According to Guinness World records, the fastest knockout in the history of boxing, of any description, was just four seconds. In November, 1947, barely a heartbeat after the opening bell of a Golden Gloves bout in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mike Collins surprised his bemused opponent Pat Brownson with a powerful left hook that knocked him off his feet. The referee immediately stopped the contest, without starting a count, and awarded Collins victory by technical knockout. Of course, the Golden Gloves is an amateur boxing competition, but the fastest knockout in the history of professional boxing was also achieved in the blink of an eye.
On June 15, 2006, in the fourth fight of his short, and ultimately unsuccessful, professional career, Brandon Burke, from Davenport, Iowa, faced local fighter Phil ‘The Drill’ Williams in a light heavyweight contest, scheduled for four rounds, at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Belying his inexperience, as soon as the bell sounded, Burke charged across the ring and attempted to connect with a right hand while Williams had his guard down.
Guard or no guard, Williams easily dodged his onrushing opponent and connected with a right hook of his own, which knocked Burke, face first, to the canvas. Burke did manage to stagger to his feet, but was clearly unfit to continue, so referee Mark Nelson intervened, stopping the contest and awarding victory to Williams, by knockout, after just ten seconds. For the record, Burke did not last long in the professional ranks; he fought just twice more, losing by unanimous decision on both occasions, before retiring in February, 2009, with an uninspiring 0-5-1 professional career record.