Boxing star leaves rival planted on face and out cold in early ‘KO of the Year’ contender

Nestor Bravo added a sensational KO over Pedro Campa to the early stages of this year’s boxing highlight reel.

Bravo and Campa were in action on the undercard of Dalton Smith’s clash with Subriel Matias in New York.

The former was looking to bounce back from a disappointing split decision defeat to Xolisani Ndongeni, and was expected to blitz through Campa.

But it was the manner in which Bravo closed the show which left the watching boxing community stunned.

It was clear that the 33-year-old was on top from the opening bell, but what followed was a true masterpiece.

Bravo’s breathtaking KO of Nestor – what happened

Campa was marching forward with real aggression looking to pile the pressure on Nestor, who was boxing well off of the back foot.

A series of blows were blocked by Bravo, who then unleashed a neatly timed counter left hook which was a warning sign.

The shot landed and as the Mexican tried to keep his composure and continue his assault, it was a second crushing left hand which closed the show.

It was a thunderous shot that crashed flush into the jaw and immediately rendered him unconscious.

As a result, he fell face first towards the floor, where he lay motionless and out cold after a big collision with the canvas.

Instantaneously, the referee waved off the bout and ensured that medical treatment arrived for Campa who lay still and still facedown.

Ultimately, the early stoppage is the most spectacular of this year so far, and fans couldn’t believe what they watched.

One wrote: “Simply amazing, holy wow.”

Another added: “Pretty damn brutal one.”

A fan then suggested: “Very early for a KO of The Year contender.”

Last year’s best KO

The devastating shot is comparable to that landed by Brian Norman Jr last year, in what was crowned talkSPORT.com’s 2025 KO of the Year.

It was a crackling shot during his June clash with Jin Sasaki that sent shockwaves around the sporting world.

Sasaki was left flat on his back out cold and, like Campa, didn’t move for several minutes.

The Japanese star even suffered memory loss after the shot, and luckily it appears the Mexican has escaped lasting damage after absorbing his own KO blow.