Zolani Tete went into the record books with his 11-second knock out in Belfast on Saturday night – and that got Boxing Social thinking about some of our favourite quick knockouts . . .
10) CHRIS EUBANK VS REGINALDO DOS SANTOS
SEPTEMBER, 1990
Eubank decided he wanted one more fight before taking on Nigel Benn in their much-anticipated grudge fight. “I was in my zone that night,” wrote Eubank in his autobiography of his fight with Brazilian Reginaldo Dos Santos at the Royal Albert Hall. “Very focused. I poleaxed him with a huge right. He went down and that was the end of that. I knocked him out in 20 seconds – including the count. One punch. I was devastatingly accurate and very, very cool.”
9) NICKY PIPER VS JOHN ELLIS
NOVEMBER, 1990
“When I was really young, I thought: ‘I don’t want to hit them that hard in case they hit me back harder,’” reckoned Piper.
“I was a bit soft. But then I realised the harder you hit them, the less they want to go near you!
“I always tried to hurt them with the first punch of the fight to get their respect. I had quite a bit of success doing that.“
In his third fight, Piper chinned Dave Owens in just 19 seconds – and John Ellis didn’t even hang around that long.
8) GERALD MCCLELLAN V JAY BELL
August, 1993
McClellan was a cold-eyed knockout specialist from the Kronk gym and he soon knocked all the fight out of his first challenger for the WBC middleweight championship. Jay Bell lasted all of 20 seconds.
7) DAVID TUA V JOHN RUIZ
March, 1996
‘The Night of the Young Heavyweights’ featured Danell Nicholson-Andrew Golota, Shannon Briggs-Darroll Wilson and David Tua-John Ruiz. It was Tua who made the biggest impression.
HBO analyst Larry Merchant told viewers before the fight that the chunky New Zealander was from the same school as Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson and he lived up to the billing, left hooking Ruiz into oblivion in 19 seconds.
6) NIGEL BENN v IAN CHANTLER
November, 1987
Benn rates highly among the most exciting post-War British fighters. Every fight he went for the knockout and on the way up, ‘The Dark Destroyer’ was especially devastating. Chantler was a capable southpaw from St Helens who had one flaw in his boxing. He held his chin a bit high – and it didn’t take long for Benn to find it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2_Oe1bdCb0
5) DANIEL JIMENEZ V HARALD GEIER
September, 1994
Geier was aiming to become the first world champion from Austria – and fell well short. Jimenez took all of 17 seconds to keep his WBO super-bantamweight championship in front of his challenger’s fans, laying him out with a peach of a right hand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSElALJ3vQY
4) ZOLANI TETE V SIBONISO GONYA
November, 2017
The quickest world-title fight on record . . . Tete went to Belfast to make a statement to rival world bantamweight champion Ryan Burnett in Burnett’s home town – and he took just 11 seconds to do it. Gonya was blasted out by a southpaw right hook.
3) JIMMY THUNDER V CRAWFORD GRIMSLEY
March, 1997
Thunder – real name Jimmy Peau – was a fun heavyweight from New Zealand who promised “something big” when he fought Grimsley (20-1) in Flint, Michigan. Thunder, remembered in Britain for losses to Derek Williams and Henry Akinwade, ran from his corner and laid out Grimsley with his first punch. Official time, according to Box Rec, was 13 seconds, but it looked quicker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdOcGobOD2Y
2) JEREMY WILLIAMS V ARTHUR WEATHERS
March, 1996
Once billed as a new Mike Tyson, he was with Bill Cayton and Kevin Rooney early in his pro career, Williams never reached his heights, but no question, he could punch. He won 15 fights in the first round – and this was the quickest. Weathers was felled by his first three punches and the fight was all over in 10 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eEJ3Fb5Z_k
1) PHIL WILLIAMS V BRANDON BURKE
June, 2007
Burke was a winless novice and Williams a 3-0 (3) prospect, but still the fight was surely expected to go longer than 10 seconds . . . Burke launched a kamikaze, all-or-nothing attack at the opening bell- and ran onto a southpaw right hook. Fight over. The official time was 10 seconds.
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Top 10 British Domestic Rivalries