Inexplicable Losses

What are some of the fights you have deemed inexplicable losses to opponents that should have never been there in the first place? (Or so it seemed)

One of my top all-time fights in this regard is Ali-Spinks I. Who the hell was Leon Spinks... and how on Earth did Muhammad Ali end up losing to THAT bum??

That's why when they talk about the times Ali recaptured the HW title... I tend to disregard his rematch with Spinks. It's like he never should have lost to Spinks in the first place... therefore it doesn't count.

Another one is RJJ vs Antonio Tarver. Jones, a total ATG, gets KTFO'ed in ugly fashion against Tarver. WTF was that??

That's one of the things to love about boxing. ;D ;D

Roy Jones losing and getting himself disqualified against Montell. The fight was his and in the bag.

Terry Norris getting disqualified against Santana twice when there was no need. Terry somehow lost to an old Simon Brown by getting knocked out. It should not have happened.

Evander Holyfield was winning the first fight against Bowe by boxing beautifully but then got hit low and just ended up in a unnecessary war with the bigger man. Wrong tactics and lost his head.

Golota was beating Bowe twice and he blew his victory by losing his mind.

Audley Harrison losing to Wilder.

He was in total control of that fight and then unfairly hit on the break by a sucker punch he never recovered from.

If not for that we wouldn't have the debacle we have now with wilder potentially scuppering fury v aj.

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Originally Posted by Mark TKO

Audley Harrison losing to Wilder.

He was in total control of that fight and then unfairly hit on the break by a sucker punch he never recovered from.

If not for that we wouldn't have the debacle we have now with wilder potentially scuppering fury v aj.

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Indeed ;D

Unlucky Audley was denied HW greatness by that sucker punch.

Zab Judah losing to Baldomir. inexplicable.

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Originally Posted by SlimTrae

Zab Judah losing to Baldomir. inexplicable.

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Floyd still ending up fighting Zab after which was an inexcusable contest. Still does not make sense, so Zab did not lose that much.

Holyfield v Moorer 1 , Evander boxed poorly against a man he went on to destroy.

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Originally Posted by Dark Lord Al

Holyfield v Moorer 1 , Evander boxed poorly against a man he went on to destroy.

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You could tell that was a different slower and less active Holyfield. I was urging him to pick up the pace as he would beat Moorer. Think he even knocked him down in their first fight but was it his shoulder or heart condition that meant he could not do that extra bit more to beat Morrer? Very frustrating.

Actually Michael Moorer was strolling to a victory against George Foreman winning every round until he got in the way of that right hand. I think he hates himself for losing that fight.

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by Dark Lord Al

Holyfield v Moorer 1 , Evander boxed poorly against a man he went on to destroy.

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You could tell that was a different slower and less active Holyfield. I was urging him to pick up the pace as he would beat Moorer. Think he even knocked him down in their first fight but was it his shoulder or heart condition that meant he could not do that extra bit more to beat Morrer? Very frustrating.

Actually Michael Moorer was strolling to a victory against George Foreman winning every round until he got in the way of that right hand. I think he hates himself for losing that fight.

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I bet if you looked at the trousers hanging in his closet you could see the imprints on his clothing where he kicked himself constantly.

This one is tricky. The 'no business being there' seems to rule many of these out and leans more to huge upsets in odd ways? I think of maybe Ray Mercer going from a one man wrecking crew vs Morrison and then dropping his belt to instead take the 'easy money' vs Holmes and looking absolutely clueless. Or Mercer on the literal doorstep of a title fight and a million vs Bowe only to lose a tune up with Jesse Ferguson. Jeff Fenech getting one punch obliterated by Calvin Grove seemed inexplicable. Azumah Nelson having 4 friggin fights with James Leija and going 1-2-1.

Duran losing to Kirkland Laing was totally unexpected. Kirkland was brilliant that fight but Duran was a legend.

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Originally Posted by Master

Duran losing to Kirkland Laing was totally unexpected. Kirkland was brilliant that fight but Duran was a legend.

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And yet he's so modest. He never even mentions it here.

jersey joe walcott vs. abe simon

Larry Holmes with everything on the line, 48-0, and failing to throw more than 10 straight right hand leads in 15 rounds against Michael Spinks, and failing to listen to Rich Giacchetti screaming/begging/cursing at him by the 8th round "Larry what the fuck is going on?! You're losing it man, you're blowing it! Throw the right, Larry, throw the fucking right!".....

And Larry didn't throw the right......

And Michael Spinks won.

Billy Backus v Jose Napoles. Willy Wise v Julio C. Chavez was a little bit wtf.

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by SlimTrae

Zab Judah losing to Baldomir. inexplicable.

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Floyd still ending up fighting Zab after which was an inexcusable contest. Still does not make sense, so Zab did not lose that much.

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Just his title, not much!;D

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Originally Posted by NoSavingByTheBell

Larry Holmes with everything on the line, 48-0, and failing to throw more than 10 straight right hand leads in 15 rounds against Michael Spinks, and failing to listen to Rich Giacchetti screaming/begging/cursing at him by the 8th round "Larry what the fuck is going on?! You're losing it man, you're blowing it! Throw the right, Larry, throw the fucking right!".....

And Larry didn't throw the right......

And Michael Spinks won.

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Wow, never listened in between rounds for that fight. I watched it once reel time.

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Originally Posted by NoSavingByTheBell

Larry Holmes with everything on the line, 48-0, and failing to throw more than 10 straight right hand leads in 15 rounds against Michael Spinks, and failing to listen to Rich Giacchetti screaming/begging/cursing at him by the 8th round "Larry what the fuck is going on?! You're losing it man, you're blowing it! Throw the right, Larry, throw the fucking right!".....

And Larry didn't throw the right......

And Michael Spinks won.

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Notice how the Spinks brothers are mentioned in a thread about inexplicable losses. ;D

Just proves that both Leon and Michael had no business contending for heavyweight titles.

Well, maybe that's a bit unfair to Michael who was light-years better than his brother... but then along came Mike Tyson and took care of THAT business.

Weak chin and all, no way should Mullings have stopped Terry Norris the way he did. After 4 Harold Lederman was on point. "4 rounds to zero Terry is too sharp too strong".
Merchant said You can tell that Mullings now realizes he's in the ring with a superior fighter.
By the 6th round Lamply telling it. " Mullings has swelling on the bridge of the nose, around the left eye. Terry Norris piling points"

https://youtu.be/6HkmH1thnZw

By the 7th round Lamply jokes "Mullings is the best 14-4 fighter in the sport on his way to becoming the best 14-5 fighter in the sport" ;D
The commentators spent several rounds talking about Norris fighting Oscar De La hoya next year. Out of nowhere he drops Norris in the 8th and whooped his ass for a minute in the 9th before the ref stepped in.


His daddy told him told him he had the points on his side; box him from here on out, but somewhere somehow Mullings willed himself & Norris just blew it. Sure he has a weak chin but of all fighters to exploit it.

I am a huge Terry Norris fan, I could watch him fight all day he was a joy to see with his fast, explosive hands and great footwork but he was finished by the time he fought Mullings. Norris was being set up to fight Oscar but he aged badly in that fight. Never won another fight after that and retired a couple of losses later.

John Tate losing to Noel Quarless. To be fair, Tate was in terrible shape and was a coke head, but that was practically the norm for 80s HWs. Someone of Tate's stature should not be losing to Noel Quarless.

Tommy Hearns getting KO'd by Iran Barkley

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Originally Posted by Sleepwalker

Tommy Hearns getting KO'd by Iran Barkley

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Hit Man was battering the Blade and the ref was going to stop it but then that big shot landed.

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Originally Posted by Sleepwalker

Tommy Hearns getting KO'd by Iran Barkley

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Also, Barkley winning the rematch on points.

Nobody ever outboxed Hearns, yet Barkley managed it somehow.

agree

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Originally Posted by Master

I am a huge Terry Norris fan, I could watch him fight all day he was a joy to see with his fast, explosive hands and great footwork but he was finished by the time he fought Mullings. Norris was being set up to fight Oscar but he aged badly in that fight. Never won another fight after that and retired a couple of losses later.

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I'm not sure I can say he aged in that fight as commentary IMO was spot on. He was quicker, sharper & more accurate than Mullings for what its worth. What I saw was a Mullings pull a Mulligan;D He landed one shot that seemed to short circuit Norris. Then the next round, he finished him.
I agree Norris was not prime or peak. But he didnt seem to slow down at any point. IMO he got caught, couldnt recover.

DLH Losing to Tito. I remember thinking around 7th or 8th round that I couldn't believe how Oscar wasn't just winning, he was schooling Trinidad. Around the 11th round I heard commentators say what we were all saying while watching- he's running and giving up rounds.

That is a fight to kick one's self. Not when a person loses on a come from behind KO, but when a fighter listens to his corner give them the wrong friggin info. I'd say Oscar by 12th was on literal run mode. Horrible way to lose a fight.

John Tate losing the WBA title against Mike Weaver in the fifteenth round and far ahead on the scorecards was Tate. It was a right cross and the hardest left hook ever thrown by Mike Weaver that separated Tate from his title.

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Originally Posted by johnsebastianmiran

John Tate losing the WBA title against Mike Weaver in the fifteenth round and far ahead on the scorecards was Tate. It was a right cross and the hardest left hook ever thrown by Mike Weaver that separated Tate from his title.

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Good one! Tate had that fight in the bag. All he had to do was last out the round. But he got lazy up against the ropes and Weaver unleashed that cannon of a left hook and Tate went down like a felled redwood.