SOMETIMES, a boxer can admit they were beaten fair and square after a loss. Other times, they’ll come up with plenty of wacky reasons as to why they’ve underperformed inside the ring. From broken toes to bad odours, we’ve listed some of the worst excuses in boxing, from the past. Click through below to check them out.
10. Betrayed
In an autobiography written in the 90s, George Foreman claimed he lost to Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle because he had seen a friend in the crowd, mid-bout, cheering for Ali. Bemused by the betrayal, Foreman claimed he could no longer concentrate and that is why Ali was able to knock him out in the eighth round. It should be noted that Foreman has since come to terms with the loss and openly admits he was beaten by the better man.
9. A cramp excuse
Roger Mayweather lasted significantly longer with Julio Cesar Chavez in their 1989 rematch than in their first fight, in which Chavez stopped Mayweather in two rounds. The second time around, Mayweather retired after the 10th round, citing stomach cramps as the reason for his inability to continue. Probably more likely it was the vicious body shots Chavez had been ripping in for 10 rounds that did it.
8. Clouded judgement
In 2010, Carl Froch travelled to Denmark to defend his WBC world super-middleweight title against Mikkel Kessler. However, his travels were disrupted when a volcanic ash cloud grounded flights for some time, meaning Froch’s arrival in Denmark was much later than planned. After losing a unanimous decision to Kessler, Froch claimed that the effects of the delays were influential in the fight, as well as stating the result was gifted to Kessler in his home country. To his credit, Froch avenged the loss to Kessler three years later.
7. Shouldering the blame
Although not a complete fabrication, Manny Pacquiao’s excuse that he had aggravated a shoulder injury during his points defeat to Floyd Mayweather in their mega-fight in May was poorly received. He has since had surgery on the shoulder, confirming the legitimacy of the injury. However, the issue lies in the fact Manny did not bring up the injury before the fight, despite claiming it happened during training in preparation for Mayweather. Many felt short-changed after the lacklustre fight between the two, with Mayweather comfortably winning on all three scorecards.
6. Styles don’t gel
Sergio Martinez looked to have handily beaten Kermit Cintron in 2009, but the bout was somehow scored a draw by the judges at ringside. Cintron, who had been counted out in the seventh only for referee Frank Santore to overturn it, was beaten every which way by the Argentine. After the bout, Cintron said he had been affected by the smell emanating from all the gel and mousse Martinez had put in his hair. While Martinez’s hair is especially shiny, not many took Cintron’s excuse too seriously.
5. Family Ties
Roy Jones Jnr did not explicitly say he intentionally lost his third and final fight with Antonio Tarver in 2005, but he did very much imply it after the 12 round decision. Jones had teamed up with his long-estranged father, Roy Jones Snr, for the bout but claimed that halfway through the contest he realised the mistake he had made and did not want his father to get any credit should he go on to win.
4. Wearing thin
Despite dropping Juan Manuel Marquez three times in the first round of their first meeting in 2004, Manny Pacquiao was fought to a draw by the Mexican. After the fight, Pacquiao claimed he could not perform as well as he had wanted because he was wearing the wrong socks. He said the ones he had worn were too thin and gave him blisters during the bout, affecting his movement. While plausible, it seems strange the Filipino icon would have chosen to wear either very cheap or very old socks for such an important fight.
3. Something doesn’t smell right
Despite beating Marco Huck via majority decision in 2012, Alexander Povetkin’s team gave a baffling excuse for his laboured performance against the smaller man. They claimed Huck smelt so bad it distracted Povetkin. More specifically, they claimed Huck had lathered himself in some kind of illegal substance that affected their charge’s senses. Unsurprisingly, they had no evidence to back up their claims.
2. Mind games
Unbeaten in 43 contests going into his world super-middleweight title defence against Steve Collins in 1995, Chris Eubank had always had the mental edge over his opponents. That all changed before his fight with Collins. On the day of the weigh in, Collins told Eubank he had been hypnotised. Rattled, Eubank claimed he was afraid to face someone who had been “mechanically altered.” Collins outpointed him over 12 and later revealed the hypnotism was a hoax.
1. Toegate
After his decisive loss to Wladimir Klitschko in 2011, David Haye claimed he had broken the little toe on his right foot prior to the fight, and that was why he was so easily beaten by the Ukrainian. He revealed the ailment at the post-fight press conference, standing on the top table and showing the swollen toe to the world’s media. Not a good move.
