A knockout (KO or K.O.) is
a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combact
sports. A full knockout is considered any legal strike or combination
thereof that renders an opponent unable to continue fighting.
The
term is often associated with a sudden traumatic loss of consciousness
caused by a physical blow. Single powerful blows to the head (particularly
the jawline and temple) can produce a cerebral concussion or a carotid
sinus reflex with syncope and cause a sudden, dramatic KO. Body blows,
particulary the liver punch, can cause progressive debilitating pain
that can also result in a KO.
In boxing a knockout is usually
awarded when one participant falls to the canvas and is unable to
rise to their feet within a specified period of time, typically because
of exhaustion, pain, disorientation, or unconsciousness. For example,
if a boxer is knocked down and is unable to continue the fight within
a ten-second count, they are counted as having been knocked out and
their opponent is awarded the KO victory.
Top 10 boxers by most
KOs
1. Edwin Valero (100%)
2. Dontay Wilder (97.1%)
3. Gennady Golovkin
(91.2%)
4. Carlos Zarate Serna (90%)
5. Rocky Marciano (87.8%)
6. Wilfredo
Gomez, Aaron Pryor, Laila Ali, Naoya Inoue (87.5%)
7. Vitali Klitschko
(87.2%)
8. Naseem Hamed (86.5%)
9. Roman Gonzalez (86.4%)