10 – KEVIN MITCHELL v JORGE LINARES
Gutsy Londoner Mitchell produced his finest performance in defeat, dropping talented Venezuelan Linares in the fifth of this WBC lightweight title at the O2 in May 2015, before being worn down and stopped in round 10. Mitchell ended with a cut and swollen left eye, a gash across the bridge of his nose and a lesser cut on his right optic.
9 – DENIS LEBEDEV v GUILLERMO JONES
Russian southpaw Lebedev was cut over his right eye in round one, an injury that worsened into a horrific swelling as this May 2013 WBA cruiserweight title defence in Myakinno progressed. Denis battled gamely but his tall Panamanian opponent targeted the wound and finally put him down for the count in round 11.
8 – MUHAMMAD ALI v KEN NORTON
Former US Marine Norton was expected to provide Ali with no more than a workout as the former world heavyweight champion pursued a crack at his old title. But this March 1973 fight in San Diego, for Ali’s North American Boxing Federation bauble, saw Norton break Ali’s jaw in round one (of 12) and win a split but deserved decision in a huge shock.
7 – ARTHUR ABRAHAM v EDISON MIRANDA
Abraham, an Armenian-born German, faced a tough challenger in Colombian puncher Miranda in this September 2006 IBF middleweight title defence. But fans at Wetzlar saw Abraham unable to close his mouth from round four because of a horribly broken jaw, only to gut it out and prevail via unanimous decision after 12.
6 – HASIM RAHMAN v EVANDER HOLYFIELD
This June 2002 WBA heavyweight title eliminator in Atlantic City ended in round eight with Rahman having a grotesque egg-shaped swelling on his left forehead. It went to the scorecards with Holyfield declared a unanimous points winner and Rahman complaining he had been butted throughout. “Holyfield must have a metal plate in his head,” said the loser.
5 – VITALI KLITSCHKO v LENNOX LEWIS
When original opponent Kirk Johnson withdrew injured from their June 2003 fight in Los Angeles, Lewis was persuaded to defend his world heavyweight titles against Klitschko, then still best known for a shoulder-injury loss to Chris Byrd. But the Ukrainian gave the ageing, under-prepared Lewis hell before being stopped after six rounds with a horrible cut on his left eyelid, a gash under his left eye and a cut lower lip.
4 – HENRY COOPER v MUHAMMAD ALI
British favourite Cooper had famously dropped Ali (then Cassius Clay) in their 1963 non-title fight, but this return was for Ali’s world heavyweight title and attracted 46,000 fans to Arsenal Football Club’s Highbury Stadium in May 1966. A notorious bleeder, “Our ‘Enery” was ruled out in round six by a vicious gash on his left eye, which he believed was caused by a head clash (Boxing News disagreed).
3 – WILLIAM JOPPY v BERNARD HOPKINS
Joppy was a decent fighter who brought the WBA middleweight belt into this December 2003 unification battle in Atlantic City with Hopkins, who held the WBA “Super”, WBC and IBF titles. But William’s preparations couldn’t have been helped by the tragic death a few months earlier of his infant daughter Vashti, who was dropped on her head by a babysitter. Hopkins, although 39, battered poor Joppy throughout for a wide points victory that left the loser’s swollen face looking like a basketball.
2 – RON STANDER v JOE FRAZIER
Frazier’s second defence of his world heavyweight title after beating Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century was this May 1972 “gimme” against clubfighter Stander in Omaha, Nebraska. So lightly regarded was the challenger that his wife memorably described it as being like “entering a VW Beetle in the Indianapolis 500”. Brave was ruled out after four rounds with his right eye swollen shut, cuts over and under that eye, and vertical cuts on both eyebrows that extended to his nose, which was pounded grotesquely out of shape.
1 – SEBASTIAN LUJAN v ANTONIO MARGARITO
When these two welterweights met at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall in February 2005, Margarito was not yet the wrecking machine who beat Miguel Cotto before being busted for loaded gloves. Yet Mexico’s WBO champion methodically wore down the Argentinian for a 10th-round stoppage and gave him a ripped left ear that BN reporter Jim Brady said, “looked like Spock’s on the old Star Trek science fiction series – if it had been doused in blood.”
