This is the List of My 5 Favorite Knockouts.
- Thomas Hearns vs. Roberto Duran. June 15, 1984. Caesar’s Palace; Las Vegas, Nevada. I went to Liberty Bell Racetrack in Philadelphia to see this one on closed-circuit. The $15 was well worth the admission price, even if they only showed it on televisions throughout the place, and not on any big screens. It turned out I wasn’t there long, since Thomas annihilated Roberto Duran, knocking him down in the opening round, then out cold in the second with one of the best right hands I’ve ever seen. Quite frankly, I couldn’t stand Duran, and seeing Tommy’s second round knockout prediction come true was awesome, and makes this my favorite all-time knockout.
- George Foreman vs Michael Moorer. November 5, 1994. MGM Grand; Las Vegas, Nevada. George Foreman is my favorite all-time fighter, and I was in Las Vegas the week of the Moorer fight. It was also the first time I bet on a fight, laying $200 at 2 1/2 odds to win $500. I had been on board with George since he began his comeback in March of 1987, and was thrilled that he had gotten another shot at the title. George trained hard for his last chance at glory, and weighed in at a solid 250 lbs. for the bout. When the fight started on pay-per-view that November night in 1994, I had huge butterflies in my stomach, that’s for sure. After taking a good battering at times from Moorer, it was starting to look bleak by the ninth round, but I refused to give up hope. In the tenth round, ‘Big’ George started to come to life, landing solid jabs and left hooks. Out of nowhere, with about a minute or so left in the round, a quick left jab, right hand combination knockout Moorer down and out for the count. As HBO announcer Jim Lampley screams “It happens! It happens!”, I leapt to my feet with excitement. That right hand makes it my second favorite knockout of all time.
- Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas. February 11, 1990. Tokyo Dome; Tokyo, Japan. Mike Tyson had been heavyweight champ for 3 and 1/2 years, and no one gave a 42-1 underdog named James ‘Buster’ Douglas a chance of defeating him. When I went over my sister’s house to watch the bout on HBO, I had a new VHS tape in hand, and told my mother, “I’m going to tape it, because you just don’t know what is going to happen.” As I watched Douglas totally outclass Tyson for 4 rounds, my sister joined me on the couch, since she couldn’t stand Tyson either. After rising from an eighth round knockdown, Douglas got up, and came out aggressive and effective in the ninth round. In the tenth round, an incredible 4-punch combination put Tyson on the canvas, looking for his mouthpiece. It’s my third favorite knockout ever.
- Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson. June 8, 2002. The Pyramid; Memphis, Tennessee. Mike Tyson had been trying to regain the heavyweight crown since losing to Evander Holyfield in June of 1997. He had earned a shot at Lewis with a string of decent victories, and was as popular as ever with a lot of the public. I wasn’t one of his fans, and couldn’t wait to see him flat on his back, which I had predicted to people for months before the thing actually took place. My brother came over my house to watch it on pay-per-view, and we were both huge Lennox Lewis fans. It was thrilling to see Tyson never in the fight, take a total beatdown before being counted out on his back in the eighth round, as I had predicted. It’s my fourth favorite knockout ever.
- Lennox Lewis vs. Hasim Rahman. November 17. 2001. Mandalay Bay; Las Vegas, Nevada. After Rahman knocked out Lennox Lewis in April with a right hand to win the heavyweight championship, the two went on a promotion tour that summer to build up their November rematch. Rahman was arrogant and cocky, never gave Lennox any respect, and you could almost sense the anger in Lewis through the television as you watched from home. Personally, I couldn’t wait for the rematch, and gladly laid out the money for the pay-per-view to watch on my 46 inch projection TV. When Lennox easily knockout out a pathetic Hasim Rahman with a spectacular right hand in the fourth round, it was a tremendous thing to see. It’s my fifth favorite knockout, and the last on my list.
This list is my favorite’s list, and I’m sure you have your own. Thanks for reading my blog, and come back tomorrow to see what I write about next.
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