Boxing Historians: Worst excuses ever used to duck a fighter

This week, Bob Arum ... the promoter of current WBO Heavyweight champ Joseph Parker, who barely edged Andy Ruiz in New Zealand for a vacant belt and followed it up with a dull 12-round decision over late sub Razvan Cojanu (last seen getting wasted in two rounds on ESPN by Donovan Dennis) ... said Parker wouldn't fight WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs), who never seems to be in a boring match, because "Wilder brings nothing to the table."

This after Parker's title winning effort featuring the first New Zealander to ever win a heavyweight title saw only 8,000 New Zealand fans buy tickets in a 13,000-seat arena ... and so many fewer bothered to buy tickets to his boring first defense that it had to be moved to an even smaller arena.

Apparently the fact that Wilder draws more fans, his bouts air on national television in the U.S., his matches are exciting, and he holds the WBC title equates to "bringing nothing to the table."

Apparently the Razvan Cojanus of the world bring more. Or Arum's just a terrible liar.

 

Possibly Ray Leonard. Hearns was trying to secure a rematch with Ray after their tough go which ended in the 14th round. Leonard absolutely refused, saying, "Not until he admits that it was a good stoppage." Or something like that. Hearns had been going around saying that the fight was stopped prematurely. But really, like Hearns was going to actually state, "OH, yeah, I was properly knocked out." It wasn't going to happen. Of course, they eventually fought again several years later, but that was a bit lame on Ray's part.

 

"It would hurt our mom's feelings."

The Klitschkos

 

"Jimmy Bivins, hard-punching Cleveland negro, saw his hopes of a light-heavyweight title match with Gus Lesnevich fade today despite - or perhaps because of - the decisive whipping he gave the champion in a non-title 10 round bout last night. Despite the NBA edict that Bivins be given a title match "within 60 days" if he should win, Lew Diamond, manager of Lesnevich, effectively spiked any future bout.

"Gus joins the Coast Guard March 15th. He won't be able to fight for two months while he's in training. And when he does fight, he'll defend his title against a serviceman in a General MacArthur benefit boxing show. There isn't a chance of Lesnevich fighting Bivins again." -Lew Diamond, Lesnevich's manager


Bivins battered Lesnevich into the ropes with a heavy right in the 1st round - a punch acknowledged by Gus to have slowed him throughout the fight. Bivins dumped Lesnevich on the seat of his trunks in the 2nd round, but the champion got up before a count and successfully evaded Bivins' attempts to land a knockout punch." -United Press

 

"We won't defend against Schmeling unless all the Jews are released from concentration camps."

Champion Jim Braddock's manager to the top contender Max Schmeling's manager ... like Schmeling had the key to the camps.

 

"He's black" --Jack Dempsey

 

Speaking of which, the excuse that came from the Lennox Lewis camp why Lewis never gave Vitali a rematch was Lewis's mother didn't want him to fight anymore.

 

Larry Holmes said he wouldn't defend the WBC title against Gerrie Coetzee until South Africa ended Apartheid and he wouldn't defend against Greg Page or Michael Dokes because Don King might try to steal the decision and give it to them. But he'd fight Scott Frank.

 

Gerry Cooney pulled out of a fight with Earnie Shavers because Cooney hurt his back disco dancing ... and never rescheduled the fight.

 

Hughie Fury refused to go through with a BBBofC ordered fight with Dillian Whyte because Fury had bad acne and his trainer claimed Fury's body was weak trying to kill all the puss in his zits.

 

Lol seriously? Even If that were true you wouldn't admit it! What the hell was he doing.. Break dancing!?

 

Ha ha your taking the **** now..

 

It's not a duck when you won't fight your brother. Come on now