KO of the Midyear Consensus: Wilder vs. Szpilka
It’s a dead even tie for me in terms of KO of the midyear, and it’s because I simply can’t decide between what I like better: brute force or technical perfection.
Murat Gassiev’s KO of Jordan Shimmel cemented him as a prospect to watch (especially given his status as a top guy at Abel Sanchez’s gym and Gennady Golovkin‘s protege) and he came out swinging in this fight like the ghost of Jack Dempsey, laying on two gorgeous hooks that slept Shimmel.
Lomachenko gave us a ballet of fists against Martinez and completely shut down the hardened veteran, finishing him off with a swift right uppercut followed by a vicious right hook. Legend has it you could hear the boxing hipsters in Brooklyn moan in ecstasy all the way from Midtown.
Pick: Murat Gassiev vs. Jordan Shimmel/Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Rocky Martinez
Liam Brady, Graphic Designer/Staff Writer
This knockout sticks out to me the most, due to how abrupt it was. It seemed like Artur Szpilka might have gone the distance with Deontay Wilder, after taking his right hands and not wilting. But an excellent counter right hand by Wilder on an approaching Szpilka gave the crowd a dramatic end.
Elaborating, the sheer velocity of the punch (the punch was even heard during the broadcast), combined with its abruptness and unpredictability, makes Wilder’s knockout over Szpilka the KO of the Midyear for me personally.
In other words, the perfect visual demonstration of what a one-punch knockout is.
Pick: Deontay Wilder vs. Artur Szpilka
Brandon Glass, Staff Writer
This was definitely the knockout of the midyear for me. In a brilliant display of great technique and punching power, Vasyl Lomachenko brutally floored Rocky Martinez for his junior lightweght title.
Lomachenko short circuited Martinez with a beautiful left uppercut, right hook combination that flattened the former titlist.
A true knockout, not a stoppage, that was set up perfectly on a retreating Martinez–who had been severely outclassed from the first bell–exciting all who saw it live.
Pick: Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Rocky Martinez
Leann Perez, Staff Writer
We all saw it coming… Amir Khan jumping up two weight classes to take on Canelo Alvarez. However, the actual KO was brutal!
Easily the KO of the year, and the icing on the cake was hearing Khan say, “I had the balls to do it, now Canelo needs to do the same.”
Pick: Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan
Shelbi Keyes, Staff Writer
Being able to watch and cover this fight in person was an amazing experience to say the least. The atmosphere at the T-Mobile Arena was electric from the weigh-in, all the way to fight night.
This was easily one of the most diverse fights I have ever been to. People came from all over the world to watch Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan go toe-to-toe.
While the fight seemed to be going in Amir Khan’s favor in the beginning rounds, and his fans weren’t shy in showing their excitement, it was short-lived. Canelo was heavily favored going into this fight and he showed why in the sixth round with a brutal one-punch knockout.
Seeing this knockout in person and seeing the reaction of the crowd is a major reason I am picking this as KO of the Midyear.
Pick: Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan
Alan Garcia, Staff Writer
Boxing is a point-scoring system. That is what boxing is all about. Knockout victories are what I like to call the icing on the cake. When every spectator is watching boxing, the surprise they get when someone goes down for the count is unpredictable.
People have grown so fond of KO victories nowadays that it has transitioned into something everyone is now expecting in a boxing match. The unpredictability of a knockout is a devastating surprise that catches everyone with an untrained eye, unaware.
Therefore the KO of the Year should be awarded to Deontay Wilder against Artur Szpilka. This fight was going south for Wilder on points when Wilder did what boxing is all about, pulled a knockout victory out of thin air.
The reason Wilder’s stoppage should be nominated for KO of the Midyear is for two reasons, both men were within the same weight limit, making it a fair contest, and because of the dramatic conclusion of the fight.
Although this sport is for the entertainment of the people, accidents do occur and fatalities have happened. I don’t wish any man who steps into the ring any more harm than what they already endure, but the way Szpilka was knocked out, I was almost positive he had died on impact.
Thankfully enough he was okay after a few minutes of being unconscious. Not only was this an entertaining fight that ended with a devastating knockout, but the way the dramatic knockout was delivered was what makes it the KO of the Midyear.
Pick: Deontay Wilder vs. Artur Szpilka
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
This category has so many great choices, with some more higher profile than others. Although it was a jaw-dropping KO, I will not go with Canelo Alvarez’s KO of Amir Khan for the simple fact that it was grossly unfair in terms of size.
I was tempted to pick Murat Gassiev’s murderous hook that sent Jordan Shimmel into another dimension, but Deontay Wilder’s sledgehammer right hand dropping on Artur Szpilka in January takes the cake for me.
Pick: Deontay Wilder vs. Artur Szpilka
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Other Nominees
