The dirtiest fights you've ever seen

Afternoon fellas, all set for the bank holiday weekend? If you'd like to spend it watching some proper, quality football, then tune in to Sky Sports this Sunday afternoon and feast your eyes on the Tricky Trees of Nottingham! Just saying....

Back to boxing now. We've all got our favourite fights, or fights which we consider the best / greatest we've seen, or fights which were major disappointments. But what I want to know is this - what are the dirtiest, filthiest and most foul-filled fights you've seen? Fights in which one, or preferably both fighters bent the rules as far as they possibly could (too far in some cases) and where the dark arts were truly mastered, if you can call it that, throughout.

I'll get the ball rolling with some of my own suggestions, and then see what else you lot can come up with.

Jeff Fenech's Featherweight title defence against Marcos Villasana always stands out, for me. Two fighters who really traded on their hard man personas, and while Fenech emerged victorious from this incredible fight, he did so with a fractured cheek bone and a broken hand (with the other hand also damaged, apparently). Fenech had Villasana in a head lock multiple times, somehow without having a single point deducted. On the other hand, Villasana's constant punches to Fenech's 'nad region earned him a point deduction in round five, and in round six, when he tried the same tactic again, Fenech literally tried to shove referee Joe Cortez aside to hand out his own brand of punishment to his Mexican opponent, before trying to knock him spark out when they resumed as Villasana, in a rare moment of sportsmanship, actually extended his glove to the Australian to apologise.

A fight which went at an almost unreal pace, but which was also incredibly dirty!

Another Featherweight contest, this time between Freddie Norwood and Dereck Gainer, takes some beating, too. Norwood's ability to rabbit punch and hit low, as well as practically fireman lifting Gainer up over his shoulder and almost throwing him through the ropes and in to the ringside seats, was only matched by Gainer's ability to body slam his opponent to the deck before pushing his glove in to his neck as he hauled himself up, and knee him in the groin as they got in to exchanges on the ropes. Both men visitied the canvas multiple times, and usually it was nothing to do with a punch landing. The fight ended in pure disgrace when two cynical low blows by Gainer (who was behind on the cards) cracked two huge uppercuts in to Norwood's town halls which the referee somehow didn't see.....Or maybe he just chose not to!

Others which spring to mind are Hopkins-Echols II, Skelton-Williams I and Pep-Saddler IV.

So, anymore to add? Which fights stick out in your mind as the dirtiest and most foul-filled you've seen? Any suggestions, let me know.

Cheers everyone.

Golota Bowe, take your pick which one. Would have to imagine Bowe was in some discomfort after both of those.

Obviously never saw it but would have to imagine Greb vs Norfolk would have been quite something to behold. Greb was noted for his ability in the dark arts and in Norfolk he met a guy only too happy to give as good as he got.

Gotta be Tyson/ Holyfield. Doesn't get much worse.
Tyson/Botha where Mike tried the break the guy's arm.
Hatton/Maussa when Carlos opened up to cuts on Ricky with blatant headbutt's

Hopkins Vs Winky comes to mind. Lots of head butts, holding/hitting and punches thrown on the break and after the bell. I think Hopkins is the most cynical fighter in recent times and he gets away with it.


I posted a video of Harry Wills a couple of days ago and he scores a knock down hitting on the break. Apparently he was well known for this and has disqualifications for it.

Anything involving Frank Bruno and his habit of holding and cuffing behind the head. Scarily though, a slight cuff from Frank could probably produce damaging consequences in all but the studiest of individuals.

There's a fight with Andre Ward where he gets put on the deck illegally and his opponent practically drops on him. Think it was some crazy redneck guy with a mullet

Buchanan Duran, ended by an alleged knee to the plums from Hands of Stone, although TV evidence is inconclusive. It was certainly a low blow, and should have been a DQ.

I read Greb would sink his teeth in during clinches. You took your life in your hands going into a clinch with him, thumbing with the old glovers, back handers, holding and hitting, butts whatever.

In a strange way it's easy to forget about Tyson-Holyfield II in terms of being dirty, because it was such a short fight. But when one guy leaves the ring with part of his ear missing and the other has a cut over the eye because of a clash of heads, all within nine minutes of action, you know something's gone seriously wrong.

Kid Norfolk against Greb must have been something, Rowley. Both ended up partially blinded as a result of that fight, as you know, and Greb went on to say that Norfolk was the only man who'd managed to better him in the arts of gouging, thumbing, kidney punching and grazing. No mean feat!

Duran v Moore is bound to get a mention, but I remember it more as a mugging than a dirty fight- esp as the accusation that Duran intentionally thumbed Moore is nigh on impossible to prove- as are most thumbing incidents, I'd challenge anyone to actually spot a thumbing in real time.
Foreman landing a right on the back of Fraziers head was pretty ugly, but never really gets too much consideration as it gets lost in amongst the five other knockdowns
Ali v Terrel was also pretty ugly if not dirty.

Yeah, I've never really been able to spot where / when exactly the thumbing took place in Duran-Moore either, HH. Although once Moore's eye started to close up, Roberto was definitely a bit crafty and cynical in using his head to graze it, I think.

I think Foreman got away with a fair bit, to be honest. The shot to the back of the head as you mention, the way he practically bench pressed his opponents off him sometimes, and of course the blow he landed on an already floored Roman. People have definitely been disqualified for less.

Saddler vs the filipino flash - got owned in the first and second one was going the same way according to reports until Saddler Hopkinned him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRI4min_7P8 its back up - can someone download them before they get taken down

Old Grandpa used to say that Henry Armstrong was one of the dirtiest fighters he'd ever seen he also used to wax lyrical about the tme Fritzie zivic completely beasted him with dirty tactics in their match...........and doubled the dose..

So I'll go Fritzie Zivic v Henry Armstrong............

Fritzie was apparently the absolute master in the dark arts. Robinson famously said he learned more in 24 rounds with Zivic than in every other fight he had.

Frankie Duarte vs Alberto davila had more elbows, heads and forearms to last a lifetime...

Abraham v Miranda

Just look at the state Abraham was in after that fight.

Ward was pretty dirty against Kessler. Odd as he didn't really need to be.

Good call JBW, Ward was filthy in that fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Puxp2Lv6QU

Although the video may have been made by Froch himself, you can't argue with some of the footage. The butt in round 10 was disgraceful.

More recently id say Fury vs Cunningham.

Fury literally jumped on his back, headbutted, low shots, then to actually finish the fight, he barraged him into the corner, left forearmed him in the face and smashed him.

I was genuinely shocked by how much he got away with in that fight and the ending was a disgrace.

BRUNO VS TYSON 1

Bruno did nothing but rabbit punch the whole fight...hold and smacked Tyson from behind....

Tyson did nothing but smash his elbows into Frank's head and smacked him blatantly when he was down..

But Steele (king's cabin boy) only saw Bruno's infractions...

I think its probably why he struggled with Holyfield. He used his elbows to jar/move his opponents back and against Evander he came up against someone who was twice as dirty and willing to grit it out - sort of smothered him. tyson at his best might have had the chance to overcome it - post prison didn't.

The last Saddler-Pep fight has a claim to be the dirtiest title fight in history. People think of Willie as the ultimate stylist, but he had no real choice but to be drawn into a foulfest by Saddler's highly successful strategy. The referee could have legitimately disqualified either of them.

On a slightly different note, I've seen some commentators wonder whether the various Saddler-Pep fights might show, if not a blueprint, then a possible plan for how to beat Floyd Mayweather. All that's required is a welterweight of around 6'2" with a longer reach than Marciano, a willingness to rough Floyd up and the ability to hit concussively hard with either fist!

Pity Hearns has retired, really....

captain carrantuohil wrote:The last Saddler-Pep fight has a claim to be the dirtiest title fight in history. People think of Willie as the ultimate stylist, but he had no real choice but to be drawn into a foulfest by Saddler's highly successful strategy. The referee could have legitimately disqualified either of them.

On a slightly different note, I've seen some commentators wonder whether the various Saddler-Pep fights might show, if not a blueprint, then a possible plan for how to beat Floyd Mayweather. All that's required is a welterweight of around 6'2" with a longer reach than Marciano, a willingness to rough Floyd up and the ability to hit concussively hard with either fist!

Pity Hearns has retired, really....

Everyone expected Guarrero to do it and he failed.