Like the rest of us, former light-heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver is watching classic fights under these odd lock down conditions; classic KO’s in particular. Tarver, who of course gave us one of the most shocking and unexpected KO’s in modern day 175 pound boxing history when he iced the great Roy Jones in just two rounds back in 2004, has taken to Face Book to ask fans to list their favorite KO’s.
Tarver has posted a list to choose from:
Tyson-Spinks
Foreman-Moorer
Tarver-Jones
Ali-Foreman
Pacquiao-Hatton
Jackson-Graham
Hearns-Cuevas
Marquez-Pacquiao
Martinez-Williams
Sanchez-Gomez
Wolfe-Ward
Fans have posted their picks, chosen from not only the list Tarver posted, but from all KO’s in boxing history.
Here are some great ones:
Right hands:
George Foreman knocking out Michael Moorer to become the oldest ever heavyweight king was a special, and moving moment. It was also a beautifully placed right hand bomb from the old master blaster.
Thomas Hearns knocked Pipino Cuevas silly with his feared right hand bomb, taking the welterweight title in the process.
Muhammad Ali finished off Foreman with a combination to take back the crown in 1974, the final shot being a jarring right hand smack on the button. Ali at his greatest.
Julian Jackson was getting hammered by Herol Graham before sensationally turning the fight around and turning Graham’s lights out with a wicked grenade of a right hand to the chin. Graham was out the split-second the shot connected.
Juan Manuel Marquez’ one-punch KO of Manny Pacquiao was utterly stunning. A perfect punch. A perfect KO. Arguably the most violent KO on Tarver’s list.
Left hands:
Manny Pacquiao scored a frightening and quite sickening KO over Ricky Hatton, his brutal left hand leaving Hatton flat on his back and motionless for a number of scary seconds.
Antonio Tarver’s quick and sharp left hand sent the once untouchable Roy Jones reeling. A career-best punch. A career-best KO.
Sergio Martinez’ whipping left hand to the exposed chin of Paul Williams scored a KO that rendered Williams unconscious the moment it landed. You know it’s a nasty one when the loser goes down on his face, his eyes still open.
So which of the KO’s on Tarver’s list gets the nod from you? I go for the Marquez KO of Pac-Man. It was truly stunning.
Some great KO’s not on Tarver’s list:
Sugar Ray Robinson KO Gene Fullmer – a perfect left hook to the jaw ends matters.
Rocky Marciano KO Jersey Joe Walcott – Marciano’s “Suzy Q” gets the job done in dramatic style.
Jersey Joe Walcott KO Ezzard Charles – a perfect left hand drops Charles and sees Walcott make boxing history.
Thomas Hearns KO Roberto Duran – Hearns’ lethal right left the great Duran flat on his face. Nobody ever did this to “Hands Of Stone.” Nobody.
Roy Jones KO Virgil Hill – a perfect shot to the body takes out Hill. Jones at his best? Maybe.
Azumah Nelson KO Pat Cowdell – Before he had had a chance to warm up, Cowdell was taken out by a savage Nelson uppercut to the jaw. Cowdell was out for several minutes.
James Douglas KO Mike Tyson – Not only was this THE biggest upset in boxing history, it was also an incredibly tidy piece of combination punching from “Buster.”
Kostya Tszyu KO Zab Judah – Tszyu knocked Judah silly, his right hand knocking Judah down, twice, and then into a dazed rage. Judah went nuts as the fight was stopped, his equilibrium utterly blasted to smithereens.
