10. Roy Jones Jr KO 6 Vinny Pazienza
A daunting prospect indeed for nearly every single fighter who has ever laced gloves … Roy Jones Jr, arguably one of the finest specimens to ever grace the squared circle was at the peak of his incredible powers when he met Vinny Pazienza. ‘The Pazmanian devil’ had defied all the odds to make a comeback from a life-threatening injury which left him with a broken neck. It became readily apparent from the get-go, Pazienza was out of his depth as Roy’s blinding hand speed proved too much as he was clobbered at will before being put out of his misery in the 6th round.
9. Ricardo Lopez KO 3 Kitichai Preecha
‘El Finito’ Lopez is today recognised as one of the most complete Mexican boxers of all time. He had it all, great anticipation, fundamentals and technical know-how, punching power and ring generalship. He exhibits all the above as he masterfully takes out the undefeated Kitichai Preecha inside of 3 rounds as he closes out the 14th defence of his WBC & Lineal Minimumweight World Title.
8. Earnie Shavers KO 1 Jimmy Ellis
Shavers was called ‘The puncher of the century’ and for good reason, as he shows here … Ellis started the fight intent on trying to make a statement as he cut Earnie off in the corner and proceeded to bombard him with a series of short, thudding right hands. Shavers managed to recuperate and shake off the hurt and went back on the hunt looking for the opportunity to land something big, and he found it when in the clinch as he ripped a destructive right uppercut up the middle.
7. Roberto Duran KO 15 Leoncio Ortiz
https://youtu.be/echLofgu_Pk?t=52m15s
Roberto Duran was frequently hailed as the best fighter in world boxing during the mid to late 1970’s. Here is a look at him at solidifying that claim after almost beheading Leonicio Ortiz with an uppercut from hell concluding the 7th defence of his WBA, RING and Lineal World Lightweight titles.
6. Azumah Nelson KO 1 Pat Cowdell
Nelson was given the alias ‘The Professor’ and the 2-weight world champion is often credited as one of the greatest pugilists to ever come from Africa. Pat Cowdell was no walk in the park, he even went the entire distance with the late, great Salvador Sanchez but was emphatically blown away by a bone-crunching uppercut inside of 1 round at the hands of Azumah Nelson.
5. Matthew Saad Muhammad KO 4 Lottie Mwale
https://youtu.be/-okaIgY69Ow?t=1m30s
The memorable, impenetrable Matthew Saad Muhammad destroys the 21-0 Lottie Mwale with one of the most destructive single uppercuts I’ve ever seen, sending Mwale to the canvas, flat on his back and out cold.
4. George Foreman KO 2 Gerry Cooney
https://youtu.be/iLPN_48Ii0o?t=7m47s
George Foreman was embarking on his comeback that many had caused many to raise an eyebrow at the time. But ‘Big George’ showed the first glimpse of the power that still lurked within when he separated the renown Gerry Cooney from his senses inside of 2 rounds.
3. Tony Canzoneri KO 3 Jack ‘Kid’ Berg (2nd meeting)
‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’ that is never truer than in this scenario. The immortal Tony Canzoneri was edged out in a razor tight decision in his first meeting with the British legend Berg. Canzoneri silenced all of his doubters as he evened the score to one apiece with a dynamite uppercut doing the job in the third round.
2. Jersey Joe Walcott KO 7 Ezzard Charles (3rd meeting)
https://youtu.be/vAU8x0ZxSeY?t=21m51s
Jersey Joe Walcott was commonly known as the Cinderella man, he had failed in his 4 previous attempts at the World Championship and at the age of 37 his chances of ever achieving prominence seemed bleak. But he upset all the odds to knock the phenomenal Ezzard Charles out cold in the 7th round. Many call this shot a left hook, but to my eye, at least the shot came from underneath.
1. Joe Louis KO 11 Jersey Joe Walcott (2nd meeting)
‘The Brown Bomber’ is commonly associated with the title the greatest heavyweight of all time and this fight is just one of the many reasons that support that claim. Joe Louis was long past his best days here and after being awarded what many would call a gift decision in his first matchup with Jersey Joe, he seemed to be heading again towards defeat after being down big on the cards. However, he managed to salvage one last moment of greatness in a career littered with triumph and success and viciously knocked out Walcott with a series of four uppercuts concluding Louis’ monumental title reign.
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