10 Boxing Matches That Referees Should Have Stopped Way Sooner

Highlights

  • Boxing matches have gone on for too long with fighters suffering serious injuries and even losing their lives. Safety measures and intervention from referees should have been implemented much sooner.
  • In some fights, referees have faced heavy criticism for not stopping the fight when it was clear that one boxer was severely injured and unable to continue. This lack of intervention has led to tragic consequences.
  • The long-lasting effects of these fights, such as permanent alterations and even death, highlight the urgent need for better safety protocols and the responsibility to protect boxers from themselves.

Boxing is a sport where safety is an ever-present concern, and certain matches have persisted far beyond the advisable duration. It is the hurt business, after all, and some courageous boxers need to be protected from themselves. The repercussions are evident, with some fighters permanently altered and, tragically, others losing their lives.

Whether due to referees possibly being captivated by the spectacle or other factors, there is a consensus that intervention in these fights should have occurred much sooner.

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10 Vitali Klitschko Pummled Shannon Briggs For 12 Rounds

Briggs Lost By Unanimous Decision

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Total Punches

Klitschko

Briggs

Landed

302

73

Thrown

727

316

Percent

42%

23%

In 2010, Klitschko unleashed a barrage of flush right hands with remarkable precision in his title-retaining shutout decision in Hamburg against the former two-time titleholder, Briggs i. Despite the relentless assault, Briggs refused to hit the canvas. Briggs was left, nursing a broken left orbital bone, a fractured nose, and a torn left biceps.

While he endured intensive care, the injuries were thankfully not life-threatening. The referee, Ian John Lewis, and Briggs' trainers, Herman Caicedo and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, faced heavy criticism for their decision not to halt the fight.

9 Roberto Duran Brutally Finished Davey Moore

Duran Won By TKO In The Eight Round

  • The bout unfolded on Duran's 32nd birthday.
  • Moore was the odds-on favorite with a 5-2 advantage.
  • Duran entered the ring as the WBA #7 super welterweight contender.

Duran dominated the contest against Davey Moore who was the WBA light middleweight title. At ringside, Moore's mother and girlfriend had fainted, slumping in their seats, and a chorus of voices pleaded for an end to the brutal contest. However, the referee, Ernesto Magaña let the fight continue.

Despite Moore's cornerman throwing in the towel during the eighth round, the referee either failed to notice or chose to ignore it. It was only when a Top Rank representative climbed into the ring and brought a decisive halt to the proceedings that the relentless bloodbath finally concluded.

8 Ingemar Johansson Knocks Out Eddie Machen

  • Referee: Andrew Smyth
  • The fight was Eddie Machen’s first loss.

Machen suffered a first-round knockout at the hands of the undefeated future heavyweight champion, Ingemar Johansson, in 1958. Struck squarely by a powerful right hand, Machen found himself on the canvas three times. In the final knockdown, he endured a brutal punch to the head while attempting to rise from a squatting position, rendered limp. Following a relentless barrage of punches, Machen was ultimately laid out flat on his back, prompting the referee to make the decisive call to end the fight.

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7 Ray Mercer vs Tommy Morrison

One Of The Most Brutal Knockouts In Boxing

  • Both fighters were undefeated at the time.
  • Mercer lost his next fight to Larry Holmes while Morrison defeated George Foreman.

Mercer concluded the bout a mere 28 seconds into the fifth round. With Morrison pushed into the corner, Mercer unleashed a devastating 15-punch combination. Clearly affected by the barrage, Morrison slumped against the ropes. Despite his evident vulnerability, the referee permitted Mercer to administer several additional punishing blows before ultimately stepping in to halt the fight.

6 Ike Williams Knocks Out Beau Jack

Williams Begged The Referee To Stop The Fight

  • Ike Williams beat Beau Jack by TKO in the sixth round

Jack found himself trapped in a neutral corner, defenseless against the relentless onslaught of rights and lefts unleashed by the sharp-punching champion Ike Williams. At one point, Williams, with a pleading look, directed his gaze toward the referee, hoping for intervention. However, the referee, rather than halting the bout, signaled for Williams to continue. Ike proceeded to deliver three or more rapid-fire blows before Daggert finally intervened, putting an end to the brutal assault.

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5 Larry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali

Ali Was A Shadow Of His Former Self

  • Holmes was left in tears after beating his hero.
  • Ferdie Pacheco, Ali's former ring doctor, called the fight 'a crime.'

While Ali wasn’t knocked down, the fight is hard to watch as Holmes completely dominated every round. The once-great Muhammad Ali was slow and sluggish. Against Ali's desires and the disagreement of fellow cornerman Bundini Brown, Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee made the decisive call to stop the fight. Consequently, the referee awarded Holmes the victory via technical knockout.

4 Holly Holm Knocked Out By Anne Sophie Mathis

Holm Lost By KO In The Seventh Round

  • Holm avenged the loss with a unanimous decision.
  • Holm became a UFC world champion after retiring from boxing.

In one of the most brutal knockouts in women's boxing history, Holly Holm suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Anne Sophie Mathis. Holm was visibly rocked and found herself absorbing punches against the ropes. Strangely, the referee inexplicably untangled Holm's arms from the ropes, allowing the relentless beating to persist. Holm was eventually knocked out cold, almost falling out of the ring then the referee ended the fight.

3 Magomed Abdusalamov v Mike Perez

Abdusalamov Lost By Unanimous Decision

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  • The family of the disabled boxer Abdusalamov filed a lawsuit against the referee and ringside doctors.
  • Abdusalamov was 18-0, knocking out all his opponents before the fight.

In a predominantly one-sided bout, Abdusalamov displayed unwavering resilience, refusing to cease his efforts even as Perez landed devastating power punches on his chin. Despite enduring a broken nose and a broken hand during the fight, it was a blood clot that ultimately resulted in a severe brain injury for Abdusalamov. The fighter's manager and other experts unanimously asserted that the bout should have been stopped to prevent the tragic outcome.

2 Emille Griffth Beat Benny Paret To Death

Paret Mocked Griffth For Being Gay Before Tragic Fight

  • Benny Paret was the welterweight champion.
  • The match helped usher in a decline of boxing as a mainstream televised sport in the 60s.
  • The fight was a trilogy fight with Griffith winning the first by KO.

In the 12th round, Paret was rocked and back up to the ropes, and Griffith continued the assault. When the defending champion was slumped to the side against the ropes, his head and part of his upper body now out of the ring, Griffith held his opponent in position while using his free hand to hit Paret with multiple landed right uppercuts on Paret's head. The referee should never have let the onslaught happen and stopped the fight too late.

Paret's manager and the referee were criticized for not stopping the assault. Paret never having regained consciousness after the fight, died ten days later in a hospital from brain trauma.

1 Ray Mancini Ends Duk-Koo Kim Life With A Fatal Punch

Kim Bravely Pulled Himself Up The Ropes As He Was Dying

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  • The match led to championship fights going from 15 to 12 rounds.
  • The referee and Kim’s mother committed suicide after the fight.

Mancini ended the fight with a fatal blow in the 14th round, but the fight should have never gotten to that round. In the 13th, Mancini swarmed Kim with about 40 unanswered punches, which left Kim with a swollen, likely broken jaw. Kim continued to fight back in the final and fatal round but was put down with a blistering right hand. Referee Richard Green finally stopped the fight and Mancini was declared the victor by TKO.

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