Monday, January 9, 2012

4 Great Boxing Knockouts


Boxers attempt to land more punches and earn more points than an opponent. Perhaps more entertaining, and certainly more memorable, is winning by knockout. If a boxer lands a punch or series of punches that leaves an opponent unable to continue, he wins the fight by knockout.
Julian Jackson vs. Herol Graham
The Telegraph selected this 1990 fight in its top four knockouts of all time because both fighters were considered nearly unbeatable. Graham had a reputation for quick reflexes and an ability to avoid being hit. He did not lose a fight for the first 10 years of his boxing career, and lost to only two fighters, Sumbu Kalambay and Mike McCallum, before the match. Jackson had lost only once, to McCallum, in his career and was suffering from a loss of vision, according to Eastside Boxing. This loss of vision, paired with Jackson's slow-moving, hard punching style, had fans and commentators convinced he would lose, which seemed to be happening for the first three rounds. Then, just one minute into the fourth round, with Jackson in a vulnerable state, he decked Graham with a shot to the jaw, ending the fight.
Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman
Ali had been one of the greatest boxers of all time, becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world before being stripped of the title for refusing to be drafted into the U.S. Army and being exiled from boxing for nearly four years. Upon his return, he had lost only to Joe Frazier and Ken Norton on his quest to regain the title. Meanwhile, Foreman was demolishing his opponents, including Frazier and Norton. Ali met Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, in 1974. Bleacher Report selected it as the No. 3 knockout of all time. The first seven rounds appeared to go in Foreman's favor, as he was a heavy hitter and was the more aggressive boxer. Ali seemed content to lean back on the ropes and let Foreman flail away. But in the eighth round, Foreman reached the point of exhaustion. Ali hit him with a series of quick punches, knocking Foreman down and ending the bout.
Jimmy Thunder vs. Crawford Grimsley
The Telegraph put this 1997 knockout in the top four of all time because of the speed with which it was over. Thunder had struggled early in the year, slipping out of contention for a world title. However, he had rebounded, winning the previous seven fights by knockout before the bout with Grimsley. The fight was expected to be even, but was cut short in dramatic fashion when Thunder dropped Grimsley to the canvas with a cracking right to the side of the head on the first punch of the fight.
Mike Tyson vs. James "Buster" Douglas
This 1990 fight is on Bleacher Report's list of top four knockouts of all time because Douglas was such an enormous underdog. Tyson had easily been beating his opponents, while Douglas had a reputation for fighting hard, then giving up and losing, according to Eastside Boxing. Both boxers fought hard for nine rounds, when Douglas began to wear down Tyson. In the 10th round, Douglas scored with an uppercut and followed with a serious of punches that knocked down Tyson and ended the fight.

 
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