Behind the Gloves: A History of Boxing Scandals
Big sport is not only competitions, championships and hard training of athletes. It is also about scandals, intrigues and personal dramas.
One of the most controversial sports available for betting after RocketPlay registration is boxing. Aggressive forms of combat always go hand in hand with notorious media allegations, and we decided to shed some light on several of them.
Mafia and contract fights
Thanks to modern cinematography, it’s no secret that in the 50’s big sports were ruled by the mafia. Back then, fair bets like in RocketPlay were out of the question — the results of all important fights were decided behind the scenes, through mutual bribery, blackmail and threats.
Each mafia promoted its athlete to big boxing, and although it was not fair, it gave a real chance for success to several really strong athletes.
Jake LaMotta gives up his fight
In 1947, the famous fight between Jake LaMotta, who was already a star at that time, and the little-known Billy Fox took place.
The legend lost under real pressure from the local mafia — the criminals promised to organise a title fight for him. The truth came out only in the 60’s, when LaMotta gave official testimony in the case about the relations between the mafia and boxing. This scandal was immortalised in the film Raging Bull with Robert De Niro.
Mysterious knockout for Sonny Linston
Despite the daily boxing events that can be followed on RocketPlay Casino, the most talked about fight so far is the bizarre fight between Sonny Linston and Muhammad Ali.
Sonny went down literally in the first round, from a kick that is still considered a phantom punch — it wasn’t even clearly captured on video from the fight. Although there is no direct evidence, many believe the athlete lost the fight due to threats from the Islamic Mafia.
Scandals between star athletes
Boxers themselves also often clash with each other, not only in the ring, but also outside it. The heat of passion before an important fight often reached its peak in this sport, which led to unpleasant situations, up to the disqualification of one or even both athletes.
Such stories have often been the subject of discussion in the media and even a blog on Rocket Play, making them part of the history of professional boxing.
Mike Tyson’s famous bite
In 1997, the famous rematch between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield took place. And Mike was so angry at his opponent that he bit off a piece of his ear right during the fight.
This case became the most vivid example of uncontrolled aggression in the history of modern boxing. The fight was stopped immediately, Tyson was fined a large sum and disqualified for a year, and his act literally became a meme.
Dereck Chisora made the press conference a ring
In 2012, Derek lost a fight to Ukrainian boxer Klitschko. He vented his anger on David Haye, right at the press conference before their fight.
The duel was so spectacular that Rocket Play Casino would have loved to take bets on it. Although both fighters received a temporary disqualification, they still fought a mutual feud style fight to give fans another taste of the vibe of that press conference.
Fights for spectators — show boxing
New technologies — new formats of scandals. The modern world dictates its own rules of popularity, so that in the 2020s boxing fights increasingly resemble a show rather than a real confrontation.
And although the original idea of such a format attracted by its novelty, then became the subject of universal condemnation in the context of discrediting the sport itself. Although, it attracts the attention of a young audience to boxing, so maybe it’s not so bad.
Influencer vs. UFC champion
In 2021 and 2022, Jake Paul, a real YouTube star, organised two fights against Tyron Woodley, without official betting on RocketPlayCasino.
The first fight ended in a controversial victory for the Influencer by judges’ decision, and the rematch ended in a 6th round knockout of the champion. That it was a fight for show was not in doubt — Woodley was incredibly passive in the ring, which in no way suited his style, and Jake made millions from these videos.
Blogger vs. boxing legend
Logan Paul, a famous blogger, stepped into the ring in 2021 with Floyd Mayweather, a legendary boxer known for his excellent technique.
Although the winner of the bout was never announced, the broadcasts clearly showed that the fight went on with minimal punches and lots of clinching. The champion literally kept the blogger on his feet to prolong the show and not put the poor guy down by knockout, and both fighters made millions.
Personal drama — scandals not only in the ring
Boxing’s everyday life, which isn’t something one would bet on at Rocket Play Australia, also often attracts media attention with personal dramas. For example, the same Mike Tyson is often discussed in the context of the worst marriage in the history of the sport due to his split with actress Robin Givens.
And scandals such as Amir Khan’s wife’s accusations of cheating with Anthony Joshua happen almost every day. And often they are trivial productions to raise the attention of the audience before the upcoming fights.
The article was written with the appliance of a content from the gambling expert Julia Kotvytska.
