Boxing: Decisions That Shook Heavyweight Division

By Kunle Awosiyan

Boxing, just like writing, can flow like a posch car on a smooth road.

Memories of some bouts linger forever not only because they were entertaining but because of the judges’ decisions, which will always create fresh impression of those great battles.

The judges in Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier III, dubbed “Thriller in Manila” had their hands full before the match ended in round 14 in 1975.

Of course Ali was going to win via unanimous decision but the drama in round 14 nearly changed the situation in favour of Frazier.

Going to the last round of 15, Ali was not ready to come out of his corner. having exhausted all his energy.

At the other corner, Frazier was being persuaded not to come out because of his ruptured eyes. While they were begging Frazier to throw in the towel, they did not know that Ali himself was not ready to continue.

It was the first time the decision to fight or not was in the hands of the fighters themselves not the referee nor the judges.

After a few minutes of persuasion, Joe agreed to discontinue with the fight and Ali won on technical knockout. He celebrated the victory on his seat, fagged out.

In the fight between Larry Holmes and Ken Norton, most boxing fans still believe today that it was draw but the judges of that bout were so detailed to pick a winner. It was a pound-for-pound bout from the beginning till round 15.

Both boxers were exhausted and ready to settle for draw but the split decision slightly favoured Holmes. Till date, Norton/ Holmes is regarded as one of the top three slugfests of all time.

Come to the era of Tyson, a knockout specialist. The baddest man dominated his earlier bouts after becoming the youngest heavyweight, knocking all his opponents down and out in the early rounds until one Donovan Ruddock showed up.

Ruddock, a tall, fiery and strong personality, yet he could not stand the firepower of Tyson in their first meeting. He was dispatched in round four but quickly activated his rematch clause that went for 12 classic rounds thereafter.

Ruddock rose from two falls to hit Tyson so hard in a match that received standing ovation from the spectators.

After the match, the two guys embraced themselves and Tyson was proclaimed winner via unanimous decision even though many boxing enthusiasts thought the decision should have been adjudged draw.

Lennox Lewis vs Ray Mercer was another classic that lasted 12 rounds. Though Lewis won, it was a match he admitted that the judges helped him. Lewis confessed that Mercer beat him after watching the match a few months after.

Merciless Mercer as he is fondly called is a perfect example of a boxer. The former American Olympic gold medallist boxes perfectly but then he lost some fights due to bad decisions.

While Lewis was lucky to run away with a victory against Mercer, the judges stole his victory against Evander Holyfield in their first match. It was adjudged draw but boxing enthusiasts described it as travesty against the Briton who actually dominated the bout. Lewis actually outpunched Holyfield and was supposed to win the undisputed championship belt.

Some pundits said that WBC played fast politics on Lewis because they were not ready to let go the undisputed title from Holyfield. But in their second match, which for me looked more like a draw, the decision favoured Lewis and since he became undisputed over two decades ago, no boxer had reached that level.

Another great fight is the Holyfield and Riddick Bowe 1. It is my best boxing match ever. Bowe, Big Daddy, outclassed Holyfield and no one could query the decision of the judges. It was the first time I saw a quick jab from a big man. Bowe was the only boxer that beat Holyfield twice in their trilogy. He asserted his authority, skills and power to see off the former champion.

Holyfield is a warrior though and this showed in almost all his fights, including his slugfest with George Foreman. The fight was another masterpiece in the anal of boxing. It was a collison of the old and new era. Holyfield triumphed but confessed later that the big George was the hardest puncher he had ever faced in his life. The Real Deal compared Foreman’s blow to a block of brick.

This era records the trilogy of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. Their first match ended in a draw but many pundits are of the opinion that the judges were a bit bias, that Fury ought to have won the match.

Of course the Gypsy King was knocked down twice in the match, he was winning on points and even dominated Wilder towards the end of the fight. He later showed class in the subsequent matches where he triumphed over Wilder via knockouts.