What’s more exciting than a knockout in combat sports? Yes we appreciate technique and ability but we want knockouts! Today we look at some of the best knockout fighters in history. Some of these are brutal.
Mike Tyson – Knockout king
Whenever you think about knockouts in boxing the first person in peoples minds is Mike Tyson. Tyson dominated the boxing world on his rise to fame and became the youngest ever world heavyweight champ at the age of 20. He was beating up men from the age of 13 when his legendary Cus D’Amato trainer took him in. Tyson had no father figure growing up and lived rough stealing, gambling and selling drugs to get by.
His story is the true rags to riches story which many people try but many fail. His downfall was nearly as extreme as his up rise but that’s a story for another day. It’s clear that Tyson’s rough upbringing contributed to the knockout power he possessed.
Tyson features on our best fighters of all time list here.
Connor McGregor
Connor is known to have some of the best knockouts of all time within the UFC. He has a dynamite in his left hand and holds the third fastest finish in the featherweight division. Out of his 22 wins 19 of them come from knockouts, although he is a brown belt in BJJ he is not known for his grappling.
A wild man, he always draws a crowd. He was the highest paid athlete in 2021. Similar to Tyson his antics and lack of focus have caused him some trouble and rubbed people up the wrong way but when you’ve got a few hundred million in the bank, does he really care?
Deontay Wilder – Best knockout fighter in recent boxing history?
42 wins, 41 knockouts an unbelievable feat. He is known to have the hardest right hand in current boxing at least and many say of all time. Wilder didn’t start boxing until the age of 20 and within three years of training managed to win a bronze medal at the Olympics which despite people claiming he lacks skills a boxer needs facts are facts. Joe Rogan cites him as the greatest one punch knockout artist.
You can’t win a bronze medal without skill. Although amazing accomplishments Deontay has been ridiculed for fighting poor opposition and avoiding difficult fighters. When he met Fury in the first rematch he took one of the worst beatings in title fight history, can someone bounce back after something like that? I’m not so sure.
Francis Ngannou – The Predator
Francis is also another rags to riches story, which seems to be the common trend across fighters. There may be something in the struggle of life which translates into making the best knockout artists. Francis was born into poverty and had little education, when his parents divorced he was sent to live with his aunt and by ten years old was working in a sand quarry.
Francis always wanted to be a boxer and made the journey to France to pursue his dream. We was arrested for crossing the boarder for two months. He eventually made it to Paris but was living on the streets. Eventually he was introduced to a friend who convinced him to try MMA and the rest was history.
Cris “Cyborg” – Cristiane Justino Venâncio
As the trend continues, Cyborg was not without struggle in her upbringing. Her parents divorced and her father was an alcoholic. Due to her athletic abilities she was offered a number of scholarships.
She then later pursued a career as a professional handball player and was noticed by a Muay Thai fighter who encouraged her to try it and she loved it. This was the start of her fighting career and now holds a black belt in BJJ and Muay Thai. Out of her 24 wins in MMA she has 19 of them by knockout.
Saúl Álvarez – Canelo
Canelo is the youngest of his 8 siblings all 7 boys are professional boxers but Canelo is by far the most talented. He was bullied as a child for his red hair but this wouldn’t last for long because by the age of 13 he started training to become a boxer after seeing his older brother become pro. In his first two years boxing he won the silver medal at the Junior Mexican National Championships. He became the 2005 Junior Mexican National Boxing Champion and his amateur record was 44–2 with 12 knockouts.
Canelo was famously beaten by Floyd Mayweather who was at the peak of his abilities when he fought a young and not fully mature Canelo. However in defeat he developed his style further and now is renowned for his counter punching and head movement. He is a formidable body puncher and has some of the most exciting knockouts in recent years.
Unfortunately, rumours circulate around Canelo and the use of PEDS in his boxing career due to the “tainted beef” issue back in 2019.
“Big” George Foreman
One of the most intimidating boxers of all time. George by his own admission was a troubled kid and dropped out of school by the 9th grade. By the age of 16 he was already 6ft 1 and was recruited by gangs to be an “enforcer” he got involved in petty crime but wasn’t very good at it. He decided that he wanted to finish his education and joined the job corps which provided Foreman with a connection to boxing trainer Doc Broaddus, who encouraged him to apply his fighting skills in the ring. Foreman adapted quickly and made the 1968 US boxing team in which he won the gold medal in the heavyweight boxing division.
Foreman then went pro and achieved 40 a win streak included a second round KO of Joe Frazier. He then met Ali in the infamous “rumble in the jungle” Foreman was a heavy favorite but Ali’s boxing brain got him through to stop George in the 8th round. This devastated George and in just over two years following this defeat he retired from boxing and became a minister. Ten years later big George came back and devastated the division and even became the oldest heavyweight champion of all time at the age of 45.