Infotainment Factory: 'Fight of the year' ends in 'scary' KO blow

Jose Zepeda made a statement with a devastating knockout of Ivan Baranchyk in a bout the boxing world are calling the 'fight of the year'.

The junior welterweight contenders faced off in Las Vegas in an unforgettable Top Rank Boxing event.

In five rounds before Zepeda's unbelievable left hook knockout blow left Baranchyk (20-2, 13 KOs) legless, the bout featured a whopping eight knockdowns.

Former IBF junior welterweight title holder Baranchyk, 27, actually landed some of the punches for those knockdowns on Zepeda (33-2, 26 KOs) earlier in the fight, including two in the first round, only to end up on the canvas himself.

In the scary fall backwards, the Russian's right leg was caught awkwardly behind his body and his head hit the canvas hard too. He needed a minute or two before he was able to leave the ring with assistance.

The result even stunned Zepeda.

"I know I'm tough - I didn't how tough I was," Zepeda said after the win.

"Tonight, I showed and I showed myself too. This was the first time I was in a fight like this and it was a great learning experience."

Compubox stats described the bout as "absolute warfare", citing 127 of 140 combined punches landed as power shots.

"I feel great because I won the fight," Zepeda said.

"It was a hard fight. I'm thinking, 'Man, boxing is hard. It's no easy game.' Boxing is tough and you have to give it 100 percent. It's a hard sport and probably the hardest sport.

"There are two guys in there giving their all and I think at the end of the day, it's which fighter wants it more.

"It happens to me all the time in every fight and I doubt myself too much.

"I'm a fighter who only had 16 amateur fights. I'm always doubting myself and this was tough."

Boxing identities, fans and media were impressed by the eight knockdowns and knockout finish, that Top Rank described as "48 seconds of insanity".

CBS Sports called the bout "one of the best slugfests this century" and "undoubtedly the fight of the year".

ESPN proclaimed it the "fight of the year" and Yahoo said the bout "has to be considered a frontrunner for Fight of the Year" too, comparing the action to "something out of Sylvester Stallone's imagination rather than an actual fight".

Three-time WBO champion Terence Crawford was in shock, tweeting: "Never seen no s--t like it".

And legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum made a huge comparison to one of the most renowned fights in the sport's history.