Heavyweight Boxing's Powerhouse - Decoding The Early-Round Knockout Artists

Heavyweight Knockout Artists With Wins in Rounds 1-3

Heavyweight boxing is the choice of casual fight fans worldwide. The sport’s top division is renowned for being fast-paced, energetic, unpredictable, and hard-hitting. When tuning into a heavyweight contest, most will expect to see the bout end within eight rounds and usually in dramatic fashion. There’s a belief in the fight game that judges often get the night off when working on a heavyweight bout.

The stats show times are changing, and if you read our recent article on famous heavyweights that like to take their time, you’ll know most of the top fighters use patience over power. That includes Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Oleksandr Usyk. But not all heavyweight boxers have the luxury of taking their time. Some are in a rush.

We often see the most patient fighters contesting titles when there’s more to lose. But the best-emerging talent knows they must make a name for themselves. And the quickest way to achieve that is by scoring show-reel knockouts in rapid fashion. Check the top champions against the most ambitious contenders; the approach difference is striking.

Keep reading as we discuss some heavyweight boxers worth watching this year. The names on this page can be trusted to score impressive and memorable stoppages in the early rounds.

Daniel Dubois

boxrec.com

Young, hungry, ambitious, and in a mad rush to reach the top of the heavyweight division, Daniel Dubois is an exciting fighter. The Londoner is trained at the world-famous Peacock Gym and has enjoyed a stunning start to his career, winning all but one of his first 20 bouts. The only negative result was a stoppage defeat to Joe Joyce, who has since lost by KO/TKO himself, helping to keep heavyweight boxing competitive.

Known as Dynamite Dubois, the 6ft 5inch 25-year-old certainly lives up to his name. He has claimed 18 of his 19 wins inside the distance, with the spare being a points decision over toughened American Kevin Johnson in 2018. Dubois is a big-punching heavyweight who doesn’t say much at press conferences, preferring to talk inside the ring. He strikes hard and fast, scoring multiple early knockout wins.

The stats back up Daniel’s ferocious reputation; he has won nine by knockout and nine by stoppage. More interesting is his early KO wins with 18 fights failing to make it to the second half. Since losing to Joyce, Dynamite Dubois has won all four bouts inside four rounds, including three in the first three rounds. He does his best work early but seems to tire the longer a bout goes.

When Daniel’s next fight comes around, remember he has won 14 times inside three rounds.

Deontay Wilder

Layton Dudley - http://www.laytondudley.com/, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The Bronze Bomber Deontay Wilder is known as the biggest puncher in modern heavyweight boxing. The American’s professional record stands at 43 wins, two defeats, and a draw, with the spare level finish coming against Tyson Fury in the pair’s first fight of a fascinating trilogy. Many fans thought Wilder was fortunate to get a share against the Gypsy King, but Fury won the second and third fights.

Wilder has claimed 42 of 43 wins inside the distance, resulting in a 92% knockout average. He’s also known for ending opponents in the early rounds, using his power, range, and unconventional style to catch them cold and score stunning knockout wins. The 37-year-old recently blasted Finland’s Robert Helenius away inside a round in his comeback following back-to-back losses against Fury.

Many heavyweights start their careers by scoring a barrel load of early knockout wins before slowing and taking their time against a higher class of opponent as they progress through the rankings. But that’s not true with Wilder, whose approach remains the same. He aims to take rivals off their feet from the first bell, resulting in many early KO wins.

When betting on Wilder’s next fight, remember he has 31 wins in rounds one to three.

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Andy Ruiz Jr

By NotimexTV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTV7HSa1REc, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110052963

The Destroyer Andy Ruiz Jr is best known for his devastating knockout win over Anthony Joshua in New York. The American snatched the Brit’s title in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, shocking pundits, fighters, and bookies. Ruiz stopped AJ in round seven at Madison Square Garden, but he likes to get his work done much earlier.

Since beating Joshua and losing a rematch in Saudi Arabia, the 33-year-old from California has boxed only twice, beating Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz. Both wins were on the scorecards, but Ruiz rarely tests the judges. Looking at his stats, 16 of his 22 KO wins have been in the opening three rounds. He’s an all-action fighter who loves to fight on the offensive, dragging slower opponents out of their comfort zone, aiming to catch them cold.

The stats show Ruiz is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fighter, but he may be slowing. Including a points defeat to AJ, Ruiz has gone the distance in his last three. He is maturing and fighting a higher standard of opponent, but that doesn’t mean he has lost his power or that relentless work ethic that made him famous and a world champion.

Unlike Wilder or Joshua, Ruiz doesn’t rely on concussive power to knock out opponents. Instead, he uses angles, shots timed to perfection, and flurries. Speed beats power in boxing, and, despite his body shape and weighing 269lbs for his last contest, Ruiz Jr has it in abundance.

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Luis Ortiz

boxrec.com

Cuban fighter Luis Ortiz is approaching retirement and will likely be remembered as a fighter that didn’t reach his potential. That’s through no fault of his own, as Ortiz was active in one of the most competitive eras of heavyweight boxing. His record stands at 33 wins against three defeats, with 28 KO victories and a pair of losses inside the distance. 

King Kong was stopped by Deontay Wilder twice, first inside ten rounds and then again before the end of round seven. Looking at his numbers, we note the man from Camaguey, now boxing out of Miami, has won 18 fights inside three rounds. He is a sublime boxer who has stuck to his amateur pedigree and skills, but he has the power to hurt opponents, especially in the early rounds when bigger fighters are finding their feet. 

When betting on Ortiz’s next fight, remember he is 6ft 4 inches tall, an experienced southpaw with power in both hands. His boxing skills mean most opponents try to hurt him early, but that often blows up in their faces.

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Summary:

In the world of heavyweight boxing, there are fighters who prefer to take their time and fighters who go for quick knockouts. Among the heavyweight knockout artists worth watching this year are Daniel Dubois, who has won 18 out of 19 fights by knockout or stoppage, Deontay Wilder, known for his powerful punches and 92% knockout average, Andy Ruiz Jr, who has ended 16 of his 22 KO wins in the opening three rounds, and Luis Ortiz, an experienced southpaw with power in both hands. These fighters have proven their ability to deliver impressive and memorable knockouts in the early rounds of their fights.

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About the Author

Our Data Scientist Dan Tracey collected the stats and data for this article, and Frank Monkhouse our In-house Boxing expert and former professional boxer fighting at middleweight now turned sports betting writer supplying content for a range of outlets including Betfair, Coral, William Hill, World Sports Network and The Racing Post, wrote the words. All images are credited to sources and no copyright infringement is intended.

We are proud to have Frank Monkhouse on our expert teams at OLBG, maintaining our relationship since sponsoring him when he was fighting professionally, and now he delivers us top-notch boxing and fighting sport content for the OLBG pages.

Frank Monkhouse

Boxing editor

Frank Monkhouse is a former professional boxer fighting at middleweight now turned sports betting writer supplying content from knockout-content for a range of outlets including Betfair, Coral, William Hill, World Sports Network and The Racing Post and proudly as the Boxing Betting Expert on OLBG. 

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It is no surprise to find Frankie is our Boxing expert, although he has a deep catalogue of work in regards to football previews as Rangers fan. Frankie has written preview for boxing events as well as working on some deep data driven boxing content for us too.

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