it all changed when Rocky landed a perfect right hand on Walcott. Walcott, who was the reigning champion, went down badly.
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Sugar Ray Robinson vs Gene Fullmer
Gene Fullmer remains one of the game’s toughest boxers of all time. The knockout punch landed by Sugar Ray was the single time in his career that he took a ten count. Sugar Ray still remains one of the best, comparable to athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo in soccer or Tom Brady in American football.
What made the game even more exciting was that Sugar Ray had lost to Gene a couple of months earlier. In the 5th round, everything changed when Robinson landed a left hook.
Conclusion
A knockout is arguably the biggest action that changes the course of a boxing match. The best knockouts in boxing history were landed by Rocky Marciano, George Foreman, and Sugar Ray Robinson.