There were some big knockouts in boxing this year -- as there are every year, of course -- and Showtime Sports has put together a short video feature highlighting four of the biggest KO shots to air on their network in 2012.
Gary Russell Jr KO-3 Roberto Castaneda (November 9, ShoBox)
Featherweight prospect Russell (21-0, 13 KO) iced club fighter Castaneda (20-3-1, 15 KO) predictably, but it was pretty wicked nonetheless. The beautiful right hook showed Russell's superb timing and accuracy. It was a night where a handful of U.S. Olympians made their pro debuts, but it was the more seasoned Russell who had people talking after.
Angelo Santana KO-5 Johnny Garcia (November 16, ShoBox)
Santana (14-0, 11 KO) put some folks on notice with this performance, outclassing the tough Michigan native Garcia (13-1, 8 KO) and sending him home on a barrage of big shots in the fifth round. The 24-year-old Cuban lightweight hasn't been hyped a lot yet, but there's real promise in this southpaw.
Deontay Wilder KO-3 Kelvin Price (December 15, Showtime Championship Boxing)
On the Khan-Molina undercard, big American heavyweight prospect Wilder improved to 26-0 with his 26th knockout, flattening Price (13-1, 6 KO) in three after an uneventful first two rounds. Wilder, 27, still has plenty of skeptics, but one figures he'll get chances to prove himself -- or be exposed -- in 2013.
Danny Garcia KO-4 Erik Morales (October 20, Showtime Championship Boxing)
A contender for KO of the Year, as junior welterweight titlist and rising star Garcia (25-0, 16 KO) likely ended the even remotely relevant career of Mexican warrior Morales (52-9, 36 KO) on a left hook that the veteran never saw coming, spinning him around as if EA Sports had drawn up the action in a studio with all those little sensor things.