There can be no denying that 2024 was one of the best years for boxing in recent memory.
Oleksandr Usyk and Artur Beterbiev became undisputed champions this year in a pair of seismic super fights with Tyson Fury and Dmitry Bivol respectively.
Meanwhile, for better or worse – depending on who you speak to – Jake Paul and Mike Tyson‘s controversial crossover clash put boxing front and centre with a lucrative Netflix event that reached 65 million households.
All of these moments will prop up during a series of articles looking back on the sweet science in 2024.
But here, talkSPORT.com is focusing on boxing’s main selling point, the knockout.
Here we count down the five best ones from the last 12 months.
5. Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin – June 2024
Gervonta Davis had been out of the ring for just over a year when he flattened Frank Martin in June, but you wouldn’t have known by watching his destructive performance.
Tank took his time early on as he calmly walked down his undefeated foe, breaking him down methodically with thudding blows.
By the eighth round, Martin was mentally and physically drained, leaving Davis with openings to make his mark.
At the midway point of the frame, Davis detonated a booming left hook and that was all she wrote.
4. Daniel Dubois vs Anthony Joshua – September 2024
Daniel Dubois shook up the boxing world in September by brutally knocking out Anthony Joshua in front of a capacity crowd at Wembley Stadium.
‘Triple D’ had Joshua on the canvas four times en route to the eventual fifth-round stoppage which came when AJ rolled the dice with four hopeful right hands.
The first one buckled Dubois’s knees, but the fourth shot was countered perfectly by an overhand from his fellow countryman.
3. Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou – March 2024
Francis Ngannou had never been knocked out during a lengthy MMA career that saw the Cameroonian powerhouse scoop the sport’s ultimate prize – the UFC heavyweight crown.
But that all changed when he ran into Joshua in March.
Ngannou had caused Fury all kinds of problems during his professional boxing debut four months prior.
However, Joshua experienced little to no adversity as he pulverised the boxing novice in the second round with a clubbing right hand.
2. Osleys Iglesias vs Evgeny Shvedenko – June 2024
Osleys Iglesias introduced himself to the boxing world by blasting out Evgeny Shvedenko inside the opening stanza in June.
The undefeated Cuban super-middleweight left his Russian opponent convulsing on the canvas after connecting with a big right hand.
Fans feared the worst when they saw Shvedenko’s arms and legs flailing in the air, but luckily he came out of the fight without a serious brain injury.
ESPNShvedenko was left convulsing on the canvas after being knocked out by Iglesias[/caption]
1. Lucas Bahdi vs Ashton Sylve – July 2024
Lucas Bahdi, a relative unknown from Canada, left Paul’s highly-touted prospect Ashton ‘H20’ Sylve flat on his face in a fight that he had been losing convincingly up until that point.
The unheralded 30-year-old had Sylve out on his feet in the sixth round with a dynamite right before following up with a left hook that sent him crashing to the canvas face-first.
Bahdi’s massive upset KO earned him a contract with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and a subsequent place on his and Tyson’s undercard four months later.
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