Remembering Boxing’s Goriest Matches This Halloween Season
We all love a good fight, but do you know your limit when the fight gets a little bit too intense? The history of boxing is absolutely full of devastating blows and knockout punches. But it also has its fair shores of low blows and exposed innards. This Halloween, let’s revisit some of boxing’s goriest fights, and we can see just how far our darker side can take us!
Vitali Klitschko vs Lennox Lewis, 2003
This was British boxing legend Lennox Lewis’ last bout, and we all got to watch six rounds of uninhibited rampage between Lewis and Vitali Klitschko. This 20-minute fight at the Los Angeles Staples Center would not be one that Klitschko could forget very easily.
While the Ukrainian was known for his sharp facial features before the match, by round three, they were increasingly difficult to make out. In this round, Lewis landed a devastating right hand that opened up his opponent’s left eye. Somehow, Klitschko kept fighting while his blood continued to paint the ground until round six when the referee finally called a TKO.
Frederic Gosset vs Xia Yu Quing, 2006, 2009
Neither of these boxers are the typical ones you will see in the headlines. Maybe that is why they needed to ham things up a bit. Chinese fighter Xia Yu Quing and French boxer Frederic Gosset seem to have some personal issues to work out.
Their first match in 2006 ended in a technical draw due to headbutts. That is already scary enough considering how dangerous headbutts can be, but when we tie it in with their 2009 bout, things really go to another level. In 2009, in the eighth round, Gosset landed a brutal headbutt on Quing that left him stumbling and bleeding like someone about to turn into a zombie.
Rocky Juárez vs. Jorge Rodrigo Barrios, 2008
Rocky Juarez was a big-time prospect in the early days of his career. While this never panned out, it does say something about the hype surrounding this match. He went up against the Argentine Jorge Barrios hoping to get his career back on track. Needless to say things did not go as planned.
Barrios was knocked back on his behind, and when we finally caught a glimpse of his face, we saw that his lip was basically separated from his face. The ref decided to call the match immediately due to the quantity of blood.
Paulie Malignaggi vs. Pablo Cesar Cano, 2012
This fight between Paulie Malignaggi and Pablo Cesar Cano took place in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in October of 2012. It was quite the way to inaugurate the boxing card at the Barclays Center. Malignaggi was defending his WBA title against the rising star Cesar Cano.
Earlier on in the fight Milagnaggi cut the eye of the younger Mexican star. He started bleeding profusely and continued to do so until the end of the fight. Cesar Cano was somehow able to keep fighting, and some even argued should have won by decision. Despite this, the scorecards gave the fight to Malignaggi, allowing him to hold on to his title.
Keeping Your Cool During Intense Fights
If these fights seem like too much, you are not alone. It takes a good amount of adrenaline, some flashing lights, and maybe even some problems at home to reach this level of aggression. For those of us already home trying to have a relaxing evening, we may need some strategies to not lose our stomach while we watch these fighters take it a step too far.
One way to stay engaged but also have an outlet is to bet on the fight. For this, check out the best online betting sites, where you can find great odds on upcoming boxing matches and more. Plus, these expert reviews find the best promotions and bonuses in the Middle East and Africa, no matter which country you are gambling from. They even look at live play, which would be an especially exciting way to enjoy an extra brutal match!
If you join one of these sites, you can even turn off the television and get live updates from their live betting platforms. This is a good way to stay in the know without having to see the quease-inducing fight.