He was a world titlist and there was talk of a match-up with Muhammed Ali. He won it in style by beating the South African in his own back yard in front of 80,000 fans. He worked his way through well-respected and highly ranked opponents picking up legions of fans along the way until he fought Gerrie Coetzee for the vacant WBA belt.

It was the first and one of only two times Rocky hit the canvas.īig John Tate quickly made a name for himself on the heavyweight scene. He faced a guy 11 years his junior, widely regarded as one of the toughest fighters in memory and floored him in the first minute of the fight. While this fight cemented Marciano as the real deal, it is also a testament to Walcott’s skill and grit. He slumped over the ropes, completely oblivious to the count, as Rocky became the new heavyweight champion. Walcott was well ahead by round 13, when Marciano landed a devastating hook of his own to knock him out. Walcott’s experience and powerful shots quickly took their toll as Marciano was dropped in the first by a left hook and soon fell behind on the scorecards. Rocky Marciano tore up the heavyweight ranks with a record of 42 wins, 37 by knockout, before facing Jersey Joe Walcott for the world title.

Let’s have a look at some of the greatest KOs from a losing fighter, starting with that other legendary Rocky… Rocky Marciano v Jersey Joe Walcott, September 1952 No wonder it remained the undisputed best Rocky movie for nine long years until Sylvester Stallone produced his magnum opus, Rocky IV, complete with the snowiest and beardiest of all montages, world peace on Christmas and talking (possibly sexy) robots. No wonder Rocky managed to win best picture at the Oscars over Taxi Driver. Such fights are ready-made for Hollywood. A plucky underdog on a quest for redemption. This particular kind of fight has all the elements that make boxing movies so successful.

It was an unexpected treat for us Irish fans (finally!) as such a sudden KO is rare outside of the heavyweight division. But suddenly the Irishman regained his balance and landed a solid right hook to knock Jackson out. Jackson must have sensed that the end was near when Lee was shook and stumbling backwards.

Boxing knockout punches