Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder's devastating first-round destruction of Bermane Stiverne earns him the top spot over a handful of highlight-reel knockouts in 2017.
Best of PBC 2017: Knockout of the Year
Today we take a look at the power punches that made you gasp with our Knockout of the Year. Make sure to check back each day this week as we present a new honor for the best action from 2017.
Despite a dominating win that gave him his first world title, heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder was determined to make a big statement in his Nov. 4 rematch against Bermane Stiverne in Brooklyn, New York.
While “The Bronze Bomber” badly beat his Haitian opponent in 2015 to become America’s first heavyweight champion since 2007, Stiverne went the full 12 rounds—the only opponent Wilder had failed to finish in 38 fights.
So when the two met up again at the Barclays Center, Wilder promised a stoppage. And boy did he ever! The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist from Tuscaloosa, Alabama sent Stiverne to the canvas three times in the opening three minutes—the last one knocking him out cold.
The brutal KO was worthy of PBC’s Knockout of the Year and sent an emphatic message to the rest of the heavyweight division.
Other candidates for KO of the year included three-time champion Mikey Garcia’s vicious third-round KO of 135-pound titleholder Dejan Zlaticanin, Luis Collazo's crushing sixth-round KO of Sammy Vasquez Jr., David Benavidez's spectacular combination knockout of Rogelio Medina, Hugo Centeno Jr.'s perfectly placed left hook that ended Immanuwel Aleem's night and Jermell Charlo's sneaky right uppercut that handed Erickson Lubin his first loss.
For all of the year-end honors, visit our Best of PBC 2017 page.
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- Best of PBC 2017
- Deontay Wilder
