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Top Rank Boxing

There is nothing in the sport of boxing that quite resonates to the masses like a thunderous knockout punch. 

Whether we are talking heavyweights or even the smallest of weight divisions, the criteria is typically a mix between the importance of the punch, the aesthetic (and violent) beauty of the finish and whether the knockout has that truly viral quality to it. 

Our panel of CBS Sports experts sat down, debated and cast our votes for knockout of the year in 2025. Let's take a look at the results: 

More Best of Boxing in 2025: Fighter of the Year | Fight of the Year

Winner: Brian Norman Jr. def. Jin Sasaki

Norman, the former WBO welterweight beltholder from Atlanta who lost his title to Devin Haney in their much-hyped November showdown, helped take his name to the next level back in June when he defended his title in Tokyo against Jin Sasaki. The 25-year-old slugger, who kicked off 2025 with a third-round TKO of Derrieck Cuevas in March, returned just three months (and 7,000 miles) later to leave his mark inside the Ota City General Coliseum with an absolutely nasty one-punch knockout of Sasaki in Round 5. 

Norman built an early lead in the fight by scoring a pair of knockdowns in the opening round as he routinely exposed Sasaki's defensive gaps with powerful hooks. The action continued at close range as the fight progressed, with Sasaki unable to hurt Norman as the two continued to exchange punches in an increasingly exciting fight. But Sasaki's aggressive style caught up with him by Round 5. After Sasaki reached for a jab to the body, leaving his head exposed, Norman countered perfectly with a brutal left hook that dropped him in the center of the ring. 

The audible sound of Sasaki hitting the back of his head on the canvas could be heard on the broadcast as the impact knocked him out cold. Norman began instantly bowing to the crowd in celebration while standing in the neutral corner. Referee Gustavo Oliveiri, who picked up the count at five from the ringside timekeeper, suddenly realized there was no need to continue and waved off the bout at 46 seconds of the round. Norman showed good sportsmanship by dropping to his knees and bowing toward his fallen foe as medical responders rushed into the ring to attend to Sasaki. 

Honorable mentions

Jai Opetaia def. Huseyin Cinkara: Opetaia defended his IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight titles against unheralded Cinkara in early December. While it would be difficult to get too excited about any win for Opetaia in a fight he was so heavily favored to win (upwards of +10000 at bell time), the champ found a way to make headlines in an expected victory. In the eighth round, Opeteia backed Cinkara toward the ropes before unloading with a left hand from his southpaw stance. The punch sent Cinkara crashing to the canvas, but not before he bounced off the ropes.

Despite the resounding knockout, Opetaia was critical of his performance, saying, "I feel like I just fought like shit, to be honest. You get these nights. We go back to the drawing board. I'm very disappointed in myself. I feel like I've let some people down with that performance. I made a lot of mistakes. I'm so pissed off."

Fabio Wardley def. Justis Huni: Heading into the 10th round of his fight with Huni, it looked like the momentum had run out of Wardley's time as an undefeated fighter. Huni, himself undefeated entering the bout, dominated the fight with slick, technical boxing. Not known as a tactician, Wardley proved that his power is the great equalizer in any fight as he landed a bomb of a right hand that dropped Huni to the canvas and brought the fight to a close midway through Round 10.

Wardley would need to dig deep again in his next fight, scoring another late comeback knockout, this time against Joseph Parker to capture the interim WBO heavyweight championship in the biggest win of his career. Wardley has since been promoted to full champion after Oleksandr vacated the title. 2025 was a year that proved you can never count Wardley out at any point in a fight.