10 Best Boxing Knockouts of 2024 [Ranked]

It has been a fantastic year for the sport of boxing. After years of the biggest and best fights not being made due to behind-the-scenes politics and financial differences, those times seem to have faded away, and we have now entered a new era of boxing where, thanks to the presence of Turki Alalshikh, egos are now being put aside and the best in boxing are now fighting the best which seems logical, but over the years has unfortunately not happened.

With so many big fights now being made, there naturally comes bigger moments, and 2024 has been a sensational year for the sport of boxing, particularly for big KOs in high-profile fights. Today, GIVEMESPORT will name and rank the 10 best boxing KOs of 2024. Included in the list are some of the most viral and talked-about KOs of the year, such as Daniel Dubois’ shocking demolition of British heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua, as well as Joshua slumping MMA star Francis Ngannou out cold. Despite there being many big names included, some of the best KOs of the year have come from smaller and lesser-known names who you may just be hearing and learning about today.

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10

Ekow Essuman def. Owen Cooper

Essuman put Cooper away with a lightning-fast blitz in the corner

As mentioned above, there have been some great high-profile KOs and fights in the sport of boxing in 2024, but there have also been some great moments involving lesser-known fighters who compete on smaller events. Ekkow Essuman and Owen Cooper fought each other for the WBO European welterweight title in July, and not only was it one of the best back and forth wars of the year, there was a big finish also. After a bout where both men were essentially fighting in a phone booth, the experienced Essuman completely blitzed at Cooper and unleashed several quick shots on him in the corner and put him out in the 10th round.

9

Naoya Inoue def. Luis Nery

The undisputed bantamweight champion remained undefeated in 2024

The year began with hope from boxing fans that a dream fight between undisputed bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue and Gervonta Davis could be made. However, the fight unfortunately did not come to fruition. Despite being unable to add a superstar’s name to his resume, the Japanese phenom continued his dominance and remained undefeated in 2024 and picked up two victories. Inoue finished Luis Nery in round six with a perfectly placed and timed right hand which left him unable to continue. What makes this even more impressive is that in this fight, Nery became the first ever fighter to drop Inoue, so the fact he had to come through adversity to get to victory is even sweeter.

8

Gervonta Davis def. Frank Martin

‘Tank’ only fought once in 2024 but still delivered one of the best KOs of the year

Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis may have only fought once in 2024, but in that one fight he reminded everybody exactly why he is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers alive. 2024 saw ‘Tank’ take yet another fighter’s 0; this time it was the 0 of Frank Martin. Davis was in full control of the fight from the get-go, but turned up his pace and output in the later rounds and found himself teeing off on Martin and eventually shut his lights off with a devastating left hand in the eighth. Martin had absolutely no chance of recovering and ‘Tank’ added yet another devastating KO to his already insane highlight reel.

7

Zhilei Zhang def. Deontay Wilder

‘Big Bang’ Zhang seemingly ended the career of Wilder in June

The 1st of June was one of the best nights of boxing in 2024 as it saw Matchroom and Quensberry go head-to-head in a never-seen-before 5 vs 5, which saw five of the very best fighters from each promotion go up against each other. The big, headlining fight of the 5 vs 5 was Quensberry’s Zhilei Zhang vs Deontay Wilder, who was essentially given a career lifeline by Eddie Hearn. Unfortunately for ‘The Bronze Bomber,’ he was brutally finished in the fifth round by ‘Big Bang’ in what will probably turn out to be the final fight of his professional boxing career. Wilder was a shadow of himself and clearly didn’t want to be there, but the Chinese powerhouse took advantage of that and put him away with a big right hook while Wilder’s back was essentially turned.

6

Lucas Bahdi def. Ashton Sylve

Bahdi pulled off a great comeback by brutally KO’ing Sylve

Everyone loves a dramatic comeback in combat sports and Lucas Bahdi produced one of the best boxing comebacks of 2024 in July. Bahdi fought the talented and highly rated Ashton Sylve and, after getting pretty much dominated and almost finished in the early rounds, the Canadian bit down on his mouthpiece and scrapped to the very end and his heart and courage was rewarded with a big and brutal KO victory. In a wild exchange in the middle of the ring, Bahdi caught Sylve with a perfect left hook which left him slumped face first on the canvas and secured one of the best comebacks of the year.

5

Fabio Wardley def. Frazer Clarke

Wardley shattered Clarke’s face with a devastating right hand

In March 2024, Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke put on one of the best boxing matches of the year. The two powerful and tough Brits went head-to-head in a back-and-forth war which was judged to be a draw, which meant there was unfinished business there. After an incredible first fight, it was a no-brainer to book the rematch, and the rematch did indeed get booked to take place seven months down the line. However, it was a completely different fight. Many people were expecting another back-and-forth slog, but instead we got an absolute demolition job from Wardley. Wardley came out quick and aggressive and blew Clarke away in just under two-and-a-half minutes and left him unrecognisable after a huge right hand which ended the fight. Wardley hit Clarke so hard that he suffered fractures to his jaw and cheekbone and underwent surgery straight after the bout.

4

Osleys Iglesias def. Evgeny Shvedenko

Iglesias left Shvedenko convulsing on the canvas in one of 2024’s most terrifying boxing moments

Osleys Iglesias’ KO over Evgeny Shvedenko was great. However, the main reason as to why this KO ranks so highly among others in boxing from 2024 is because of the terrifying scenes after Iglesias landed the shot. The undefeated Cuban landed a technically perfect right hook which not only dropped Shvedenko, but left him uncontrollably convulsing on the canvas for around five seconds. This was one of boxing’s most terrifying moments of 2024 and for the pure shock factor of the finish, Iglesias gets a high ranking on this list.

3

Angelo Leo def. Luis Alberto Lopez

Leo put Lopez out cold with the best left hook of the year

There have been many powerful and perfectly placed and timed punches to come from the sport of boxing in 2024. However, not many can come close to Angelo Leo’s devastating left-hook KO over Luis Alberto Lopez. Mexicans are as tough and durable as they come in combat sports, but even a fighter as tough as Lopez could not withstand the sheer force and precision behind Leo’s left hook. ‘El Chinito’ landed the left in a close exchange after a competitive and high-paced fight and left Lopez unconscious on the canvas with no chance of getting back up to continue.

2

Anthony Joshua def. Francis Ngannou

After a competitive fight against Tyson Fury, Ngannou was brutally knocked out by Joshua

After having an extremely close fight which some people actually thought he had won with Tyson Fury in late 2023, Francis Ngannou found himself booked in another boxing match against another British heavyweight star. Ngannou faced Anthony Joshua in a blockbuster heavyweight encounter in March in Saudi Arabia, and it is fair to say that ‘AJ’ put an end to Ngannou competing at the top of boxing’s heavyweight division. Many people predicted that after putting in such a good and competitive performance against ‘The Gypsy King’ that Ngannou could defeat Joshua, but instead, ‘The Predator’ was absolutely destroyed. The Cameroonian was dropped multiple times and late in the second round he was put out cold with a big, vintage right hand by ‘AJ.’

1

Daniel Dubois def. Anthony Joshua

Dubois became Britain’s top heavyweight by KO’ing Joshua in a sold out Wembley Stadium

Boxing gave us many exciting, heart-in-mouth moments in 2024, but not many come close to the incredible, back-and-forth blockbuster heavyweight encounter between British heavyweight stars, Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua in front of a packed Wembley Stadium in September. This fight was considered by many to be a passing of the torch moment in British heavyweight boxing from Joshua to Dubois. However, many people predicted ‘AJ’ to win. Dubois and Joshua put on an absolute war and both men got rocked, but the youth and power of ‘Dynamite’ was just too much for ‘AJ’ to handle. Joshua had Dubois seemingly hurt and poured on the pressure, but out of nowhere, Dubois unleashed a venomous right hand perfectly on Joshua’s chin and finished him in the fifth round.

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