BOXING has been full of controversies over the years from death threats to allegations of fixed fights.
In a sport fulled by excitement and drama, it is no wonder the two fighters in the ring can sometimes find themselves carried away.
Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield in their rematch
Here SunSport takes a look at some of the most controversial moments in boxing.
Mike drop
Truly the Baddest Man on the Planet, Tyson was no stranger to finding himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
For example, in 2000 he declared he wanted to eat Lennox Lewis‘ children, despite his rival not yet having kids.
In a statement he has since apologised for, Iron Mike went into a rant at the British star following his first round KO victory against Lou Savarese.
Speaking after the fight, he said: “I’m the best ever. I’m the most brutal and vicious and ruthless champions that’s ever been. There’s no one can stop me. Lennox is a conqueror?
“No, I’m Alexander. He’s no Alexander. I’m the best ever. There’s never been anybody as ruthless. I’m Sonny Liston. I’m Jack Dempsey. There’s no one like me, I’m from their cloth.
“There’s no one that can match me. My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I’m just ferocious. I want your heart, I want to eat his children.”
The pair eventually fought in 2002, with Lewis knocking Tyson out in the eighth round.
Mike Tyson bizarrely stated he wanted to eat Lennox Lewis’s children after beating Lou Savarese
Can you ear that?
Before threatening to eat humans, Tyson was actually taking bites out of his opponents.
In 1996, he was beaten by Evander Holyfield which set up an anticipated rematch a year later.
But it is remembered as the infamous “Bite Fight” after Tyson was disqualified in round three for sinking his teeth into Holyfield’s ear.
He said it was a retaliation for headbutting but it goes down as one of boxing’s most disgraceful moments of all time.
Tyson was banned for 15 months and had to pay a $3m fine.
In later life, he made up with Holyfield and the two became friends, even starring in a Foot Locker advert in which Tyson apologises.
They were also in talks for a trilogy bout as early as 2020 but the reckless idea thankfully collapsed.
Holyfield holds his ear after Tyson’s bite
GGG’s chilling threat
Gennady Golvokin and Canelo Alvarez shared one of boxing’s most iconic rivalries in recent years.
They controversially drew in 2017 before Canelo won the rematch a year later and did the same in the trilogy last September.
But GGG grew a hatred for Canelo’s former promoter Oscar de La Hoya and sent a chilling warning his way.
Golovkin told AFP in 2020: “You know Oscar, you know how dirty his mouth is. Everything involving Gennady Golovkin for him is a nightmare.
“He can say whatever. But let me put it this way – If I got an opportunity to legally kill a person in the ring, I might seize it.”
Gennady Golovkin defends his IBF middleweight belt against Kamil Szeremeta on Friday
Deontay wants death
Deontay Wilder somehow went one step further than GGG in 2018.
He stated he wanted to have killed somebody in the ring before he retires from the sport.
Wilder made the distressing comments just one month after English boxer Scott Westgarth tragically died from boxing-related injuries.
Speaking on the Breakfast Club radio show, Wilder said: “I want a body on my record. I want one. I want one, I really do. That’s the Bronze Bomber, he wants one.”
Before adding: “I thought I had one time with [Artur] Szpilka because he wasn’t breathing when he hit the canvas. Somebody is going to go.
“I want that on my record, because when I’m in that state on mind, like I ain’t myself.”
Wilder himself has never apologised for the comments but WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman claimed the ex-champ was remorseful.
Sulaiman said: “Deontay is very sorry about how this all transpired and how it was taken and he’s going to take immediate action about that.”
Deontay Wilder shocked fans after stating he wants a ‘body on his record’
Lopez hits a new low
More boxers wishing for death, this time Teofimo Lopez who said he wanted to take Josh Taylor‘s life in the ring.
Lopez said: “I said it like it is – I wanna kill Josh Taylor.
“What the f*** does that mean? People are like well let’s get back to boxing, I’m like that is boxing.”
Lopez went onto beat Taylor on points but at least he did apologise for his vile remark.
He said: “I think let my emotions get the best of me. I do not want to take your life.
“I want you to go back to your family. I apologise as a man.”
Teofimo Lopez apologised to Josh Taylor
Muhammad Ali loses boxing license
Ali had his boxing license by the New York State Athletic Commission revoked in 1967 for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War.
Other boxing commissions soon followed suit, resulting in the American great not fighting for over three years.
The People’s Champion was also found guilty of draft evasion and was sentenced to five years in prison, though he stayed out of jail after appealing his decision to the Supreme Court.
He finally returned in October 1970 after being granted a license to fight by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission.
Ali regained the world heavyweight title after beating George Foreman in 1974 – seven years after being stripped of his titles.
Muhammad Ali was controversially stripped of his world title in 1967 after refusing to fight in the Vietnam War
Roy is robbed
The American fought South Korea‘s Park Si-Hun in the final for the light-middleweight gold medal.
Jones Jr out-punched his opponent by 86-32, however judges disgracefully awarded the victory to Park in arguably the most shocking decision to date.
Two of the three judges that voted for Park in his 3-2 decision win were subsequently banned for life following the result.
One of the judges later stated that he gave Park the win to appease the South Korean spectators.
Park has stated how he wished he would have won the silver medal as he insisted Jones Jr won the fight.
He said: “I didn’t want my hand to be raised but it did go up, and my life became gloomy because of that.
“A boxer just knows whether he had won or lost a match. I thought I lost because I didn’t put up a fight deserving of a win.
“I keep thinking how my life would have been happier had I finished second. A gold medal is important, but isn’t any Olympic medal satisfying and glorious?”
Roy Jones Jr (right) was robbed of winning the light-middleweight gold medal in the 1988 Olympics
Jake LaMotta admits to Mafia dive
The former middleweight king – who was played by Robert De Niro in the 19080 biopic Raging Bull – admitted to being mob-associated.
He even agreed to be knocked out in his fight against Billy Fox in order to guarantee himself a world title shot in the future.
He eventually secured his shot at the title in 1949 where he beat France‘s Marcel Cerdan in Detroit, Michigan.
The obvious fix two years earlier was investigated by the FBI , with LaMotta himself confirming he had thrown the bout for the mafia.
Speaking of his decision in 2007, he said: “I regretted it the rest of my life. But it happened, and I had a good reason for it.
“All I wanted to do was become a champion. I wanted a shot at the title, and I finally did after I did what I did. ”
Jake Lamotta (left) beat Marcel Cerdan in 1949 to win the world middleweight title
Margarito’s handy work
Margarito was banned for a year in 2009 when his opponent Shane Mosley’s trainer Naazim Richardson noticed a powdery substance on his hand wraps.
After he brought this to the attention of officials, Margarito was made to have his hand wrapped three times.
It later emerged that the substance Margarito had used was plaster of Paris – which hardens when it becomes wet.
This would have made his hand wraps to be the equivalent of a cast due to sweat and moisture.
Margarito – who eventually lost his WBA welterweight title to Mosley – has had his 2008 victory over Miguel Cotto questioned as a result along with a number of other victories.
But Cotto got sweet revenge in their 2011 rematch, battering Margarito into submission.
