Boxing is known as a sweet science. But sometimes, there’s a knockout that comes along and shakes the very foundations of the sport.
When two men engage in hand-to-hand combat, anything can indeed happen. Yet, in art as technical as boxing, experts tend to have an inkling of how things will pan out.
Alas, nobody is invincible, and that’s what these five knockouts were able to prove.
Andy Ruiz Jr vs Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua was supposed to be embracing his big debut in the United States when he took on Andy Ruiz Jr on short notice, but instead, he was on the wrong end of a stunning upset at Madison Square Garden.
Ruiz overcame some early adversity and poured on a metric ton of pressure that the Brit couldn’t deal with, ending in an impressive seventh-round TKO.
Buster Douglas vs Mike Tyson

‘Iron’ Mike Tyson came into his showdown with Buster Douglas as one of the most electric fighters in the sport’s history, holding a 37-0 record to his name.
Alas, nothing lasts forever, and Douglas proved that through an utterly fearless display in Tokyo. The 1990 bout ended with an emphatic 10th round knockout that sent the world into an absolute frenzy.
Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder

Sure, Tyson Fury probably should’ve had his hand raised against Deontay Wilder in their first meeting, but he wouldn’t be able to knock him out in the rematch – right? Wrong.
Wilder paid the price for taking Fury far too lightly and, on the flip side, ‘The Gypsy King’ delivered on the knockout power he’d promised he’d added to his already elite technical ability. While it might not have been the most surprising result, the nature in which it came, combined with Fury’s redemption story, made it feel genuinely spectacular.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs Manny Pacquiao

It was the fourth time Juan Manuel Marquez had come face to face with Manny Pacquiao. Experts tipped the Pacman to come out on top again. Instead, we witnessed a sensational knockout that still gets replayed today.
With one second left in the sixth, Marquez blasted Pacquiao to the canvas and knocked him out cold.
Hasim Rahman vs Lennox Lewis

Lennox Lewis was on top of the world back in 2001. But, that changed quickly.
Hasim Rahman wasn’t a well-known figure at the time, but he became one after a vicious knockout triumph over Lewis. The Brit would get the win back later that year, but the initial moment of seeing Lewis slumped on the canvas was jaw-dropping.
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