For all the elite level artistry of boxing, footwork and defense, crisp combinations and pinpoint jabs, there is nothing quite like a knockout. A boxer’s consciousness being ripped from their body by a lightning bolt is arguably the most spectacular moment in all of sport.
2024 was a year that delivered some particularly violent knockouts, many of which came at the sport’s biggest stages. While all weight classes had epic KOs, the heavyweights stole the show this year.
Our panel of CBS Sports experts sat down, debated and voted for our knockout of the year. Let’s take a look at the results.
Winner: Anthony Joshua def. Francis Ngannou
Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, made a big splash in his boxing debut, knocking out Tyson Fury en route to a narrow split decision loss. His follow-up fight didn’t go nearly as well.
To his credit, Ngannou didn’t drop a post in the competition after the Fury fight, instead taking on another elite fighter in former two-time unified champion Joshua. Joshua’s skill proved too much for Ngannou and it was clear from the opening moments that Joshua could end things at any time.
After dropping Ngannou in the opening round, Joshua scored his second knockdown in round 2 with a heavy right hand and later put Ngannou away for good seconds. An overhand right bomb. The result was a reminder that Joshua may have been passed by the likes of Fury and Oleksandr Usyk at the top of the heavyweight division, but he remains a dangerous man.
honorable mention
Daniel Dubois def. Anthony Joshua
Talk about a crazy year of highs and lows for Joshua, who not only delivered the British star the KO of the year in March, but he ended up at the business end of 2024. Second-best display of brute force.
Dubois, who stopped Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller in December 2023, continued his career renaissance with his first career defeat to Filip Horgovich in June via an eighth-round TKO that saw the London native capture the vacant IBF heavyweight title. From the undisputed champion Alexander Ueske. But just three months later, his shootout with Joshua added to Dubois’ new persona as one of the sport’s most fearsome finishers.
In front of a record-breaking UK crowd of 96,000 at London’s Wembley Stadium, Dubois attacked Joshua quite literally outside the opening bell to deliver four devastating knockdowns in five rounds. It was the finale, however, that will be remembered for many years to come.
Just when it looked like the battle-tested AJ was rallying in Round 5 before backing Dubois into a corner with a counter right hand, the 6-foot-5 Destroyer unleashed a ferocious right-hand counter of his own. Joshua was caught flush on the chin and unable to regain his feet before being counted out.
Jhilel Zhang def. Deontay Wilder
Angered by what he considered a trio of scorecard mistakes following his majority decision loss to former champion Joseph Parker in March, the 6-foot-6 Zhang, a perverising southpaw from China, made sure his next opponent would pay.
Zhang, 41, squares off in Riyadh just three months later against faded, 39-year-old former champion Deontay Wilder, who is looking to shake off the scars of his own lackluster decision loss to Parker seven months ago. But Wilder, to his detriment, looked defeated against Zhang and never quite It felt like his legs were under him.
But Wilder came to life a bit in round 5 when he began unleashing a series of patented right hands to put Zhang in real danger. But when Wilder landed a hard right cross late in the round, he was met with more short right hands from Zhang, causing Wilder to spin around dramatically as he wobbled on his feet.
As Wilder looked to lower his hands and regain his balance, Zhang took full advantage with a running right hand that Wilder never saw clearly. Although Wilder was able to make it back to his feet, his leg was gone and the fight was mercifully stopped.
Others are getting votes
Osleys Iglesias def. Evgeny Shvedenko
Terrence Williams def. Jonathan Ariel Sosa
Lucas Bahdi def. Ashton Sylve
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