10 best one-round fights in boxing history

Most of the best fights in boxing history have been long, gruelling, drawn-out brawls between two indefatigable warriors. But they aren’t all like that – we’ve had some brilliant fights over the years that were over in a flash. 

Today, we’ll look at 10 of the best fights in boxing history that were over in just one round. Don’t blink – you don’t want to miss these bite-sized battles. 

10. Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke 2

The first fight between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke resulted in a split draw – Clarke outboxed Wardley for large stretches, but Wardley was able to drop Clarke in the 5th round. People expected much of the same in the rematch, but as you can probably guess, it didn’t transpire that way. 

After a cagey first couple of minutes, Wardley sent Clarke reeling into the ropes with a wild right hand. The Olympian would fight his way off the ropes, only for Wardley to resume his onslaught and catch him with a shot that dislocated his bottom jaw. 

Clarke was in no condition to continue, but his defeat has aged well – Wardley has beaten Justis Huni and Joseph Parker in the fights that followed. 

9. Mike Tyson vs Peter McNeeley

There was little in the way of technical mastery in Mike Tyson’s return bout against journeyman Peter McNeeley, but we had to include it for the sheer chaos that transpired. 

McNeeley had stressed in the build-up that he would take the fight to Tyson early on – and, to everyone’s surprise, he wasn’t kidding. McNeeley rushed at Tyson, throwing wild hooks, before the former world champion figured out his timing and dropped McNeeley. 

McNeeley wasn’t badly hurt and continued his aimless assault, only for Tyson to connect with a massive uppercut that left McNeeley noticeably shaken. McNeeley’s manager, Vinnie Vecchione, jumped into the ring to stop the bout, giving Tyson the win via disqualification. Given the farcical nature of everything surrounding the fight, this an appropriate outcome.. 

8. Deontay Wilder vs Dominic Breazeale

This one was never going to go long. Deontay Wilder and Dominic Breazeale are both known for being unorthodox powerhouses – naturally, it only made sense to pair them up against each other. 

There was always the feeling it could be over in a flash. Breazeale absorbed big shots and landed heavy punches of his own, only for Wilder to weather the storm and promptly make Breazeale unconscious with an atomic bomb of a right hand.  

Breazeale showed incredible bravery to make it back to his feet before the count of ten, but he had been separated from his senses – the referee rightly called a halt to the action after just two minutes and 19 seconds. 

7. Gerald McClellan vs John Mugabi

Gerald McClellan is a deeply divisive and tragic character – but whatever your opinions of him are, his ability and destructive powers cannot be overlooked. They were on full display against John Mugabi, who, to his credit, turned up to fight.

Sadly, Mugabi was a shell of his former self following his barbaric encounter with Marvin Hagler in 1986. Had we seen a fresher version of ‘The Beast’, this one surely would’ve been more competitive. 

McClellan put Mugabi on the canvas very early on, but he continued to press forward upon rising to his feet. He was finished by this point, but the referee bafflingly allowed him to continue – McClellan showed no mercy as he put Old Yeller out of his misery with a massive right hand. 

6. Jerry Quarry vs Earnie Shavers

The story of Jerry Quarry is, unfortunately, a depressing one – but this was one of the best moments of his highly underrated career. Both fighters approached this one very aggressively, but Quarry’s superior ability was on display from the offset. 

Both fighters threw bombs early on, but Quarry was able to avoid or absorb Shavers’ ferocious attack. He gave as good as he got, catching Shavers with huge counters.

Before he even seemed to realise, Shavers was in massive trouble. Instead of holding, he misguidedly continued to press on, allowing Quarry to secure the stoppage after a blistering couple of minutes.

5. Earnie Shavers vs Ken Norton

Earnie Shavers shows up once again in our list – as perhaps the hardest puncher in boxing history, that shouldn’t be a surprise. This time, Shavers would be on the winning end of a first round knockout as he demolished former Muhammad Ali conqueror Ken Norton. 

Norton was his own worst enemy in this one. He chose to engage with Shavers and fight him head on, rather than looking to outbox him. This proved to be an incredibly bad idea almost immediately, as Shavers trapped Norton on the ropes and hit him with every punch in the book. 

Shavers was as graceless as they came, but his punching power was second to none. Norton attempted to fight fire with fire – and was consumed by the inferno. 

4. Roy Jones Jr. vs Montell Griffin 2

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. Roy Jones Jr certainly agreed with this upon his rematch with Montell Griffin – he had no feelings of warmth for his opponent who milked a foul in their previous encounter and managed to steal a disqualification win over Jones. 

Jones gave Griffin little chance as he caught his opponent moving backwards with a leaping left hook in the first round. Griffin made it to his feet, but almost toppled out the ring while steadying himself. The fight was over.

Jones said that this was the only fight in which he wanted to truly hurt his opponent. Griffin was a good fighter, but he had no business having a win over Jones in his prime – ‘Captain Hook’ set the record straight in this one. 

3. Tommy Morrison vs Michael Bentt

Michael Bentt is one of boxing’s biggest punchlines. One of the worst heavyweight world champions of all time, he never looked comfortable with the belt around his waist – but the method in which he secured the title was unforgettable. 

Tommy Morrison was touted for a unification fight against Lennox Lewis, but he would need to go through Bentt first. This did not happen – Morrison flew at Bentt and quickly backed him up on the ropes. Neglecting defence, Bentt cracked him with a right and ‘The Duke’ failed to recover. 

After a swift follow up attack, the fight was waived off by the referee and Bentt had become the unlikeliest of world champions. He lost the title in his first defence against Herbie Hide, while Morrison would end up fighting (and losing to) Lewis years down the line. 

2. Nigel Benn vs Iran Barkley

Nigel Benn was no stranger to a violent dogfight and neither was Iran Barkley – two fighters known for their power and aggressive style, this one was never going to go long. Benn hurt Barkley badly within the opening seconds of the round, flooring him soon after (and blatantly punching him while he was down). 

Barkley got up and mounted a desperate offensive. Benn looked to finish the job, but was stunned himself by a crushing right hand from Barkley. He chose to briefly pause his onslaught, as Barkley was encouraged to charge forward. 

Here, Benn’s superior hand speed made the difference. Barkley began to empty the tank, throwing combinations, while Benn used his quickness and timing to land bombs in between Barkley’s flailing hooks. He dropped Barkley twice more to win the fight, thanks to the three knockdown rule being in effect.

1.  Ray Mancini vs Arturo Frias

The only fight on this list that could be considered to be among the greatest bouts of all time, Ray Mancini vs Arturo Frias had all the drama of a 12-round classic. Mancini had to dig deep after Frias hurt him badly early on, catching him a left that sent him teetering into the ropes. 

Mancini, a proud Italian-American, was not about to let this deter him. He abandoned all form of discretion as he unleashed a feral attack on Frias, looking to hurt the Californian with everything he threw. Meanwhile, Frias saw this as a sign of desperation and smelled blood – likewise, he also went on an all-out offensive.

The result was an absolute spectacle – they thoroughly battered each other in a whirlwind of violence. Digging deep, Mancini forced his opponent into the ropes, then landed a series of devastating hooks that finished the job.