You will not see a more devastating knockout punch in 2020 than the one delivered by Joe George on Saturday evening.The Houston-born fighter scored a stunning stoppage victory over Marcos Escudero in the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.Twenty seconds into the ninth round of the 10-round bout, George landed a devastating uppercut that sent Escudero tumbling to the canvas.The Argentine was clearly knocked out cold, but the referee bizarrely decided to administer a full 10 count.Unsurprisingly, Escudero failed to show any sign of returning to his feet and George was crowned the winner of the light-heavyweight bout, maintaining his unbeaten record in the process.You can watch the footage of George's destructive uppercut below.
An amazing shot by George after being outfought for most of the fight up until that point and given the sheer force of the punch, questions have been raised over the referee's decision to proceed with a count.
WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring tweeted: "There was no need for a count. Especially the way he landed."
Former welterweight champion Luis Collazo also made his feelings clear in response to the footage: "One question I have, why was the ref still counting, he wasn't getting up."
Understandably, boxing fans also voiced their concern over the matter.
One Twitter user wrote: "Somebody has got to explain to me why the ref started a 10 count. That man was toast as soon as he hit the ground."
Another posted: "Why was the ref even counting SMH dude was gone soon as his head pounded off the canvas."
The victory was George's second over Escudero in nine months after winning their first meeting back in November by split decision.
After his explosive knockout this time around, George told reporters, per CBS Sports: "I was setting him up with the jab to the body and had him leaning over a little.
"I wanted him to get relaxed and that's exactly what he did. He was relaxed, I slipped over and shot it. Really, he gave it to me and I had to take it and put him down."
You get the feeling Escudero won't be feeling 'relaxed' in the ring for quite some time...