1) SUGAR RAY ROBINSON KO 5 GENE FULMER
May 1, 1957, Chicago Stadium.
Universally acknowledged as the greatest left hook that ever landed on one unfortunate mandible or simply the greatest punch ever thrown. What Robinson described as Fulmer’s ‘bar room brawler’ style always gave the original Sugarman problems and this second meeting of their 4 fight series seemed destined to follow the script until Robison landed a sublime short left hook whist on the retreat at 1.27 of round 5.
The rest is history and Gene was the last to know.
2) JULIAN JACKSON KO 4 HEROL GRAHAM
November 24, 1990, Andalucia, Spain.
A perfect prototype for the agony and the ecstasy of the squared circle. Graham had boxed Jackson’s head off for 3 rounds and, with his left eye swollen shut from the effortless bombardment, the Virgin Islander had been given one more round by referee, Joe Cortez, to turn things around.
Jackson, in the southpaw stance for the sake of better vision landed a crunching right hook as the Sheffield Bomber stepped in with his chin precariously high at 1.13 of the 4th round.
Poor Herol was out before he hit the deck, his dreams of world title glory dashed once more.
3) THOMAS HEARNS KO 2 ROBERTO DURAN
June 15, 1984, Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas.
Unlike most of the fights listed here, this wasn’t a case of the coup de grace appearing to come out of the blue or against the tide of ‘play.’
It’s fair to say that Detroit hitman was battering his legendary Panamanian adversary from pillar to post.
Nonetheless, the chilling right had that landed-on Duran’s jaw with an audible crack in the second round of what many anticipated as a ‘pick em’ affair was a punch for the ages and natural counterpart to Robinson’s superlative left hook vs Fulmer.
With a fraction of delayed reaction, the man dubbed ‘Hands of Stone’ fell face first into a stupor. No fighter had done that Roberto before or since.
4) ROCKY MARCIANO KO 13 JERSEY JOE WALCOTT
September 23, 1952, Philadelphia.
Often represented as the ‘Hardest Punch of All Time’, Walcott’s grotesquely contorted features immortalised in that famous photograph as ‘The Rock’s vaunted ‘Suzy Q’ detonated against his jaw bears testimony to the description.
The older man had floored Marciano in the opening round and established an early lead but the deficit was obliterated by Rocky’s trademark short right hand. A halfhearted cuff of a left hook as Jersey Joe sagged against the ropes was strictly academic.
5) MIKE WEAVER KO 15 JOHN TATE
March 31, 1980, Tennessee.
The archetype of that old maxim that ‘It ain’t over till it’s over’, Weaver was trailing on all cards going into the final frame before a concussive left hook dropped Tate near his own corner with 45 seconds left on the clock.
A big right uppercut missed as Big John spiraled southwards.
6) BOB FOSTER KO 4 DICK TIGER
May 24, 1968, Madison Square Garden
The lanky sheriff from Albuquerque with crushing power in either hand was only too delighted when the defending light-heavyweight champion chose to trade with him in the 4th round. A straight right hand and looping left hook missed before Foster repeated the combo with devastating effect, leaving Tiger prostate and minus his crown.
It was the only knockout he ever suffered in an illustrious career.
7) AZUMAH NELSON KO 1 PAT COWDELL
October 12, 1985, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.
Cowdell had taken the legendary Salvador Sanchez to a split decision 4 years earlier and was nobody’s fool in his second fistic incarnation, having briefly retired in 1982.
Unfortunately for Warley’s finest, a devastating left uppercut counter to his own left hook lead was all she wrote. Nelson went on to cement his position as Africa’s greatest fighter, although it can’t have been much consolation to the proud Midlander.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75ShHAcXppc
8) JORGE CASTRO KO 9 JOHN DAVID JACKSON
December 10, 1994, Monterrey, Mexico.
Not a one punch KO, strictly speaking, but a sensational turn of events entirely attributable to a single shot.
Defending champion, Castro, was being battered and outclassed by the slick southpaw who bore the demeanor of an errant child torturing an insect until of a prayer of a left hook rendered him horizontal.
Jackson arose only to be knocked down twice more before the third man, Stanley Christodolou, had seen enough.
9) MIKE McCALLUM KO 5 DONALD CURRY
July 18, 1987, Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas.
Curry, regarded at one time as a Hall of Fame ‘shoo in’, was leading on the cards when lured into the ‘Bodysnatcher’s’ trap.
Years later, McCallum would explain how he repeatedly threw a right uppercut to the body followed by a left hook to the same region before feinting and switching his left hook to Donald’s exposed jaw at 1.14 of the 5th.
The stricken ‘Lone Star Cobra’ tried to beat Richard Steele’s count to no avail.
10) ASHLEY SEXTON KO 1 USMAN AHMED
January 22, 2010, Brentwood Centre, Essex.
While it clearly doesn’t have the historical significance of George Foreman’s vanquishing of Michael Moorer, this list would seem incomplete without ‘Flash Ash’s destructive dismissal of his bombastic would be nemesis for the English Flyweight title in Essex.
One of the most viral knockouts on social media due to the combination of ‘Uzzy’s excessively swaggering ring entrance and a short overhand right as correct and devastating as you will ever see.