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The Top 10 Most Brutal Boxing Knockouts Of All Time

The Top 10 Most Brutal Boxing Knockouts Of All Time

Deontay Wilder, Manny Pacquiao and Mike Tyson star on our definitive rundown of the most savage finishes the fight game has witnessed

Alex Reid

Alex Reid

Oh the humanity! How can these men do more damage with their fists than the combined armies of Russia and Westeros?

Let's get one thing clear: by 'all time' we clearly mean the last 30-odd years. We're not trawling back through YouTube only to find there's zero videos of John L Sullivan, no sir.

So - with apologies to George Foreman, Joe Louis, Ivan Drago and any other iron-fisted legend not included - these are the most bone-breaking, teeth-shaking, canvas-quaking stoppages the world has ever seen. Have mercy.

10. Calvin Brock KO6 Zuri Lawrence

'The Boxing Banker' Calvin Brock clearly decided Zuri Lawrence was behind on his overdraft payments and issued a formal warning via a massive left hook to the jaw.

Lawrence collapsed like a demolished building: wobbling at the ankles first, before the rest of him followed. Referee Jay Nady leapt in to wave his arms wildly, signalling for the fight's ending, medics to enter and low-flying aircraft to turn back, lest Brock should punch them out of the sky.

9. Carl Froch KO8 George Groves

Bad-blood rematch between these two Brits didn't catch fire like their first fight, until the 'Cobra' suddenly lit Groves up.

George blocked the combo's first punch, but cunningly had his left hand down by his waist when Froch launched a weapons-grade right to the jaw. Groves collapsed, leg folded under him and 80,000 at Wembley gasped (after they watched the big-screen replay, anyway).

8. Saul Alvarez KO6 Amir Khan

Canelo Alvarez - one of boxing's hardest punchers - against Amir Khan: what did people think was going to happen? This was the unstoppable force against the all-too-movable object.

Sure enough, Khan boxed well early on before getting caught clean by a picture-perfect overhand right and assuming the position. Canelo came to kneel by his foe - a kind gesture, but not who we'd want leaning over us as we came round.

7. Deontay Wilder KO7 Luis Ortiz

Wilder has numerous KOs to pick from, like the time he casually caved in Dominic Breazale's face or swung himself off his own feet while trying to punch Audley Harrison's head off.

Let's go with the straight right hand that stunningly turned the tables on Ortiz last year, leaving the Cuban on the canvas looking around baffled, as if he'd never seen a boxing ring before. Or colours. Or anything.

6. Manny Pacquiao KO2 Ricky Hatton

A ringside scream from Hatton's girlfriend punctuated the Las Vegas air after this slice of ultraviolence. No wonder. A six-minute beating preceded the 'Pac Man' nailing the 'Hitman' with a pinpoint left hand.

Hatton was out with a look on his face like he'd just been forced to watch 1,000 replays of Logan Paul vs KSI. Thankfully Ricky was just about OK after a little lie down.

5. Derreck Jefferson KO6 Maurice Harris

What kind of punch sends a trained heavyweight's gumshield flying out of his mouth and into orbit? These 90s contenders were having a nice, civilised slugfest when Jefferson unleashed a left hook from the depths of hell.

Harris fell flat on his back, eyes rolling, the referee waving, gumshield still hurtling through the atmosphere today like some weird dental comet.

4. Juan Manuel Marquez KO6 Manny Pacquiao

Hang on, isn't Pacquiao usually dishing this out? This duo's epic fourth fight saw Marquez turn the tables, catching Pac walking on to a punch launched from back in the cheap seats.

Pacquaio somehow fell forwards as Roy Jones told us, "He's not getting up, Jim!" Too true. Now let's all ignore the fact that the 39-year-old Marquez mysteriously transformed into a sawn-off He-Man before this fight.

3. Sergio Martinez KO2 Paul Williams

Ouch. 'The Punisher' was Williams' nickname but his Argentine rival delivered the hurt in their 2010 rematch. Martinez's right-hand bomb blindsided Williams, the American falling face-first to the canvas like his head suddenly weighed 2,000 tons.

Rather unnecessarily, the ref counted to 10 right up in Williams' face despite the "nobody's home" signs in his eyes.

2. Mike Tyson KO6 Pinklon Thomas

Did Thomas not know how to fall down? Was he allergic to ring canvas? There's no logical reason why he stood up for so long, taking clean head shots from a young Mike Tyson, which is totally against doctor's orders.

Prime Tyson could fill this list on his own, but Thomas made it spectacular by taking enough blows to KO a camel, then trying to get up. Pinklon, we question your wisdom but no man will question your courage.

1. Julian Jackson KO4 Herol Graham

The ultimate example of a boxer's HP going from 100 to zero in a second. Big-hitting Jackson was being boxed to bits by Graham in 1990, but caught the snazzy-shorted Brit squared up with a vicious counter right.

Instantly unconscious, Herol fell to the canvas, where the referee felt the urge to count to 10 like he was a purple vampire on Sesame Street. Ref, you could count to 50: he wasn't getting up.

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Topics: Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao, Boxing, Carl Froch, Deontay Wilder, Canelo Alvarez