Bonehead Move!

Herol Graham vs Sumbu Kalambay. "Bomber" (the biggest misnomer in all of boxing) lost his chance at the vacant WBA title, defending his European crown. Sumbu would take his place and easily beat Barkley, then defeat McCallum just as comfortably.

Although these bonehead moves don't always affect the title shot- see Tony Mundine's decision to take on Briscoe when there were loud calls for him to be given a shot at Monzon; despite getting a pasting he still got the chance; as did Ron Lyle vs Ali (after the Bonehead move of taking on Jimmy Young).

 

Juan Manuel Marquez, after his disputed draw with Manny Pacquio and a couple of more nice wins is sitting in the driver's seat awaiting the rematch with Manny for some very serious coin. Instead, his manager signs him for a fight in Indonesia and loses his title to Chris John for the enormous purse of $30,000.

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Lest I forget, Nate Campbell 'cockiness awards' also go to Roger Mayweather and Anthony Hembrick. Mayweather, for entering the ring against Rocky Lockridge while wearing sunglasses and Hembrick, for he and his entourage-like corner engaging in an extravagant synchronised dance routine before him match with Booker T. Word. Both Mayweather and Hembrick were clocked in the 1st round.

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Tommy Hearns is one of my favourite fighters but I have no idea why a boxer with his skillset would try and knockout Marvin Hagler in the first round .

 

Greg Page facing Trevor Berbick, the timing wasn't right and Greg paid for it.

 

Marv deserves all the credit here. He tore in after Tommy, concentrating exclusively on the body, and Hearns rationally had to expect that his Sunday Punch would prove the same weapon of destructive force that it was on Duran and Cuevas. I do rate Hagler's chin over Chuvalo's and LaMotta's. His knees didn't buckle, he didn't clinch, nor did he back off, but kept Tommy on the ropes. If Hearns had tried sticking and moving from the outset, he would have been run out of the ring. What Hagler did was not characteristic or predictable. Tommy had an opening, took it, and BOOM! And Marv emerged from the mushroom cloud intact, like the Martian war craft from the atomic weapon dropped by the Flying Wing in "The War of the Worlds." (I'm talking about the 1953 classic starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, not the stale remake starring that psychotic Scientology shithead. I wouldn't never knowingly pay money to line their pockets, and haven't paid money to see a movie since 60 Minutes exposed Hubbard decades ago.)

 

i love the end part. also manny steward has stuck for YEARS with the explanation that the infamous unsolicited massage on hearns' legs caused them to go soft. their strategy changed and for fear that tommy wouldn't be able to box and move for 15 rounds, they decided to end it early

 

let's not forget hasim rahman forgoing a thorough lucrative (and winnable) fight with tyson for a rematch with lewis thanks to a dufflebag of don king's money

 

Similar to those two results was that fight years ago between Carlos Tite and Donny Lalonde. They were building up Tite and it was in his backyard. boom. He gets blown out in 1 and the career is all over.

 

Exactamundo.

But Mike Trainer was never ever going to put his guy in as a road warrior. Never. How about that Hearns rematch at Cobo Hall? We're talking lottery ticket odds of those things ever happening.