After the fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, fans can without a doubt state that bad judging is one of the biggest issues in the world of combat sports. Fighters put everything on the line to make sure that they entertain the fans and emerge victorious. However, due to certain judges not understanding the gravity of their decisions, fighters are robbed of their win.
Although there are times when the fight is very close and the decision can go either way, that is not the case with the fights featured here. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest robberies in the history of boxing.
Francis Ngannou vs Tyson Fury (2023)
The bout between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou has to be one of the most recent and least expected robberies in boxing history. With Francis being an MMA fighter, several expected Fury to steamroll through his opponent to victory. However, the Cameroonian shocked everyone with his performance inside the ring.
Ngannou looked fundamentally sharper as the rounds progressed and even managed to knock down the Gypsy King in the third round. Although, Tyson Fury recovered pretty soon, he was not able to return the favor. The former UFC champion appeared dominant as the rounds progressed but let the fight go into the hands of the judges.
One judge scored the fight in the Predator’s favour with a scorecard of 95-94. However, two of the judges scored the contest in Tyson’s favor with a scorecard of 95-94 and 96-93 for the win via split decision.
Needless to say many were unhappy with the judges and a few even called the fight rigged. However, Francis seemed very happy with his performance despite the robbery as he almost defeated a dominant heavyweight champion.
Devin Haney vs Vasiliy Lomachenko (2023)
Yet another one of the robberies recorded in recent times in boxing history. The unified lightweight champion Devin Haney fought former three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko in May 2023. Both fighters came off aggressive in the first few rounds of their fight giving an electric exchange for the fans.
Devin Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Official Scorecards https://t.co/t9MOP6BgOc pic.twitter.com/yZrDG5kAKp
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) May 21, 2023
However, as the fight kept on progressing Lomachenko displayed why he was the much superior boxer. Although Haney came back with a strong performance in the last round, he had been hit with some serious strikes and combinations throughout the fight. Regardless, that might have counted for nothing as all three judges scored the fight in Haney’s favor.
Two of the judges scored the fight 115-113 and one judge scored the contest 116-112 for the 24-year-old to retain his titles. The whole arena believed that it was a daylight robbery and Lomachenko’s team even talked about appealing against the decision.
Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin (2017)
The first fight between Mexican fighter Canelo Alvarez and Kazakhstan’s Gennady Golovkin took place in 2017. Both fighters were among the best in the sport and many were excited for the duo to share the ring for the first time. While many favored GGG to win the bout, Canelo made sure he to keep up with his opponent.
Adelaide Byrd gave Canelo a lopsided score of 118-110 and Dave Morreti favored the Kazakh with a score of 115-113. In the end, Don Trella’s 114-114 ended the fight in a draw starting a rivalry between Canelo and GGG.
Although GGG did not completely dominate Alvarez in their first fight, most viewers felt he had done enough. Regardless, the duo fought a few more times in the future with GGG failing to secure a win against Canelo. The bad blood between fighters ended with Canelo on top having defeated Golovkin twice.
Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield (1999)
Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield was one of the most hyped-up fights in boxing history. Lewis was the WBC champion at the time and had held the title for nearly two years. Meanwhile, Holyfield was a huge crowd favorite as he had unified the division by defeating Mike Tyson and Michael Moore in his previous fights.
The fight took place in 1999 at the Madison Garden and the winner was to be crowned the undisputed champion at heavyweight. The British fighter kept on dominating Holyfield with a series of jabs that his opponent could not figure out. By the end of the fight, many believed Lewis deserved an easy win for his dominant performance.
Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield I
Boxing Highlights pic.twitter.com/UWD0qThQ5N— World of STRENGTH (@KevinE47717910) July 23, 2023
However to everyone’s surprise the fight was scored a draw. Eugenia Williams scored the fight in Evander’s favor with a score of 115-113. Meanwhile, Stanley Christodoulou scored the fight in Lenox’s favor with a score of 116-113. Finally, Judge Larry O’Connell’s decision led to a draw with a score of 115-115.
With no actual winner due to bad judging, fans were utterly displeased with the event. However, Lewis made sure to get a proper win after he defeated Holyfield eight months later.
Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley (2012)
In 2012 one of the biggest boxers in the sport Manny Pacquiao stepped in the ring with Timothy Bradley. Bradley was a much lesser-known fighter climbing the ranks and many believed he had a chance to pull an upset.
However, Pacquiao made sure to dominate his opponent and out-landed him in 10 of 12 rounds and even knocked down Timothy a couple of times. It was very clear that by the end of their fight, Manny had done enough to win the fight. Yet, Bradley won the bout via a split decision.
Two of the judges scored the fight in Bradley’s favor with a scorecard of 115-113, while one scored it in Pacquiao’s favor with the same score. Several fans and fighters were unhappy with the verdict and many protested against the robbery. However, Pacquiao managed to settle the score nearly two years later during their rematch.
Apart from the fights including Tyson Fury, Canelo Alvarez and others mentioned above there are a lot more fights with bad decisions and daylight robbery. Which fights do you feel counted as a robbery? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.