Top 10 Scariest Knockouts in Boxing History

Another major interest of mine is the sport of boxing. My dad, uncles, and grandfather were all big boxing fans, so it was passed down to me. It's the only sport I follow.

I grew up watching a lot of fights and even participated in the sport as a youth. I listed these because they're the ones etched into my brain when I think of scary knockouts.

Unfortunately, there are a few knockouts that resulted in death. I won't list those because they're not scary. They're tragic.

The Top Ten

  1. Roy Jones Jr. KO1 Art Serwano

    April 3, 1992. At 1:40 of the first round, Jones Jr. pawed a jab at Serwano's chest, then followed with a hard overhand right, smashing into Serwano's temple. Serwano crashed to the canvas, spasming on the floor, mouth open, and eyes rolling to the back of his head.

    It looked like he was literally dying. It was scary to see.

  2. Ray Mercer KO5 Tommy Morrison

    October 18, 1991. 28 seconds into the fifth round, Mercer hurt Morrison with a right that sent Morrison into the ropes. While dazed and covering up defensively, Morrison was hit with a left hook that really hurt him. Then Mercer landed two hard rights that knocked Morrison out.

    Even though Morrison was unconscious, he was still being held up by the ropes. While unconscious with his hands down at his sides, the referee allowed Mercer to land numerous hard blows on Morrison before he finally crumbled to the canvas.

  3. Jack Johnson KO12 Stanley Ketchel

    October 16, 1909. A classic boxing moment. In round 12, after being dropped by Ketchel, Johnson popped back up and immediately threw a short right that stunned Ketchel. He followed with another right hand, putting everything behind it, and knocked Ketchel out. Johnson also caught him with a home run left hook while Ketchel was falling back unconscious.

    The punch was so devastating that Ketchel's teeth were stuck in Johnson's glove. As Johnson stood over the unconscious Ketchel, you could see him wiping Ketchel's teeth off his gloves.

  4. Manny Pacquiao KO2 Ricky Hatton

    May 2, 2009. After being hit by numerous right hooks and dropped twice by Pacquiao in the first round, Hatton was knocked out cold from a Pacquiao left in round two with just a second left in the round. Pacquiao feinted the right hook, then shot his left, landing flush on Hatton's chin.

    Hatton was out before he hit the floor. He lay unconscious for several minutes before coming to.

  5. Arthur Abraham KO12 Jermain Taylor

    October 17, 2009. At 2:54 of the last round, Abraham cracked Taylor with a one-two that split Taylor's gloves, nailing him on the chin and sending him straight back and out. The way Taylor dropped and the disturbing noise he made while unconscious was scary.

    Actually, that knockout almost killed Taylor. He was hospitalized for a severe concussion and brain bleeding. Many, including myself, think that knockout severely and permanently damaged Taylor mentally.

  6. Mikkel Kessler KO4 Alan Green

    May 19, 2012. 17 seconds into the fourth round, both fighters simultaneously exchanged left hooks, with Kessler landing first and flush on Green's chin. Kessler threw his hook while rolling to his left, while Green threw his flat-footed.

    Green crashed to the canvas, out stiff, with his head awkwardly twisted to the side.

  7. Sergio Martínez KO2 Paul Williams

    November 20, 2010. Martinez caught Williams, who was known for having an iron chin, with a haymaker overhand left as Williams was coming forward, instantly knocking him out. Williams toppled over face-first in slow motion. After crashing down on the canvas, he lay there unconscious, eyes open and motionless, for several minutes.

    The knockout came at 1:10 of the second round.

  8. Glen Johnson KO9 Roy Jones Jr.

    September 25, 2004. After pummeling Jones Jr. against the ropes for eight rounds, Johnson cracked Jones 49 seconds into the ninth round with a basic one-two that sent Jones down and out. Johnson's right caught Jones behind his left ear, instantly knocking him unconscious.

    Jones hit the floor hard, his head bouncing off the canvas. He lay unconscious for several minutes.

  9. Juan Manuel Márquez KO6 Manny Pacquiao

    December 8, 2012. In their fourth fight against each other, Márquez caught Pacquiao with a perfect counter right hand as Pacquiao recklessly charged in. Towards the end of the sixth round, Pacquiao seemed to have Márquez hurt and in a bit of trouble when Márquez landed the well-placed counter (his trademark).

    With Pacquiao's momentum coming forward, the punch had quite an impact. It snapped Pacquiao's head back, his hair flailing as he fell forward on his face. The impact was so hard Pacquiao's hair stood straight up on contact. He lay face down, unconscious and drooling on the canvas. The knockout came right at the bell in the sixth round.

  10. Lupe Pintor KO12 Johnny Owen

    A tragic 1980 fight. Owen never regained consciousness and died seven weeks later.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Manny Pacquiao TKO9 David Díaz

  12. ?

    Subriel Matías RTD11 Maxim Dadashev

    13. The Contenders

  13. Mike Tyson KO4 Larry Holmes

    January 22, 1988. After knocking Larry Holmes down twice in the fourth round, Tyson finished him with a right to the jaw while Holmes was dazed against the ropes. Holmes crashed to the canvas, eyes closed, with his arms lying straight out like a crucifix. When I saw this fight at eleven years old, I thought Tyson might have killed him.

    What made this knockout - and the fight in general - scary was that Holmes was 38 (which is considered old in boxing) and coming out of a two-year retirement to fight Tyson. He had also lost his two previous fights before retiring. Coming back from back-to-back losses and two years out of the ring at 38 to fight a young, 21-year-old, fast, powerful beast like Tyson? Yeah, I was scared for Larry.

  14. Canelo Álvarez KO6 Amir Khan

  15. Gerry Cooney KO1 Ken Norton

    With Norton leaned over in the corner, Cooney hit him with about 20 undefended power punches before the fight was stopped.

  16. David Tua KO1 John Ruiz

  17. Mike Tyson KO1 Marvis Frazier

    July 26, 1986. Before an ABC Wide World of Sports television audience, and in only 30 seconds, Tyson knocked out Frazier, marking the beginning of the end of Frazier's boxing career. Its Joeysworld

  18. Jimmy Thunder KO1 Crawford Grimsley

  19. Gervonta Davis KO6 Leo Santa Cruz

  20. Mike Tyson KO1 Michael Spinks

  21. Canelo Álvarez KO3 James Kirkland

  22. Nonito Donaire TKO2 Fernando Montiel

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