Who is the DIRTIEST fighter in boxing history?

I voted Other - specifically I think it's Mysterious Billy Smith.

He was DQ'd x 13 in his career, including in 11 of his final 57-fights, once when he kicked and then bit his opponent.

If the question was "who was the most successful fighter at subtly deploying and getting away with dirty tactics", then that would yield a different answer, but if we're talking most dirty in absolute terms, then surely no high profile and/or world class fighter in history has qualifications to match those of Billy Smith.

 

Who did that?

 

One of my favorite quotes from the writings of AJ Liebling. Was it Doc Kearns?

Yes, Mysterious Billy had iirc 14 DQ losses and a fair few DQ wins (which I will assume were largely retaliation fouls).

 

I think Oscar 'Battling' Nelson former lightweight champ deserves a mention, as not only a dirty fighter in the ring but allegedly if reported accounts are fact, was dirty outside the ring too, not seeing his personal hygiene as being a priority.

Though did have a bath the night before the Dempsey vs Willard fight........in a vat of lemonade being prepared by the drinks concession holder.

Quelle Surprise, once the customers became aware of the incident, they lost their appetite for the beverage, other versions are because they were not sure which vat had been soiled, they had to dispose of it all, the concession owner lost money, as did many other concession holders at the fight

 

He was never disqualified in well over 200 pro fights. Many historians attribute his reputation as a dirty fighter more to the joy he took in telling stories about how dirty he was in the ring than to his actual career.

 

Floyd Patterson is a legendary exception to this, as is Max Schmeling, and they're probably the two best people to ever hold the Undisputed World HW Championship as well. Great gentleman and sportsmen.

 

After reviewing his title shot at Louis with the old Bomber at his side in an episode of The Way It Was, Tony discussed with host Curt Gowdy how he used to spar using elbow pads in training. (There is a still photograph of Louis lacing Galento's face in retaliation for Two Ton's fouling.)

Fritzie Zivic boasted about how dirty he was. However, he was also a tall and extremely durable ATG WW with deadly power and excellent skills.

There is footage of Primo Carnera very deliberately (and smartly) stomping on Tommy Loughran's feet early in their title fight, then we see Primo backhand Tommy later. (Max Baer also backhanded Schmeling when going for the kill.)

KO Magazine declared Jack Sharkey to be the dirtiest of all the HW Champions.

When Max Baer asked referee and sole judge Jack Dempsey why he awarded Paulino Uzcudun the 20 decision, the Mauler replied, "He did a better job of fouling than you did, Max!"

In his autobiography, Arthur Mercante credited Joe Frazier as a very clean competitor for his style of fighting, and Muhammad Ali for being an extremely dirty one for his style of boxing. When Ali double jabbed, the second jab was often a backhand. And the GOAT famously thumbed Terrell in the eye, then was bitching on camera after Kinshasa about how Foreman tried to thumb him.

Larry Holmes thumbed Scott LeDoux to the deck, but I regarded that as karmic justice for how LeDoux had previously done that to an extremely clean boxing ring gentleman in Ken Norton.


Chuck Wepner's always joked and boasted about how dirty he was. Insanely tough (he was only decked by Buster Mathis while a novice professional, with a filmed body shot from Liston, then when exhausted after a relentless onslaught by Ali through the Championship Rounds in retaliation for inept referee Tony Perez ruling a trip from Chuck as a KD) the opening bell caused him to bleed, but good luck separating him from his senses. At age 85, Wepner remains just fine.

Tex Cobb's also boasted about how dirty he was.

 

Ask how the cleanest ATGs in boxing history are, and that'll be much more interesting. Also, who's overrated as a dirty fighter. (Duran is among my favorites here. It was actually Ken Buchanan who kept punching after the bell, and referee Johnny LoBianco failed to jump in promptly and break it up, resulting in that post curricular fight ending low blow by Duran.)

The reality of how Liston boxed in the ring shows he was actually pretty clean. Machen was far more dirty in their 12 rounder, spinning Sonny in the clinches and hitting on the break.

We can also discuss "clean" fighters who were actually dirty, like Ali.


Zora Folley, like Schmeling and Patterson, was a clean boxer and great gentleman, inside and outside the ring. He buckled and nearly dropped a novice Bonavena at a round ending bell in their first bout, but grabbed him around the waist and helped him to his corner.

 

saddler and pep had what has been described as the dirtiest fight in history. Their last fight I believe.

 

Has to be Unholyfield

 

In 112 bouts, Galento was only disqualified twice, and one of those was in his sixth outing.

 

As much as I was and remain a fan of his, Lummox Lewis would resort to extremely dirty tactics, namely holding and hitting, pushing the head down, blinding his opponents with outstretched gloves. Especially when he saw the finish line, all rules went out the window.

 

I watched Azuhma Nelson try to hit Salvador Sanchez after he tripped on jelly legs and took a knee in the 12th.

 

The answer to the subtle question is Holyfield. He was great at having his head just in the right place for an accidental headbutt to occur, and had a sixth sense of what a ref could see or couldn’t see to time it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the Real Deal, it’s kind of hard not to be, and just about everyone did dirty **** here and there (Lewis, Foreman, Tyson, they were all dirty in the 90s), but nobody was as subtle about it as Holyfield. I mean, Lewis should have been DQ'd multiple times if we're talking about dirty 90's stuff, but it's usually just Holyfield who gets called out from that era, I guess because he WASN'T blatant about it?