Most controversial fight, phantom punch or ear bite?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Fergy, Apr 15, 2017.


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  1. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    Two of probably the most talked about, shocking heavyweight fight s in its history. Both controversial in different ways. Young ali throwing a punch that most people miss. Liston going down like he's shot. Cries of fix. Even calls for a ban on boxing.
    Tyson taking a bite out of holyfield s ears. Complete uproar. Tyson is disqualified and received a ban. There were calls for him to receive a life ban.
    Iyo, which fight was the most shocking. Liston s 'ko " or tyson s meltdown. Both received worldwide publicity and brought a spot light on to boxing s darker side.
     
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    #1
  2. oiky

    oiky Gypsy Boy Full Member

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    I'd say the ear bite is more controversial
     
    oiky, Apr 15, 2017
    oiky, Apr 15, 2017
    #2
  3. nikrj

    nikrj Active Member Full Member

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    Phantom Punch by far.

    I do not see much controversy in tyson's fight. The only doubt I have about the bite in the ear is tyson's reason for doing that. Was he angry due Holyfield's headbutts or did he just want to end the fight, as Frank Lotierzo believes?
     
    nikrj, Apr 15, 2017
    nikrj, Apr 15, 2017
    #3
  4. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    A mixture of both I believe. Deep down I think tyson knew holyfield wasn't going any where and the longer the fight wears on the more chance the fight will end the same as the first. So holy butting made tyson angry and he realised he could get out by biting him and use that as a valid reason. Tyson a head was gone by then.
     
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    #4
  5. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    I do see the tyson bite as been controversial though in that something like that had never happened in a heavy weight title fight ever. Yes boxers had been disqualified for low blows and other rule breaks but never a bite. It was headline news for all the wrong reasons.
     
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    #5
  6. Ken Ashcroft

    Ken Ashcroft Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Was the Ali /Liston phantom punch really that controversial at the time? I remember seeing some old footage of it a few years back and no-one mentions that Liston actually got back up and they were about to resume fighting when someone told the ref ( it was Jersey Joe Walcott IIRC) to stop the fight as the time keeper said that Liston had been down for more than 10 seconds,even though Walcott himself hadn't counted him out. Maybe that's the real controversy about that fight?

    Why the hell was Walcott the referee anyway? I bet Mike Tyson and Jack Dempsey wishes they had a referee like Walcott in their title fights against Buster Douglas and Gene Tunney. :D
     
    Ken Ashcroft, Apr 15, 2017
    Ken Ashcroft, Apr 15, 2017
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  7. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    Lol yep poor jersey was a bit out of his depth in there ken. But yes, it was quite controversial at the time from what knowledge I have of it. The fact that sonny went down like he did, and from a punch that seemed to a lot of people not that hard. There were a lot of debate about the punch, people like marciano been asked there opinion. Even some places calling for a ban on boxing, saying the fight was shady and underneath. It put a kind of stain on heavy weight boxing at the time.
     
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    #7
  8. janitor

    janitor VIP Member

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    The ear bite was not controversial.

    Pretty much everybody agreed that he should not have done it!
     
    janitor, Apr 15, 2017
    janitor, Apr 15, 2017
    #8
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  9. Cecil

    Cecil Boxing Addict Full Member

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    The phantom punch fight was extremely controversial, there was basically uproar.
    Most thought it was a fix or that Sonny for whatever reason had just laid down.
    All sorts of theories were prevalent.
    Liston never got a fight in the US for several years.
    There was a body of opinion though although a minority, which still exists to this day that the punch was legit.
     
    Cecil, Apr 15, 2017
    Cecil, Apr 15, 2017
    #9
  10. juppity

    juppity Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Definitely the Ali vs Liston phantom punch fight. It is the JFK fight of
    boxing just like Tunney vs Dempsey long count was . Still over 40 years
    later conspiracy theories still rage on what happened.
     
    juppity, Apr 15, 2017
    juppity, Apr 15, 2017
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  11. nikrj

    nikrj Active Member Full Member

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    Yeah, it seems a pretty fair thesis. Here's a very good Lotierzo article about the stuff:

    http://www.thesweetscience.com/arti...yson-tells-oprah-why-he-bit-evander-holyfield
     
    nikrj, Apr 15, 2017
    nikrj, Apr 15, 2017
    #11
  12. nikrj

    nikrj Active Member Full Member

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    True!
    And the punch sequence of Ali vs Liston II can be considered the Zapruder film of boxing.....
    It gave rise to so many conspiracy theories as the JFK's did.... :D
     
    nikrj, Apr 15, 2017
    nikrj, Apr 15, 2017
    #12
    Fergy likes this.
  13. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    Spot on that he shouldn't have done it. Worst action s a professional fighter could do even if he was getting the crap beaten out of him.
     
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    #13
  14. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    Very true jup. The film of Ali v liston has been studied, slowed down, speeded up, u name it! "and still we're non the wiser as to what happened.
     
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    Fergy, Apr 15, 2017
    #14
  15. Ken Ashcroft

    Ken Ashcroft Boxing Addict Full Member

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    We all know what the ever modest Ali ;) thought about what happened in that fight but did anyone get Liston's view of what happened, both immediate post fight and in any later interviews?

    I would have like to hear Jersey Joe's account of what happened as well.
     
    Ken Ashcroft, Apr 16, 2017
    Ken Ashcroft, Apr 16, 2017
    #15
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