In just over 24 hours, we are all set for one of the greatest fight cards in history for the Day of Reckoning.
A mouthwatering line up of eight fights are scheduled, featuring several current and former world champions.
This includes the likes of Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin, Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker and Daniel Dubois vs Jarrell Miller, with six of the eight bouts being heavyweight clashes.
There is significant star quality on display in what is arguably the sport’s most stacked and dangerous card ever, with the four main event fighters – Wallin, Joshua, Wilder and Parker – combining for 102 career KOs between them.
In light of that, Mail Sport takes a look at the most devastating knockouts from the heavyweight stars on the Day of Reckoning card.
The Day of Reckoning is almost upon us with eight blockbuster fights scheduled to take place
Anthony Joshua is one of the huge names on boxing’s most stacked and dangerous card ever
Joshua vs Whyte – 2015 – 7th round
In a blockbuster clash that was billed as ‘Bad Intentions’, Dillian Whyte faced Joshua after he had previously beaten his rival at amateur level in 2009.
At the professional level they both headed into the fight unbeaten and the Commonwealth, WBC international and British heavyweight titles were up for grabs.
After seven rounds of a fierce contest, Joshua ultimately overpowered his rival as a brutal uppercut sent Whyte tumbling to the canvas..
The victory was awarded by TKO, but it was a devastating blow from Joshua.
Not only was it a triumph against his arch-rival, but it was a real statement performance during his early years as a professional.
They were set to fight for a third time this August, before it was cancelled at the last minute after Whyte returned ‘adverse analytical findings’ in a drugs test.
Anthony Joshua’s seventh-round TKO of Dillian Whyte in 2015 was a statement performance
Wilder vs Stiverne – 2017 – 1st round
The second knockout on this list is perhaps the most brutal of the lot, with Wilder showing his immense talent and power to blast away Bermane Stiverne in 2017.
In the first round, Wilder connected with a huge right hook to see his opponent fall to the ground.
Stiverne got up on his feet and tried to continue, with Wilder then taking him down a second time without breaking sweat.
To Stiverne’s credit, he bounced back up again before Wilder sidestepped and finished the job after knocking his opponent down three times within 50 seconds.
The American even had to be restrained by the referee, who stepped in to protect his beleaguered opponent.
Deontay Wilder’s first round KO of Bermane Stiverne was one of the most brutal of all time
Joshua vs W Klitschko – 2017 – 11th round
A major test of Joshua’s career came when he faced the legendary Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
The WBA (Super), IBO heavyweight and IBF heavyweight titles were on the line and an intense clash followed.
Although the early rounds were cagey, both AJ and Klitschko went on the attack, exchanging knockdowns before the former really made his move in the 11th round.
In a breathtaking display of punching, Joshua delivered several uppercuts which caught the Ukrainian, who was knocked down to the floor twice in quick succession.
He refused to give in, but was clearly struggling, as the referee was eventually forced to intervene and award the fight to AJ by TKO.
The strut across the ring after his victory was confirmed demonstrated the confidence that was running through Joshua at the time.
Joshua delivered several uppercuts which caught Wladimir Klitschko on his way to victory
Wilder vs Ortiz (2) – 2018/19 – 7th round
Wilder fought Cuban Luis Ortiz in two breathtaking WBC heavyweight title fights in 2018 and 2019.
The first clash saw Wilder win by TKO in the 10th round after a huge blow left Ortiz unable to continue.
However, the rematch saw an even more devastating finish. With both fighters sharing blows, Ortiz was causing plenty of problems for Wilder.
But with just seconds to go in the seventh round, the American showed his devastating one-punch ability as out of nowhere the Cuban was floored after receiving a destructive strike.
Ortiz tried to get up and continue, but he looked completely dazed, with the referee bringing a swift end to the fight.
Wilder was in an even battle with Luis Ortiz before a destructive punch finished the encounter
Joshua vs Povetkin – 2018 – 7th round
Heading into the contest against the former Olympic gold medallist, Joshua had a 21-0 record with 20 of these victories by KO or TKO.
The opening six rounds saw an even encounter, before AJ landed a right hand which stunned Alexander Povetkin.
He then struck him with a left-hook right-hand combination which left Povetkin on the floor.
As he stumbled back up, Joshua bombarded him with a series of strikes again with the referee intervening, before Povetkin fell to the ground.
It was another dominant display as the Watford-born heavyweight marched on.
An in-form Joshua marched on after beating former Russian heavyweight Alexander Povetkin
Wilder vs Breazeale – 2019 – 1st round
After winning the WBC heavyweight title in 2015, Wilder would go on to retain the crown in 10 separate fights, before losing to Tyson Fury in 2020.
One of those devastating victories was a KO against Dominic Breazeale, who challenged twice for heavyweight titles in his career.
This was another resounding victory in the first round, with the early stages of the fight relatively even, despite Wilder going on the attack from the first bell.
Breazeale gave as good as he got and was firing his own punches back when out of nowhere, Wilder’s power and deadliness was on show.
Within a second, his opponent was on the floor and struggling to get up, before he fell backwards when he eventually did.
The fight was stopped with 44 seconds of the first round still left on the clock.
Wilder retained the WBC heavyweight title in stunning fashion against Dominic Breazeale
Dubois vs Fujimoto – 2019 – 2nd round
While most of the brutal knockouts on this list are dominated by Joshua and Wilder, the likes of Wallin and Parker also have impressive records at taking their opponents down.
Wallin has won 26 of his 28 fights, with 14 by KO, while Parker has also produced several devastating displays, winning 33 of his 36 bouts and 23 of these by KO.
But this KO focuses on Daniel Dubois, with the heavyweight having a record of 19 wins, 18 of which are by knockouts, from 21 fights.
He is set to face the controversial Jarrell Miller after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in August.
But in the second round of his 2019 bout against Japanese fighter Kyotaro Fujimoto, the Brit showed all of his devastating power and class.
An early jab was a sign of things to come when he knocked Fujimoto to the ground, before he overwhelmed his opponent with his speed and power.
After cornering him and striking several blows, a thunderous right hook left Fujimoto out cold and unable to continue.
A thunderous right hook from Daniel Dubois left Kyotaro Fujimoto unable to continue
Joshua vs Pulev – 2020 – 9th round
Following more than a year out of the ring, Joshua took on Kubrat Pulev after bouncing back from his initial defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr, by winning the rematch via unanimous decision.
Pulev wasn’t afraid to attack Joshua with the Brit’s stunning ninth round knockout coming after a spell where the Bulgarian threw several punches at his opponent.
However, AJ regained control and fired a series of uppercuts which left Pulev in trouble.
He was eventually knocked down to the ground, before bouncing back up, although Joshua quickly finished him off.
One strong right hand left Pulev down and with blood streaming from his face.
He failed to get back to his feet, leaving the Brit with the victory via a ninth round KO.
Joshua was pushed by Pulev before eventually overcoming his opponent with some huge hits
Wilder vs Helenius – 2022 – 1st round
With Wilder and Joshua seemingly on a collision course for a bout at some point next year, Robert Helenius is one of the few fighters they have both taken on.
But for Wilder, it took him six rounds fewer than AJ to take care of Helenius after yet another devastating knockout display.
Like several others, the Finnish heavyweight – who was Wilder’s last fight in October 2022 – had started brightly and even forced his opponent into the corner.
Yet, out of nowhere, Wilder threw back one punch and Helenius was left out cold on the floor.
Helenius was struggling to get up and received medical attention before being led out of the ring.
Wilder knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round, demonstrating his stunning power
Joshua v Helenius – 2023 – 7th round
You’ve got to feel for Helenius that within the space of 10 months, he faced both Wilder and Joshua, two of the most potent punchers in the business.
He fared better against AJ, taking him all of seven rounds before a hammer blow knocked him out cold, with the 39-year-old sent flying to the turf.
After a tricky few years for Joshua that had seen him lose to Oleksandr Usyk twice and only defeat Jermaine Franklin via unanimous decision, it was a reminder of his immense talent.
Joshua’s calm celebrations exuded confidence as Helenius was tendered to by medics in the background.
The stunning blow also allowed him to build further momentum ahead of his showdown with Wallin in Riyadh this weekend.
Helenius was then knocked out by Joshua in what was a reminder of the Brit’s immense talent
