CHAMPION OF THE LENS QUARTER MASTERS
CENTURY HEROES BY TOM GRAY THE KNOCKOUT ARTISTS
the dominance that Beterbiev enjoyed at light heavyweight. At his best, the Canadian-based Russian is brutality personified. 6 Adonis Stevenson (29-2-1, 24 KOs) Stevenson had already earned the reputation of a knockout artist by the time he faced Ring light heavyweight champ Chad Dawson in 2013. He was, however, still a prohibitive underdog. In just 76 seconds, Dawson was stopped when he was unable to recover from a colossal left- hand knockdown. Nine successful defenses followed for “Superman,” six of which ended inside the distance.
While Haye had a patchy run at heavyweight, he did pick up a WBA title and score some pulverizing knockouts against naturally bigger men. However, the hard-hitting Englishman was devastating at cruiserweight, where he unified and was only extended the distance once in 19 brutal wins. 9 Sergey Kovalev (36-5-1, 30 KOs) “Krusher” was only taken the distance twice (an eight-rounder and a six-rounder) in 22 fights before dethroning Nathan Cleverly for the WBO light heavyweight title in 2013. At the top level, the knockouts continued, with the Russian fighter demolishing a set of formidable contenders during his title reign. 10 Manny Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) While the knockouts dried up when “PacMan” reached welterweight, the Filipino legend was a power-punching destroyer between 112 and 140 pounds. Pacquiao stopped elite-level competition in several weight classes during his meteoric rise and had the power to switch off bigger opponents with a single punch.
the highest level. Despite suffering a knockdown in the final round, Morales secured the controversial decision in the opening chapter of a dramatic trilogy. The Ring’s 2000 Fight of the Year. 3 Micky Ward MD 10 Arturo Gatti May 18, 2002, Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut Titles: Junior welterweight non-title bout Sometimes the stars align. Like Ali vs. Frazier and Hagler vs. Hearns, Gatti and Ward were made for each other. It was friendly outside the ring, but when the bell rang for the first of three battles, it was all-out war. Divine intervention may have helped Gatti recover from a body-shot finisher in Round 9, but it was Ward who earned the victory on points. The Ring’s 2002 Fight of the Year. 4 Erik Morales UD 12 Manny Pacquiao March 19, 2005, MGM Grand, Las Vegas Titles: Junior lightweight non-title bout Morales had lost two fights in his trilogy with Barrera. Pacquiao had annihilated Barrera in November 2003 and was expected to do the same to another Mexican great. But that’s not how boxing works. In arguably the finest showing of his Hall of Fame career, Morales outpunched the rampaging Pacquiao in a brilliant 12-round war. The exchanges during the final round, during which Morales turned southpaw, have to be seen to be believed. 5 Shane Mosley SD 12 Oscar De La Hoya June 17, 2000, Staples Center, Los Angeles Titles: WBC welterweight The undefeated Mosley had been a long-reigning lightweight titleholder and was already pound-for- pound rated. However, he had recently moved up two weight classes and had barely settled at 147, and it was a prime De La Hoya in the opposite corner. With an inspired display, Mosley took the best “The Golden Boy” had to offer and pulled away on the cards in the championship rounds. One of the greatest welterweight title fights ever. 6 Felix Trinidad TKO 12 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas Titles: IBF, WBA junior middleweight It all looked like too much for Fernando Vargas. Down twice in the opening minute against arguably the most ruthless finisher in boxing, “El Feroz” was in hell. However, youth and plenty of guts got the Fernando Vargas December 2, 2000,
1 Deontay Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) Between turning professional in 2008 and a decision win over Bermane Stiverne in 2015, Wilder knocked out 32 men in a row, then went on a streak of seven more KOs that included Stiverne in a rematch. While he’s lost as many as he’s won since that time, “The Bronze Bomber” is arguably the most dangerous one-punch destroyer in boxing history. 2 Edwin Valero (27-0, 27 KOs) Valero never heard a judge’s scorecard in an eight-year professional career and mashed everyone from journeymen to world titleholders with the same ferocity, accumulating sanctioning-body belts in two divisions along the way. The notorious power-puncher from Venezuela was found hanging in his jail cell while under suspicion of murdering his wife in 2010. 3 Naoya Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) Perhaps no ring moniker has been more appropriate than Inoue’s “The Monster.” Four divisions have been conquered over a 13-year career, and his power remains state-of-the-art. Inoue is unanimously lauded as the biggest pound-for-pound puncher in the world today and can knock an opponent out with either hand. 4 Gennadiy Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) No fighter this century has been more feared. Between November 2008 and September 2016, GGG knocked out 23 consecutive opponents, most of them in world title fights. The Kazakhstan native’s suffocating pressure and power forced many name opponents to avoid him while he systematically dominated the field at 160. 5 Artur Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) When a Beterbiev opponent goes punch-for- punch, they lose by KO. When a Beterbiev opponent boxes and moves, he catches them and they lose by KO. OK, Dmitry Bivol is the lone exception, but it’s impossible to overstate
California firecracker through an awful Round 1. Tito was down in the fourth and absorbed plenty of punishment before reestablishing command and taking Vargas out in the final round. Can you think of a better fight at 154? 7 Israel Vazquez SD 12 Rafael Marquez March 1, 2008, Home Depot Center, Carson, California Titles: Ring and WBC junior featherweight They’d already fought twice the previous year, and maybe the only reason the first bout (won by Marquez) didn’t win Fight of the Year for 2007 is that the award went to the rematch (won by Vazquez). Expectations for the decider were therefore huge. In a fierce battle between Mexican pound-for-pound dynamos, the ebb and flow shifted one way, then the other. A dramatic knockdown in the final 10 seconds by Vazquez tilted the numbers in his favor. The Ring’s 2008 Fight of the Year. 8 Naoya Inoue UD 12 Nonito Donaire November 7, 2019, Super Arena, Saitama, Japan Titles: Ring, IBF, WBA bantamweight The bantamweight final of the World Boxing Super Series looked ominous. It was old lion vs. young lion, with the 36-year-old Donaire seemingly being set up for the kill by the 26-year-old Inoue. However, “The Filipino Flash” took “The Monster” to the depths of hell in a classic battle, busting Inoue’s orbital bone and hanging tough against the Japanese star before dropping a decision. The Ring’s 2019 Fight of the Year.
Corrales turned the tables on Castillo in their epic first encounter.
9 Canelo Alvarez MD 12 Gennadiy Golovkin September 15, 2018, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Titles: Ring, WBA, WBC middleweight
FIGHTS OF THE CENTURY
Following the controversial draw in fight one, a rematch between Canelo and GGG, the world’s best middleweights, was a natural. Neither fighter was down or seriously hurt, but the quality of the action, particularly on the inside, was extraordinary. Canelo got over the line by the smallest of margins on that rare occasion when a sequel surpasses the original. The Ring’s 2018 Fight of the Year. 10 Juan Manuel Marquez KO 6 Manny Pacquiao December 8, 2012, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas Titles: Welterweight non-title bout The rivalry between Marquez and Pacquiao was as intense as it had ever been going into fight four. Pacquiao was up 2-0-1 in the series but had never truly dominated the Mexican star and was determined to secure a definitive victory. In a spectacular fight, both men had been down by the time the bell rang for Round 6. Marquez’s out- of-the-blue right-hand knockout was as violent a finish as boxing has ever seen. The Ring’s 2012 Fight (and Knockout) of the Year.
1 Diego Corrales TKO 10 Jose Luis Castillo May 7, 2005, Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas Titles: Ring, WBC, WBO lightweight In perhaps the finest exhibition of inside fighting ever seen, Corrales and Castillo duked it out like there was no tomorrow before an electrified crowd. “Chico” produced the miracle, rising from two knockdowns in Round 10 to secure an unforgettable triumph in the very same round. For many insiders, this stands as the greatest boxing match of all time. The Ring’s 2005 Fight of the Year.
Wilder stopped former Olympic champ Audley Harrison in 70 seconds.
7 Nonito Donaire (43-8, 28 KOs) The left hook of Nonito Donaire has been one of the most explosive punches of the century so far. That shot has scooped “The Filipino Flash” two Knockout of the Year awards (Vic Darchinyan in 2007 and Fernando Montiel in 2011) and rendered several world-class fighters in multiple weight classes unconscious. Far from being a one-punch fighter, the great Donaire has chilling power. 8 David Haye (28-4, 26 KOs) They didn’t call him “The Hayemaker” for nothing.
2 Erik Morales SD 12 Marco Antonio Barrera February 19, 2000,
Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas Titles: WBC, WBO junior featherweight Morales was installed as a prohibitive favorite to turn back the challenge of his red-hot countryman. Barrera, however, had other ideas and dragged “El Terrible” into a life-and-death battle contested at
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