Top 5 Fastest Knockouts in Boxing History

The epitome of boxing excitement is often witnessed through highlight-reels and vicious knockouts, which is why several fans place their bets on various boxing betting lines through online sportsbooks. But aside from these fantastic finishes, quick knockouts could supplement these boxing odds through wagers.

Being a champion or being ranked as a top 10 boxer in the world is not only the way to make a name in boxing, as setting the fastest knockout finish could also make a mark in the sport. Today, I listed the top five fastest knockouts in boxing history.

Top 5 Fastest Knockouts in Boxing History

Gerald McClellan – 20 Seconds

Gerald McClellan is a former WBC World Middleweight Champion who stopped Julian Jackson in May 1993 in the fifth round to secure the title. His first-ever championship defense came in August 1993, when Jay Bell challenged him for the 160-pound golden strap. But the “G-Man” made quick work of the challenger by setting the fifth-fastest knockout in boxing history with a 20-second knockout of Bell.

The champion timed a picture-perfect body shot to his opponent’s liver which instantly folded him down the canvas. Bell clutched onto his body and stayed down until he failed to beat the 10-second count from the referee. It was McClellan’s 27th win via TKO/KO and 29th overall as he defended his title twice before he moved up to the super middleweight division and suffered a 10th-round loss from Nigel Benn in February 1995.

David Tua – 19 Seconds

Samoan-New Zealander David Tua made a name for himself in the 1990s because of his incredible power that allowed him to knock out 18 of his 22 opponents. This incredible streak also opened an opportunity for him to win a world title as he was pitted against John Ruiz in March 1996 for the WBC International Heavyweight Title, and Tua did not disappoint, in fact, he even set the fourth-fastest knockout in boxing history.

In a sport full of memorable knockouts, David Tua smoking John Ruiz will forever be in my top 5.https://t.co/cPtuF12xNe

— Cerebral Vigilante (@Delisketo) October 24, 2022

“Tuaman” initially measured the ideal distance to land the power shot by throwing two jabs early in the fight. When he finally calculated the gap, Tua uncorked a thunderous left hook to Ruiz’s chin which made him lose his balance. Tua fully materialized the opportunity to end the fight early as he followed it up with nine more punches that sent Ruiz to another dimension. It was Tua’s 19th knockout finish and the most memorable.

Daniel Jimenez – 17 Seconds

Puerto Rico’s Daniel Jimenez may not have the perfect record on his path to becoming a world champion because of early losses he sustained in his career, but he certainly carved a name in the 122-pound division and even won the WBO Super Bantamweight Title in October 1993 by stopping Felix Garcia Losada in their championship showdown. But Jimenez’s most historic win happened in this third title defense against Harald Geier in September 1994.

“La Cobra” silenced the home crowd in Austria, who were obviously rooting for Geier to win. He only needed 17 seconds and one punch to formally claim the win and record the third-fastest knockout finish in boxing history and second-fastest in title fights. It was Jimenez’s 18th career victory and his 9th win via TKO/KO. Unfortunately, the Puerto Rican was defeated by Marco Antonio Barrera in his fourth title defense in March 1995. Daniel Jimenez finished his career with 30 wins (15 TKO/KOs), 13 losses and one draw.

Zolani Tete – 11 Seconds

One of the fastest knockout finishes in boxing history happened in recent memory when Zolani Tete destroyed Siboniso Gonya in November 2017, which took place inside the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The win earned Tete not only the WBO World Bantamweight Title but also the second-fastest knockout in the history of boxing and the fastest finish in a world boxing title fight.

Zolani Tete knocks out Siboniso Gonya with one right hook about 10 seconds into the fight to retain the WBO bantamweight title pic.twitter.com/hdnPAP2KOs

— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) November 18, 2017

It was a quick and hard right-hand punch that landed straight to Gonya’s chin as he leaned forward. This was also the very first punch that the “Last Born” threw in the match. As soon as Gonya hit the canvas, the referee stopped the fight because he never moved from his position for a few seconds. This win marked Tete’s 26th career win and 21st knockout. He defended his title twice via unanimous decision before losing to John Riel Casimero in November 2019.

Phil Williams – 10 Seconds

The fastest knockout ever recorded in professional boxing belongs to Phil Williams. He only needed 10 seconds to dispatch Brandon Burke in June 2007 inside the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was the fourth professional fight for both Williams and Burke, but Williams was undefeated and had three first-round finishes, while Burke had two losses and one draw.

Burke made a massive mistake to start the match by charging toward Williams by throwing a punch while his guard was down, as the “Drill” made him pay with a vicious right hook down the chin that sent him crashing on the canvas face first. Burke wasn’t able to beat the eight-second count from the referee because he was still visibly dazed from the impact of that punch. After this loss from Williams, Burke only appeared in two more fights which he also lost before calling it a career.