The sweet science served up plenty of delectable moments of destruction writes Quintin van Jaarsveld as he selects the 10 best knockouts of 2022.
Big-name and budding boxers alike showed off their hands, power, skill and technique and left not just their opponents’ jaws on the floor, but fans’ as well.
Combing through the carnage is always a treat and after doing so thoroughly, I present to you my 10 best boxing knockouts of the year:
10: Tanked
Gervonta “Tank” Davis silenced rival Rolando Romero in their WBA lightweight title fight in May, demonstrating laser focus and world-class switch-hitting prowess to land an exquisite straight left counter punch to rock and stop the challenger.
9: Back with a Bang
In his first fight following the iconic trilogy with Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder displayed the dynamite in his hands that makes him the greatest power puncher in boxing history when he left Robert Helenius stiff as a board with a right he barely pulled back on in October.
8: Simply Terrifying
Olympic silver medallist Richard Torrez in August condemned Marco Antonio Canedo to a crushing 43-second defeat as he whipped up a terrifying tornado of strikes that resulted in the scariest knockout of the year.
7: Re-Joyce
A knockout list isn’t complete without a body shot stoppage. 2022’s best came in July via WBO international and WBC silver heavyweight champion Joe Joyce, who turned Christian Hammer into the nail as he teed off to the body, dropping the German three times before delivering the final debilitating gut punch (time-stamped).
6: Proudly South African
South African ace Zolani Tete took out Jason Cunningham in ruthless fashion at Wembley in July. The former two-weight world champion hurt the local favourite with a chopping left and went in for the kill, a brutal barrage of punches seeing him bounce the Brit’s skull off the canvas and clinch the Commonwealth super bantamweight as well as the IBF and IBO international belts.
5: Punches in Bunches
Every fighter dreams of finishing a fight with a fluid combination. Sharpshooter Eduardo Hernandez achieved that feat in style in June, dropping Jorge Castaneda with a buffet of punches and getting him out of there with another scrumptious five-piece combo, all inside the opening round.
4: What Dreams Are Made Of
Joe Cordina captured the IBF super featherweight championship in fairy-tale fashion when he obliterated Kenichi Ogawa with a single blow in front of his hometown crowd of Cardiff in June.
3: Finding Nemo
It didn’t take Lorenzo “Nemo” Gerez long at all to find the shot to finish Lucas Winter in February. It proved to be a right hook (time-stamped), which he unleashed with maximum torque after masterfully evading two punches.
2: Big Drama Show
As dramatic and spectacular a knockout as you’ll ever see, hometown hero Leigh Wood was moments away from losing his WBA featherweight title to Michael Conlan by decision in March before the Brit landed a Hail Mary right hand that sent the limp Irishman crashing through the ropes and all the way onto the floor.
1: Buried Alive
Words have consequences and Anthony Dirrell’s came back to bite him in the worst way in October. Having disrespectfully dismissed Caleb Plant’s punching power throughout the build-up, he got flatlined by a picture-perfect left hook, with Plant adding insult to injury by proceeding to “bury” him in his post-fight celebration.
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