Boxing has seen plenty of controversy and scandal. Amount of controversy and scandal, perhaps more than any other sport in the history of sports.
A violent sport well-known for its crimes of highway robbery, inscrutable dealings, and even deadly methods of fraud, boxing is a tough business.
Boxing isn't for the faint of heart. The biggest scandals in boxing usually come from someone trying to make a name for themselves through illegal means, whether on the ring, rankings, or even the money flow.
1. Ray Mancini Accidentally Kills Duk Koo Kim
In 1982 Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini was a fighter against Duk Koo Kim to defend his WBA lightweight (135 lbs.) title. Mancini was a seasoned fighter. However, Duk Koo Kim was never in a fight that lasted 15 rounds before.
Kim demonstrated world-class stamina when he fought back from a massive beating. In Round 14, Mancini beat Kim with a quick combination which Kim nearly escaped from, but the referee stopped him and waved away the match. Kim was to die from brain injuries caused by Mancini's fight four days after.
Mancini could neither be the fierce fighter he became famous for. The sport of boxing will never be identical.
Every sanctioning body cut down the limit of championships from 15 rounds to 12 at the close of the 80s to help improve the sport's safety.
2. Carlos Monzon Kills His Wife by Throwing Her off a Balcony
Carlos Monzon was arguably the most famous Argentine boxer of all time and the best middleweight (160 pounds.) ever. The year 1977 was the most memorable. Monzon took a break and was able to remain out of newspapers. His past violent relationships (that at the very least was the cause of him getting shot through the leg in front of his ex-wife) were the subject of the stories the paparazzi consumed. In the year 1988, Monzon entered the mainstream media once more.
He not only beat his wife, Alicia Munoz. However, he also grabbed her with a neck slap and tossed her off their home's second-floor balcony. Monzon was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 11 years. Monzon was permitted to spend time with his relatives in 1995 for a weekend, but he crashed his car and died when he returned.
Also Read- Tommy Fury and Jake Paul
3. Luis Resto Ends Boxing Career of Undefeated Fighter by Using Illegal Pads
Unbeaten Billy Collins Jr. (14-0 11, KO) was an undersized middleweight (154 lbs.) prospect on the verge of a rise. Luis Resto (20-8-2, 8 KO) was a light-punching journeyman. Resto defeated Collins with his eyes closed, and his skin turned blue and purple. A tear struck Collins in his eye, and his vision was always blurred. Collins was unable to fight. Collins, his father, and trainer Collins Sr. went up to shake Resto's hand in a gesture of sportsmanship, only to be enraged at the thickness of the glove Resto was wearing. He demanded that the gloves be impounded.
Resto's padding was removed, and he later admitted that his glove wraps were submerged in the plaster of Paris, a chemical that sets into plaster casts. Collins started drinking and then became violent, without boxing at all in his life. He later drove his car through a cement wall and died at 22. Resto and his trainer, Panama Lewis, were banned for life from boxing. Resto spent two and a half months in prison after being charged with assault, and boxing was the victim of a tragic incident which shows how dangerous cheating is in this particular sport.
4. Emile Griffith Pummels Benny “The Kid” Paret to Death on Live Television
Emile Griffith and Benny “The Kid” Paret were the welterweight (147 lbs.) rivals who traded between them for the title of world champion during their first two fights and finally settled the scores on the 24th of March, 1962. The fight was broadcast nationally on ABC and was held at the renowned Madison Square Garden.
This was one of the most highly competitive ones, up to Round 12, when Griffith struck Parent in the ropes. Griffith hit Paret twenty times, and Paret was unconscious by the end of the fight. This led to several networks shutting down their boxing broadcasts on national television up to the Ali-Frazier era in the 1970s. Griffith's and Paret's tales are told in the fascinating documentary Ring of Fire. It was a paradigm shift in how the sport ended its battles, and referees became more mindful of safety with every passing decade.
5. Jake LaMotta Takes a Dive for the Mob
It was 1947, and Jake LaMotta was a good boxer in the ascendancy. However, he was hoping for a higher rise and a favorable relationship among the Mob. Boxing was a sport that the Mob controlled and wanted LaMotta to make a swoop into Billy Fox for an extra $2000 and a title fight with Frenchman Marcel Cerdan. LaMotta tried to punch Fox's knees, and he became weak.
LaMotta swung him around through what became an obvious way to fix the problem. After round 4, the solution was clear, and LaMotta laid on the ropes, allowing the lighter-hitting Fox to take on the defender. Fox was awarded the fourth-round TKO. LaMotta was given his promise of 20 million, the title shot, and an investigation by the FBI several years later.
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