101 Knockouts In 101 Minutes - DVD Review

So I was in HMV in Norwich during my lunch break, browsing through the sports section, wondering why there never seems to be as many professional boxing DVDs as there are wrestling or mixed martial arts DVDs. Then, I saw it. For under a fiver, 101 Greatest Knockouts In 101 Minutes. This should certainly be interesting.

And somewhat misleading. When I saw the title I had mental images of the likes of Ali, Marciano, Robinson and their ilk, knocking out their opponents in some of their finest outings. But this isn’t the greatest knockouts in the history of boxing. It’s the 101 greatest knockouts on shows held by Barry Hearns’ Matchroom Promotions.

So having found out that it would be mainly Brits battling it out here, I settled down in front of my television to watch some good old-fashioned slobber knockers, starting with the little guys, going right up to the big punchers in the heavyweight division.

The first thing that hit me about this DVD is that the casual boxing fan who only watches the big matches on television will probably be put off when they see the first few minutes, because with the exception of names like Naseem Hamed, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Herol Graham, Lennox Lewis and Herbie Hide, most of the featured here will probably be unknown to them. I have to admit that, apart from the names I’ve just mentioned, I didn’t recognise the majority of the fighters on this DVD.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s some good action here, but labelling this the 101 Greatest Knockouts In 101 Minutes is a tad misleading, and it’s a good job that this is selling for quite a low price, because if it had sold for more then there would be quite a few people disappointed with this. And I count myself among their number.

In conclusion - this is the ideal present for the boxing fan in your family, if you’re looking for something cheap and cheerful. But don’t take the title and the cover images to heart, otherwise you’ll be very, very disappointed.