Boxing has long been crying out for another true knockout artist after Deontay Wilder’s gradual decline towards the end of his career.
There are still champions and challengers in the heavyweight division, but it’s increasingly arduous to find the kind of raw knockout threat that once made Wilder must-watch TV.
Thomas Narmo may still be a long way from that level, but early signs suggest the Norwegian known as ‘The Last Viking’ could finally enter the conversation if his current form continues.
The 31-year-old knocked out all 14 of his opponents in just 26 rounds, a devastating start that made the heavyweight division another uncommon artist who can boast a 100 percent knockout record.
He turned professional in 2022 following his previous MMA career.
The heavyweight numbers stand out
Much of the heavyweight buzz at the moment centers around undefeated prospect Moses Itauma, a teenage sensation who has been carefully developed by promoter Frank Warren into one of the UK’s most talked-about prospects.
Itauma’s rise has dominated the headlines, but an unknown like Narmo coming out of European competition with a perfect knockout record provides a refreshing contrast.
However, the effectiveness of Narmo’s work to date cannot be ignored.
The statuesque Norwegian is 180 cm statuesque and in the distance he broke through 14 professional opponents. That works out to roughly 1.8 rounds per fight, which is a remarkable finishing rate for any potential heavyweight.
Many of these attacks barely had time to develop.
Seven of Narmo’s wins have come after the opening round, highlighting the strength of the early fight that defined his perfect knockout record.
This destructiveness traditionally turns heavyweights into attractions. Fighters who can end fights before they actually start quickly attract attention, even if they operate outside the sport’s main promotional spotlight.
Two years of operation
Activism also played a role in building Narmo’s momentum. The Norwegian fought ten times in just two years, fighting mainly in Germany and Central Europe, constantly extending his knockout streak.
At a time when many prospects are sluggish to come along and only show up a few times a year, this level of activity adds extra substance to his record.
It doesn’t answer all the questions, but it shows that Narmo doesn’t stay idle between appearances.
@narmothomas | Black Wolves Fighting Club
Still a lot to prove
Narmo’s most notable win at the moment is probably that of Mark De Mori, the veteran campaigner who lasted just 131 seconds in a match against a semi-injured David Haye over a decade ago.
The victory was respectable, but not necessarily a statement.
There is still a lot to prove. In the heavyweight division, many fighters have broken impressive records before discovering that the leap to world-class competition is much more arduous than expected.
For Narmo, the real test will come when matchmaking inevitably pushes him towards higher ranked opponents capable of weathering the early storm.
However, if knockouts continue at this rate, boxing’s “Last Viking” may not remain an unknown for long.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
Terence Crawford is calling out Ryan Garcia for a fight at 160 pounds, then taking cheap shots at him for chasing Floyd Mayweather. Crawford claims he wants back in, but calling out a guy two divisions below him is blatant cherry-picking when Jaron “Boots” Ennis is sitting right there at 154 with nobody to fight.
“What’s up @RyanGarcia 160?” Crawford posted on X.
Then came the fake apology: “Mybad @RyanGarcia you got Mayweather to focused on I forgot.”
Crawford is obviously hunting for an easy payday off Garcia’s social media followers. Dragging Garcia all the way to middleweight gives Crawford every physical advantage before the bell even rings. If Crawford actually wanted a challenge instead of an exhibition against a smaller name, Ennis is the guy who deserves the call.
Going after Garcia over Mayweather makes sense on paper. Garcia chasing a retired grandfather in an exhibition proves he prefers spectacle over real competition. Crawford has plenty of room to mock that circus, but begging Garcia to jump to 160 makes Crawford look just as desperate for a soft touch.
Then comes the money delusion. Crawford has not named an official price, but everyone knows he expects crazy money to lace up the gloves again. The problem is nobody is lining up to write an eight-figure check for this nonsense.
That exact greed is why the Canelo Alvarez rematch never happened. Canelo and Eddy Reynoso both talked about wanting the fight, but talk does not pay purses. Crawford expects Saudi-level payouts without anyone willing to bankroll his fantasy numbers.
Without an outside billionaire picking up the tab, ticket sales and regular pay-per-view buys would have to cover the whole bill. Normal fans are not paying massive prices to watch Crawford bully Garcia at middleweight. Crawford either accepts normal market money, or he stays home on his couch.
Right now, Crawford offered an absurd weight and some weak social media trash talk instead of a real fight proposal. Tweeting at Garcia is easy. Finding someone willing to overpay for Crawford to pick on small fighters is the part that will keep him retired.
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Canelo Alvarez came out with a clear win over Christian Mbilli over the weekend, but not everyone thinks so highly of his performance. Speaking to Fight Hub TV, David Benavidez explains why he wasn’t impressed by what he saw out of Canelo and believes Canelo owes a better effort to the fans and those who pay him a fortune to fight. Here are some excerpts of what he had to say below.
“He earns all this money, he’s supposed to be the greatest fighter in the world, right?” Benavidez said. “We expect him to go in there and knock this guy out. We don’t expect him to just go in there and look for counter shots. If the other guy is not throwing any shots, then be Canelo. Go in there, put pressure on, use your defense, use your head movement, go in there — just like how he did it with Caleb Plant…
“So, in my opinion, you’re getting $40M, $50M, that’s a lot of money. You [should] be ready to push it to the limit every single round, from round one to round 12. And I’m not trying to talk sh-t or nothing, but is that not true? Is that not what you guys see? There’s just a lot of waiting going on. As a fighter, Canelo is way better than Mbilli. You guys seen it, he has more tools. It’s just that he wasn’t pursuing the knockout like he should be.
“I think if you’re better than the fighter, you have more skills, put them skills to the test, especially if you’re getting money like that. That’s just the way I think. I think it was a great performance by him but he just needed to — I don’t know, I think he could take all these guys out, could knock them out, especially like Mbilli. Mbilli was fighting scared but you know you’re going to get a guy to fight scared — put the pressure on, do some Julio Cesar Chavez and get that knockout.
“He’s too much of a good fighter to just be cruising like that, especially earning them top dollars.”
Jake Paul putting his career on the line against Cédric Doumbé tells you everything about how little danger he sees coming back at him. Paul claims he will retire if Doumbé pulls off the upset on Christmas Eve in Dubai, though anyone who follows combat sports knows retirement often just means a paid vacation.
“If he wins, I will hang up the gloves and call it a day,” Paul announced while promoting the eight-round cruiserweight bout. He promised a knockout too, which is quite the claim for someone returning from a broken jaw after Anthony Joshua stopped him in six rounds last December.
Paul brings 14 pro bouts into the ring against Doumbé’s single appearance. The French striker captured two kickboxing world titles and collected 45 knockouts in that arena. He certainly knows how to land devastating punches. Paul simply figures that stripping away Doumbé’s kicking game removes the setup that makes those strikes lethal.
That makes plenty of sense for a return bout. Paul built his entire run by taking combat athletes out of their primary disciplines, hyping their resumes, then forcing them into traditional boxing rules. The retirement angle is just his latest pitch to convince fans the outcome carries real finality.
Doumbé does not even need a knockout to expose the cracks. Slipping shots, landing clean counters, and dragging Paul into deep waters will quickly reveal the lingering toll of a year-long layoff and facial surgery. Paul expects his ring craft to settle matters before those questions get asked.
A Doumbé victory would give social media plenty to chew on over the holidays. Even so, hand Paul several months of rest and the right payday, and boxing will see exactly how long that retirement lasts.
Promising retirement is the oldest trick in the fight game to inject drama into a matchup that lacks real sporting legitimacy. It turns what should be an ordinary matchmaking exercise into a make-or-break event, giving casual viewers a reason to tune in just to see if the loudmouth finally gets silenced for good.
If Doumbé catches him or puts him away, Paul might step back for a while to let the dust settle and let his jaw heal further, but walking away entirely makes no financial sense. Paul runs Most Valuable Promotions, controls his own dates, and draws massive paydays regardless of whether he wins or loses. The loss to Tommy Fury did not slow down his business, and getting stopped by Anthony Joshua did not keep him away either.
The minute someone dangles an enticing name or a massive check in front of him, that retirement pledge will be forgotten overnight. He is selling a spectacle, and the bet is just part of the sales pitch.
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