In Pics : Top 10 Worst Boxing Moments In History

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Professional Boxing is known as the “Sweet Science” but corruption, a lack of a central governing body, and the rise of MMA have threatened to end this glorious sport. Mega fights still bring in huge revenues but they are few and far between. Here is a list of 10 incidents that have contributed to the downfall:

10. The Sad Saga of James Butler




Butler was a very promising young fighter from New York City known by the nickname “Harlem Hammer”. In November 2001, James Butler fought Richard “The Alien” Grant. The bout was a charity event to benefit survivors of the September 11 attacks. After losing by unanimous decision Butler made his way to the middle of the ring to purportedly congratulate Grant. Grant reacted by stretching his hand out in a motion to embrace. Instead, Butler (who had already removed his gloves) threw a vicious haymaker to Grant’s face. Richard Grant suffered numerous facial injuries including a broken jaw, lacerated tongue, and several stitches. Butler, in turn, was arrested and convicted of assault and served prison time for the attack.

Unfortunately the tale does not end there. James Butler continued his career after this incident but could never duplicate his earlier success. In October of 2004, Butler was arrested and charged with ******ing Sam Kellerman, brother of HBO Boxing analyst Max Kellermanwith. He (ironically) used a hammer and set his body on fire after a dispute. Butler pled guilty in 2006 and was sentenced to 29 years in prison.

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9. The Riot at Madison Square Garden

Polish born Andrew Golota entered the ring on July 11, 1996 on the cusp of superstardom with an exceptional 27-0 record. All he had to do was get past the 38-1 former Undisputed Heavyweight champ Riddick Bowe. Golota responded with a brilliant performance. The Polish sensation clobbered the ex-champ round after round, almost into submission. He was well ahead on points and seemingly close to a scoring a knockout.


In the 7th round the fight began to take a very strange turn. Golota (for reasons known only to himself) commenced to blatantly and repeatedly punch Bowe below the belt line. Golota was warned several times and even received point deductions but his behavior continued. After several more flagrant low blows the referee was forced to disqualify him.



Riddick Bowe’s corner responded by rushing the ring and viciously attacking Golota and his team. This triggered a full scale, racially charged riot, which spilled into the stands. MSG security was not equipped to handle a massive brawl and had to wait for New York riot police to arrive. Reinforcements finally arrived but not before dozens of fans, boxing personnel and police were injured in this disgraceful and bizarre incident. (Check the video at 2:54 to see the riot start.)

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8. Only in America





Don King's mugshot former felon becomes popular boxing promoter

Not anyone can own a professional football franchise. Not anyone can own a baseball franchise. However, anyone can promote a fight- even a convicted ****er and numbers operator from Cleveland. In 1974 Don King very shrewdly promoted his first professional fight. It turned out to be the famed Ali vs. Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire. This mega-event instantly transformed King into the major player in boxing for the next 30 years.

Unfortunately, the major player likes to play dirty; King’s many exploits are infamous. He has perpetrated fraud after fraud on any and all promising young fighters to join his stable. King has been implicated in: ******, bribery, theft, bookmaking, breaches of contract, and mafia-assisted racketeering. Larry Holmes once said, “Don King wears his hair like that so he can hide his horns.”

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7. Sonny Liston and the Mob




By all accounts Liston had a woeful childhood full of extreme poverty and physical abuse. Liston left home at an early age and participated in numerous violent crimes. While incarcerated, his boxing s****s were discovered and soon after his release he began destroying a string of opponents on his way to the Heavyweight title. Liston’s incredible prowess caught the attention of several mafia associates including Frankie Carbo and “Blinky” Palermo.

By the time Sonny Liston fought a young Cassius Clay on May 25, 1965 many in the press already suspected that Liston was controlled by the mob. He nevertheless participated in one of the most obvious fixes in sports history. In the very first round Liston took a dive and allowed himself to be counted out after Clay threw his famous “Phantom Punch”. Slow motion review shows a quick combination that seemingly misses or at best only grazes Liston. Coincidently their first fight also ended controversially when Liston refused to come out of his corner for the 7th round, claiming a shoulder injury. Sonny Liston would die 5 years later under very suspicious circumstances.

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6. The Corrupt Richard Steele




A very rare event occurred on March 17, 1990. On this night two undefeated champions, who were both in the same weight class and who were both in their prime, fought each other. Julio Cesar Chavez who was 68-0 (and promoted by Don King) met undefeated Olympic gold medalist and welterweight champ Meldrick Taylor. Chavez was the favorite but it was Taylor who dominated the fight from the opening bell.

Taylor’s trademark speed was beginning to wane but he still held a commanding lead on all scorecards going into the final round. Moments before the end of the match Chavez scored a knockdown but Taylor rose to his feet quickly. Had the fight continued Taylor would have still won by unanimous decision, but it was not meant to be. The bout referee Richard Steele stopped the fight with a mere 2 seconds left and awarded the victory to Chavez. There were immediate protests from Taylor’s camp but the Nevada State Athletic Commission (whose integrity has been routinely called into question) upheld the decision. Taylor’s career and health were subsequently ruined and Steele, who notoriously favored Don King fighters, forever tarnished the sport.