Ring Magazine Scandal
In 1976 The Ring magazine fabricated records of selected boxers, to elevate them, thereby securing them lucrative fights on the American ABC television network, as part of the United States Championship Tournament.
The United States Championship Tournament was a promotional effort by promoter Don King to capitalize on the patriotism surrounding the United States Bicentennial and the American amateur success at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. King's "hope" was to defeat the non-American boxers who held the vast majority of world titles below the Heavyweight division. Keeping in line with the patriotic theme of the promotion, King held shows at "patriotic" locales--such as the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, as well as on an aircraft carrier stationed off Pensacola, Florida.
Despite the above, the 1977 Ring Record Book contained the fictitious additions to the records of the boxers in question, and were never taken out of their records of the boxers. Those dubious bouts would continue to appear in subsequent Ring Record Book editions.
This Ring Record Magazine scandal was uncovered by boxing writer Flash Gordon and ABC staffer Alex Wallau. After Gordon and Wallau's evidence was presented to ABC executives the United States Championship tournament was cancelled.
Boxers involved
Boxers who participated in the tournament and given inflated records were:
- Donald (Biff) Cline - given five first round knockouts in 1976
- Mike Colbert - given three wins in 1976
- Ike Fluellen - given two wins in Mexico in 1976
- Anthony House
- Hilbert Stevenson - given five wins, and a draw with House in 1976
