RCM Historical Boxing: Assessing Heavyweight Calvin Brock’s Knockout Power
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Ten years after heavyweight contender Calvin Brock’s forced retirement due to medical issues, a historical lookback reveals Brock had substantially more talent than he is given credit for by boxing historians. More often than not overlooked, the 31-2 Brock had 23 knockouts in his 33 career pro bouts between 2001 and 2007, a 70 percent knockout ratio.
A statistical look at Brock’s professional career under the boxing microscope reveals only four of his 23 knockouts were knockouts, rather than technical knockouts.
Brock, had he not lost a 12 round split decision to Eddie Chambers in a 2007 International Boxing Federation heavyweight tournament eliminator, would have fought Alexander Povetkin next in order to get a second world title shot. Brock’s loss to Chambers looked very drawish, though Chambers did land several power shots which probably gave him the very razor close 115-113 split decision on the Glen Hamada and Weisfeld scorecards. Owing to eye and shoulder injuries, Brock was unable to fight again regardless of the outcome.
Brock’s first two knockouts were first round knockouts scored in the first six months of his career, Victories of Ed Barry and Anthony Prince in 2001 in Pennsylvania. A 2003 first round stoppage of Jim Strohl was actually a knockout, with the referee stopping the bout after Strohl went down and out.
A very relaxed and fine technical boxer, it appeared Brock underestimated Wladimir Klitschko’s accuracy in close when Klitschko dropped him close and stopped him in their IBF-IBO World Heavyweight title bout in 2006.
Brock scored two significant knockouts for the count shortly before his career ended. Brock’s sixth round knockout of Zuri Lawrence at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in February 2006 demonstrated his explosive power with the left hook. Two hooks actually landed, one which set up the coup-de-gras which followed a few seconds later, and the second shot which took Lawrence out cold. Lawrence, who drew with Maurice Harris in his pro debut, and later drew with Ray Austin, was a technical boxer whose 24 wins were all by decision, including a win over 11-0 Paolo Vidoz, who actually stopped Calvin Brock as an amateur at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Lawrence was the sort of fighter Brock had to break down and finish to keep the bout from the scorecards, and Brock got there.
Brock finished bricklayer Ralph ‘Wild Wild’ West in his final knockout win in 2007, an opponent actually taller than Brock (6’3” to Brock’s 6’2”). West actually looked like a rotten later life version of Tommy Morrison, and got kayoed or stopped in seven of his last eight bouts in the first three rounds. Brock demonstrated power with the perfect right hand landed, when combined with flawless timing when he finished Ralph West.
Brock spent his entire career ranked inside the top ten worldwide in the heavyweight division. The 1998 National Golden Gloves champion, Brock competed as a super heavyweight in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Brock knocks out Lawrence in 2006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvXphsAXUWI
Brock knocks out Strohl in 2003
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xywJ_i86NRs
Brock knocks out Ralph West
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuqQk97qDs
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