By Dan Morley
The coronation of a new heavyweight champion has long captured the attention of boxing fans around the world. A change in boxing’s glamorous division gives heavyweight contenders the crown jewel of the sport: the world heavyweight title.
The nature of uncertainty is always present when the sport’s titans collide. The ever-changing structure of the heavyweight division over the past few years is a prime example of this.
Anything can happen in heavyweight boxing. When two big men collide, the entire fight and the landscape of the weight class can change in the blink of an eye, creating even more intrigue around Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois’ battle for the recently relinquished IBF belt.
Joshua will aim to join an elite group of boxers, joining the ranks led by the greatest heavyweight in boxing history, Muhammad Ali, to become a three-time world champion.
However, in-form Daniel Dubois will look to turn things around and use his newfound strength, power and tenacity to claim his first heavyweight title.
Joshua posed a challenge that many felt Dubois would struggle to overcome. However, Joshua himself was frustrated by an unpopular opponent who was hungry for his crowning moment, Andy Ruiz.
Although the winner of this fight is considered the king of the weight class overshadowed by the undisputed dominance of Oleksandr Usyk, throughout history, a fighter’s first victory to win the heavyweight world title has brought some of the most shocking moments in the sport.
Joshua has lost two consecutive fights to Oleksandr Usyk. (Getty Images)
The powerful and ferocious style with which some fighters won their first titles sent shockwaves around the world and changed the course of the sport forever.
Although he has previously been WBA king and then IBF interim king, if Dubois is to achieve his greatest success at world level to date, he will have to emulate the most ruthless champions in history who ruthlessly took their crowns.
Here are some of the most shocking and stunning first world championship wins in history:
4) Sonny Liston knocked out Floyd Patterson in just one round
Liston’s massacre of the first two-time heavyweight champion in history, Floyd Patterson, was carried out with the brutality, coldness and efficiency of an assassin. After eliminating every boxer on an impressive list of 10 top contenders, a feat no boxer before or since had accomplished, Liston finally got his chance to fight Patterson.
Wasting no time, before the first stanza was over, Liston had Floyd down, in a horrific scene reminiscent of a bear tearing apart its prey. A wounded, defeated Patterson found himself trapped in the ropes, dominating the ominous presence of the new terror of the heavyweight division.
As Floyd lay helpless against the ropes, Sonny crushed him with left hooks, slamming the champion to the floor. The way Liston knocked out Patterson, who had been heavyweight champion for the previous six years, was terrifying.
Incredibly, he repeated the move in the rematch shortly afterwards. Two first-round knockouts of the heavyweight champion, after defeating an entire top-10 list, cemented Liston’s reputation as the most feared fighter in boxing.
His brief reign overshadowed the way he won the heavyweight title. However, having beaten everyone in his path, it was no surprise that Muhammad Ali entered the fight with Liston as an underdog.
July 22, 1963, Las Vegas, NV: Floyd Patterson knocked out in heavyweight title fight with Sonny Liston
3) Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick in round 2
Iron Mike Tyson’s career in the late 80s captivated audiences like no other boxer in history. An intimidating presence and a freakish fighting machine, fans were drawn to the screen, eagerly anticipating a live execution every time he entered the ring.
Tyson’s combination of explosive power, speed and ferocity was aided by extreme discipline, imparted by one of boxing’s greatest teachers, Cus D’Amato.
Opponents knew Tyson’s physical abilities, but it was the vicious intent with which he entered the ring that made it all the more terrifying. Mike embodied the mindset of the greatest conquerors in history, and he studied hard, seeking to conquer and obliterate everything in front of him.
Iron Mike’s mindset and a series of brutal KOs defeated most before the first bell rang. With a perfect record of 27 fights, 15 of which ended by first-round KO, Trevor Berbick has made heavyweight history.
Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick in just two rounds, becoming the sport’s youngest heavyweight champion. The powerful punches sent the champion flying across the ring. The defeated Berbick was badly injured in the second round.
When he got up, the lingering effects of the blows sent him crashing straight down. The mind wanted it, but the body couldn’t take it anymore and in just a round and a half, there was a new heavyweight world champion. The spark of the most exciting title reign in history had exploded!
2) George Foreman knocked out Joe Frazier in round 2
Joe Frazier dominated the heavyweight division impressively in the early 1970s, delivering one of the division’s greatest performances when he defeated Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century.
He has proven himself to be a resilient, unyielding opponent, capable of defeating the strongest opponents and outsmarting the most cunning—but when he comes face to face with ‘Big George’, he collides with an unstoppable force.
Foreman knocked Frazier down in a way that no one else could. Howard Cosell’s legendary reaction after the first knockdown perfectly captured the shockwaves that rippled around the world as the legendary announcer shouted, “Frazier down, Frazier down, Frazier down!”
But that was just the beginning of a devastating job. Over the course of two brutal rounds, Foreman took down one of the toughest and most skilled men in the division, knocking Smokin’ Joe down six times. The way these knockdowns happened only added to the incredible nature of it, knocking him off the ground multiple times.
While his body was injured, Frazier’s heart kept him up each time, but to avoid further damage, the fight was stopped.
Foreman continued his explosive streak by knocking Ken Norton out of the ring in just two rounds, setting up the biggest heavyweight match in boxing – the Rumble in the Jungle. Once again, Ali would enter the ring as the underdog.
Boxing: WBC/WBA World Heavyweight Title: George Foreman vs. Joe Frazier at National Stadium. Kingston, Jamaica 1/22/1973 CREDIT: Herb Scharfman (Photo by Herb Scharfman/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X17418)
1) Jack Dempsey knocked out Jess Willard in the third round
A menacing, ferocious, and exhilarating victory that single-handedly propelled boxing to the top spot as America’s number one sport. With attendance and interest in the sport low ahead of the Dempsey-Willard fight, a slow, lumbering heavyweight champion took on the formerly homeless Jack Dempsey.
‘Manassa Mauler’ was much smaller than Willard, causing many to fear for his life. But Jack flipped the script and charged out of the blocks, delivering a devastating blow right from the start.
During the first three minutes of the round, he knocked Willard down seven times. As the fallen champion slowly rose to his feet, Dempsey stood over him before repeatedly slamming him to the floor. Dempsey’s outburst broke Willard’s ribs and eye socket and knocked out several teeth.
The crowning of a new champion, one who would fight with such beastly fury, attracted a lot of attention in the sport. Dempsey’s subsequent fights were the catalyst for live broadcasts, crowds of over 100,000, and the first million-dollar gate receipts. This fight was the most impactful in history and a pioneer that lit up the Roaring 20s.
