Biggest “duh!! moments in boxing

I wonder whether Classic Forum has discussed which one are the biggest “Duh!!” moments in boxing history.

And by “Duh!!” I don’t mean the “regular-run of the hill-mistake” when a fighter makes a bad judgment call and pays for it: Hearns brawling against Hagler, Foreman falling for the rope-a-dope, Fraizer giving up in Manila, or Hagler sleeping the first rounds against Leonard. Nope, although those were critical mistakes, somehow are still understandable.

I don’t consider Tyson feasting on Holyfield’s ear neither, because Tyson was a sick man and that incident belongs not to the boxing but to the crime pages. I share Atlas’s opinion that he made it on purpose to get disqualified, in order to avoid an embarrassing loss (well, he got an embarrassing DQ anyway).

What I ask about are the real screw ups. Those flashing moments when, with the title in the line, your fighter went Duh!!! and made a truly stupid and bizarre move, throwing his chances into the trashcan. Those situations when your fighter, with the bout practically won, managed to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. Those incidents that make you scream and curse. Those moments that made you kick your TV set and punch the walls. Those stories that left you heartbroken and wondering what the fudge that guy was thinking. atsch

So far in my opinion real DUH! Moments are:

· Cohn vs Joe Lois.
Cohn was winning and all had to do was dancing around burning the clock and take the title. But, nope, he decided that he was going to KO Louis. DUH!!

· Moorer vs Foreman.
Moorer was comfortably ahead in the cards against a slow and lumbering Foreman whose only chance left was to get one lucky shot. Foreman knew it. Moorer knew it. Atlas knew it and screamed his lungs out warning Moorer. Even my grandmother knew it. And what Moorer does? He stands idle in front of one of the heaviest punchers ever…. Next time, when Freddy Atlas tells you to move aside, you %$# move aside!!!

· Golota vs Bowe I and II.
How stupid you must be to foul your opponent in a fight that is already all but won? How especially sick you must be to foul repeatedly disregarding the referee’s warning and getting yourself disqualified? How outworldly stupid you must be to do it all over again in the rematch?

· Roy Jones vs Griffin.
You are ahead and dominating the fight, You knock your opponent down with plenty of time left in the round. So, You just step back and wait?. No! you foolishly hit him when he is down, setting yourself for one big robbery...

Any other duh! incidents you know about?

 

I gotta agree.

In any case it was Futch's "mistake", and as mentioned we can not even know per sure if that was a real mistake at all. Nobody knows what would happen if Futch decides to continue the figth. Perhaps Ali had given up or perhaps not, and the physical risk was too high.

Regarding Foreman, I agree that it was not exactly a lucky shot. George had a gameplan and sticked to it, trying to set Moorer time after time, patiently accepting punishment in the hope of catch him.

The funny thing is that EVERYBODY knew what George was trying to pull. Ever Moorer knew it. As you said he had plenty of warnings. But the "lucky shot" for George was that Moorer's ego got the better of him.