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The Brutal Art of the Perfect Knockout Punch
Boxing pictures Reuters

Tony Pietrantonio was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a knockout punch from Lavarn Harvell during their light heavyweight boxing match in Atlantic City, New Jersey

Pietrantonio, 34, came crashing down on to the canvas in the third round after receiving the blow, which a well-timed photo captured perfectly, conveying the sheer impact of the punch.

The punch was so hard that Pietrantonio's face became heavily distorted and his mouth looked like it was about to twist off his face. Even his flapping ears appeared to absorb the full force of the blow.

Harvell, 23, said after the fight: "I felt that punch all the way up my shoulder and back, so I knew he wasn't getting up."

He was completely right. The devastating blow, delivered after 31 seconds in the third round, gave him the fight. It was his second straight knockout in four weeks.

Pietrantonio, who only agreed to fight three days beforehand, had previously won six of the 17 bouts in his boxing career, but did not stand a chance after the dramatic jab from Harvell.

He was unconscious as he hit the ground, prompting referee David Fields to immediately stop the fight and call for medical assistance.

After a few minutes, Pietrantonio was then able to climb on to the stool in his corner and eventually shook off the injury to leave the ring under his own power.

Pietrantonio is not the only boxer to have a painful punch in the face captured for posterity on film. IBTimes UK takes a look at some other memorable moments in the ring.