The Knockout

Swift, brutal, and utterly final: with knockouts, there are no grey areas; a KO is a KO. But what actually is a knockout, and why are we so fascinated by it?

The Knockout is the most dramatic and devastating moment in sport. There is nothing to rival it: Not the last second goal, not the basket on the buzzer, not the putt that drops on the eighteenth green. In terms of its brutality and finality, it stands alone. It's a bolt of lightning; fascinating and frightening; a shot of pure adrenaline that only the very rarest moments can provide. This book examines what it's like for the people at the center of that storm.

How does it feel to land that ultimate blow? How does it feel to suffer it? We assess the impact it has on the fighters and the people close to it and ask what it takes mentally, physically, and emotionally for a person to enter into an arena where the stakes are so unimaginably high. Agony and ecstasy, triumph and disaster, hope and despair, self-belief and doubt, The Knockout embraces it all.

Part macro, part micro exploration, the narrative will move across the physical, psychological, social, and even philosophical aspects of the knockout. With insights from renowned commentators, as well as fighters, their coaches, doctors and family members, this is a complete look at the finishing blow that brings any match to a sudden close, and the repercussions that follow.

Featuring extensive coverage of Froch vs Groves, the infamous match that saw Carl Froch knock out George Groves in the ninth round and gain a controversial win over the super-middleweight champion. The Knockout goes deeper into the phenomenon than ever seen before and explores the idea of male vulnerability and the delicate nature of many boxers, particularly pronounced once they have experienced a knockout.