When we talk about one-punch, come-from-behind knockouts, we often rush to express our shock at the drama and unpredictability of it all. We revel in the chaos, the wide eyes, and the open mouths, and we are moved to all scream at the top of our lungs: “Only in boxing!”
However, when such a finish is produced by a certain kind of fighter, the surprise element, although still there, is somewhat diminished. If, in other words, a fighter becomes accustomed to getting out of jail thanks to their power, it is no longer quite so shocking when you see them do exactly that. It is instead in keeping with the way they do things; just another sign of what their incredible power allows them to get away with.
Case in point: When, on Saturday, Fabio Wardley turned both the screw and the tables on Joseph Parker in round 11, the shock of witnessing it was a fraction of what it would have been had we not seen Wardley do similar four months prior against Justis Huni. Now, because we all knew he had it in him, and because we all knew how hard he hit, the sight of Wardley reducing a score deficit with his power didn’t hit us quite the same way in London. It hit Parker the same way, of course, but, for us, the image of Wardley changing everything with his heavy hands is an image with which we, the audience, are now familiar. He is, after all, in that category now: a proven puncher.
Like the many others in that group, it hardly matters if Wardley is losing rounds in a fight. Whether a round down, or 11 rounds down, we know he has it in him to hurt an opponent with a glancing blow and we know he has it in him to make the judges’ scorecards redundant. We also know, based on his track record, that his latest come-from-behind finish was neither an isolated incident nor an example of a lucky punch. It was simply what Fabio Wardley does; a sign, that is, of a true, devastating puncher.
There is a decent selection of punchers at heavyweight these days, which always helps create drama, and Wardley is just the latest to muscle his way into the mix. As he does so, let us take a moment to look at who else at heavyweight can be considered heavy-handed enough to alter their fortunes with just one punch. Better yet, to spark some debate and irritate certain individuals, let us try to put them in some sort of order.
10) Bakhodir Jalolov, 16-0 (14 KOs)
A world-class amateur, who is seemingly reluctant to fully transition to the pros, Jalolov currently drifts between the two, amateur and pro, and does damage in both. In the amateurs, he wins fights by stoppage on a fairly regular basis, which in itself is unusual, while in the pros he has to date ended 14 of his 16 wins before the final bell. He is, at 6 '7, an imposing proposition as a pro, yet has found himself taken the distance in his last two fights. It remains to be seen whether that is an indication that his power will fizzle out as Jalolov starts to move up in class or, instead, speaks to a lack of focus and indecision on the Uzbek’s part.
9) Teremoana Teremoana, 8-0 (8 KOs)
Teremoana, a charismatic slugger from Australia, has yet to really be tested as a pro, but has still demonstrated his power in winning all eight of his pro fights without seeing round three. It’s true, much of that has to do with his level of opposition and the fact that six of those fights took place at home in Australia, where the competition tends to be weaker. However, it is still apparent to anybody who knows what they are looking at that Teremoana, irrespective of his skill level and ceiling, will in time be considered one of the bigger punchers among the next generation of heavyweights coming through.
8) Moses Itauma, 13-0 (11 KOs)
Though only 13 fights deep in his professional career, Moses Itauma has finished 11 of those fights within the distance and is already being earmarked by some as the future of the heavyweight division. His game, of course, is about more than just power – it has to be – but that doesn’t make his power any less noteworthy or impressive. In fact, if it wasn’t enough to secure statement wins against the likes of Mariusz Wach, Demsey McKean and Mike Balogun, all of whom Itauma stopped inside two rounds, he then went one better by folding Dillian Whyte, a former world title challenger, inside just one round in August.
7) Murat Gassiev, 32-2 (25 KOs)
The last time Murat Gassiev won a fight thanks to the judges the year was 2016 and he had just been extended 12 rounds by Denis Lebedev, whom he edged by split decision. Since then, Gassiev has moved from cruiserweight to heavyweight and continued this trend of either knocking opponents out or, in the case of fights against Oleksandr Usyk and, more recently, Otto Wallin, finding himself frustrated by technically superior boxers. So far, as a heavyweight, Gassiev has won six fights, all by stoppage, and has shown that his power, a feature of his cruiserweight days, is sufficient to have travelled up with him.
6) Agit Kabayel, 26-0 (18 KOs)
A real dark horse of the division, Agit Kabayel isn’t somebody you automatically associate with punch power. However, one look at his unbeaten record, and indeed his recent form, and it is plain to see that the German body-puncher is whacking harder than ever. Still unbeaten in 26 fights, Kabayel has impressively won his last five inside the distance and has been crushing some decent opposition as well. Last time out, he stopped Zhilei Zhang in six rounds, and before that he managed to stop Frank Sanchez (in seven) and Arslanbek Makhmudov (in four), neither of whom had been defeated previously, never mind stopped.
5) Anthony Joshua, 28-4 (25 KOs)
Last September Joshua found himself outgunned when he tried to fight fire with fire against Daniel Dubois, another big puncher, at Wembley Stadium. He also suffered the same fate when he fought Andy Ruiz in 2019, but still, more often than not it is Joshua, a two-time heavyweight champion, who imposes his strength and power on an opponent and makes sure he is the last man standing at the end of a fight. In a career of 28 wins, 25 of them have ended inside schedule, and included on Joshua’s list of knockout victims are the following: Wladimir Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin, Kubrat Pulev and Dillian Whyte. Perhaps his most explosive knockout, though, arrived in 2024, when he taught Francis Ngannou the difference between a puncher in boxing and a puncher in MMA – with the lesson wrapped up inside just two rounds.
4) Daniel Dubois, 22-3 (21 KOs)
Defeats to Oleksandr Usyk served to highlight certain technical deficiencies in Daniel Dubois’ style, but there is still no doubting the power he possesses, particularly when sharing a ring with a certain type of opponent. Against Anthony Joshua last year, for example, Dubois had someone willing to stand in range with him and allow him tee off, which is precisely what Dubois, the younger man, did. As early as round one Dubois was nailing Joshua and hurting him and then, in round five, having just been hurt by a Joshua right hand, Dubois responded with a right hand of his own to put his British rival down for the count. It was, in the end, the sort of one-punch, see-you-later knockout only available to those heavyweights who carry true, unteachable power.
3) Zhilei Zhang, 27-3-1 (22 KOs)
“Big Bang” Zhang, a 6 '9 southpaw from China, may not present as your typical lights-out puncher, yet that won’t stop him making a dent in your favourite top-10 heavyweight. His calling card, of course, remains that stunning third-round knockout of Joe Joyce – someone previously considered indestructible – back in 2023, but Zhang has since then also knocked out Deontay Wilder in five rounds and has, in truth, always been regarded as a heavyweight whose measured counterpunching style belies a genuine spitefulness when he sets his feet and turns his hips. Zhang is big-boned and heavy-handed and, even at 42, still a heavyweight to be treated with the utmost caution.
2) Fabio Wardley, 20-0-1 (19 KOs)
With 19 knockouts from 20 professional wins, Wardley’s record as a KO puncher by now speaks for itself. Yet, as always, what matters most are the kind of knockouts he is producing, as well as the kind of opposition Wardley is making a habit of knocking out. This year, he has made great strides in terms of opposition, and he has also managed to breach any gap, technically, with his power. His power, in fact, has now twice become a factor late on in fights he was losing. We saw it become a factor for the first time against Justis Huni in June, when Wardley was on his way to defeat before landing a right hand in round 10, and we then saw Wardley perform a similar miracle on Saturday night against Joseph Parker. In that instance, Wardley managed to hurt and stop Parker in round 11, when trailing on two of the three judges’ scorecards.
1) Deontay Wilder, 44-4-1 (43 KOs)
It is a testament to Deontay Wilder’s punch power, especially in his right hand, to say that for as long as he continues to box professionally he will forever be topping lists like this one. After all, Wilder’s power isn’t just lethal, it’s generational. It is, in fact, the kind of power you seldom witness in boxing and, for that reason, Wilder’s peers in any power debate are more likely to be Mike Tyson, George Foreman and Earnie Shavers than the heavyweights you find sitting in spots 2-10 here. Yes, he hits that hard. Yes, his reputation is that great. If at all in doubt, just ask Robert Helenius, Luis Ortiz, Bermane Stiverne, Artur Szpilka and Dominic Breazeale. Even Tyson Fury, who ultimately had Wilder’s number, would surely give Wilder credit for how hard he hits. He will also remember how it felt.
