Five Unjust Decisions

Sometimes the punchcounts don't correspond with the judges' decision. Everyone knows that boxing has its fair share of questionable decisions from time to time, but the following 5 fights were the worst in terms of punches landed and judges' scorecards.

1. Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield 1 (1999) - PUNCHES: Lewis 140, Holyfield 73
JUDGES: 116-113 Lewis, 115-113 Holyfield, 115-115.......SPLIT DRAW

This fight was at least 116-112 for Lewis. Everyone who saw the fight knows that Holyfield was very ineffective offensively and that Lewis landed the better punches. The fight was a bit of a disappointment from an "action" point of view, but Lewis deserved the decision. The integrity of this decision was long questioned and the fact that so many title belts were at stake may have played a part.

2. George Foreman vs. Shannon Briggs (1997) - PUNCHES: Foreman 121, Briggs 89
JUDGES: 117-113 Briggs, 116-112 Briggs, 114-114.........BRIGGS MAJORITY

There's no question that Foreman landed more punches in this fight. Foreman's jab was extremely effective as he kept Briggs at a safe distance and essentially fought his fight for 12 rounds. Yes, Foreman got a "gift" decision against Axel Schulz. Yes, Foreman didn't need to fight anymore and was no longer fighting at a championship level. But the fact is that George Foreman, at 48 years of age, won this fight but had retirement imposed upon him by the judges.

3. Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton 3 (1976) - PUNCHES: Norton 111, Ali 86
JUDGES: 144-142 Ali, 143-142 Ali, 143-142 Ali...........ALI UNANIMOUS

Yes, the fight was competitive. Yes, Ali landed more head punches than Norton (86 to 71), but Norton's 40 punches to the body have to count for something. Hard hooks to the body are indeed landed punches. The decision just stinks of "Ali mania." It seemed like the judges all throughout 1976 and 1977 were giving Ali close victories, as if to say to challengers that they had fought valiantly but victory was reserved for the irreplaceable Ali. Norton deserved this one.

4. Evander Holyfield vs. Fres Oquendo (2006) - PUNCHES: Oquendo 67, Holyfield 41
JUDGES: 116-111 Holyfield,114-113 Holyfield,114-113 Holyfield....HOLYFIELD UNANIMOUS

This wasn't exactly an important or memorable fight. But, Holyfield did get a title shot against Sultan Ibragimov out of it, so the outcome did matter. Holyfield scored a picturesque knockdown within the first minute of this fight, but after that, it was mostly Oquendo picking away with jabs and straight rights. It was a very safe and boring fight, but one where Holyfield was again inept with his offense. Oquendo executed his gameplan and landed more punches than Holyfield but the judges found reason to give the aging former champion another moment of celebration.

5. Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Young (1976) - PUNCHES: Young 85, Ali 73
JUDGES: 71-64 Ali, 72-65 Ali, 70-68 Ali..................ALI UNANIMOUS

Another display of "Ali Mania." This tactical 15 rounder was mostly boring with both fighters content to posture on the outside and fire occasional jabs. But Jimmy Young got some nice right hands through and over 15 rounds he landed both more punches and the better punches. While many of the rounds were close, and while Ali did appear to win the 15th and final round, Jimmy Young got the better of Ali on this night. But as usual, the judges were having none of it.