For many casual fans out there, the sport of boxing is dirty and littered with corruption. This is both somewhat false and somewhat true to a certain degree. Compared to MMA, there does appear to be more instances of shenanigans both among the competitors during the fights themselves but mostly it comes from outside of the ring involving dirty promoters, managers, commissioners, and so on.
It’s the instances inside the ring that get the most publicity, though, when fighters themselves try to cheat in some way. While some well-known figures in combat sports will argue that ‘if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying’ and though it may seem like a funny thing to say, it is ethically wrong. In fight sports, you can get seriously hurt or even killed in there. So gaining an unfair advantage over your opponent is not the same as it is in other sports where losing doesn’t have the same dire physical consequences.
The sport of boxing gets a bad rap and it’s incidences like these that support that claim.
4) Antonio Margarito’s loaded gloves
This has been called by many one of the most disgraceful instances of cheating in boxing history. After some suspicions by previous opponents, Margarito was caught red handed applying plaster powder to his wraps by Shane Mosley’s trainer right before their fight. This powder hardens after coming into contact with moisture which means they get heavier and heavier as the fight progresses.
“>
Margarito was subsequently suspended for a year which seems kind of light considering the amount of damage you can do fighting with loaded gloves.
3) Luis Resto vs. Billy Collins Jr. glove tampering
This is another instance of glove tampering but this one resulted in criminal charges and rightfully so. Louis Resto, along with his trainer Panama Lewis, were caught to have tampered with their gloves following the fight by Billy Collin’s Jr.’s father nonetheless. He noticed Resto’s gloves seemed thinner than normal and demanded an investigation.
“>
It was determined that they cut out/removed some of the padding on the gloves and were subsequently charged and sentenced as Billy Collins Jr. sustained some pretty serious injuries in the fight which ended his career.
2) Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield’s ear
This is probably the most well-known and publicized instance of cheating on this list. Tyson was clearly on the losing end of this rematch and was complaining of head butting by Holyfield prior to the bite. Two wrongs never make a right though and Tyson got frustrated and decided to bite Holyfield on the ear not once, but twice.
“>
The first bite resulted in a 2-point deduction and the second cost him the fight as well as his purse which would have been a huge pay day.
1) Shane Mosley uses steroids
Shane Mosley got caught up in the BALCO scandal in 2003 and was revealed to have used several designer steroids including the hard to detect ‘The Clear’ plus ‘The Cream’ as well as EPO.
“>
Mosley claimed that he was misled and thought he was just using ‘vitamins’ but BALCO founder Victor Conte denied that claim and insists his clients always knew what they were using.
