BoxRec

Who’s your money on ref!!!!!!

The world lightweight contest in 1912 between Ad Wolgast and Joe Rivers came to a bizarre end. In the 13th round the two fighters each landed a telling punch at the same time, knocking each other down, seemingly for the count, For some strange reason the referee helped the defending champion Wolgast to his feet and held him up while he counted Rivers out, and wolgast retained crown,

I think the ref was just fed up with their constant fouling and decided to haul the champion up and maintain the status quo. Another dirty fight worth a mention involved two of the best boxers of all time, the hard-hitting Sandy Saddler and the brilliant-boxing Willie Pep. Both men are best known for their epic four fight series which both entranced - and repelled - the boxing world between 1948 and 1951.
Saddler won three of the four encounters. He stunned the boxing world by knocking out an overconfident Pep inside four rounds at New York's Madison Square Garden in October 1948. Pep had previously lost just once in 136 fights.
Four months later, before a capacity crowd of 19,000 at the same venue, Pep regained the title on points in one of the finest boxing displays ever seen. Their third meeting, at New York's Yankee Stadium in September 1950, saw Saddler regain the title by eighth round knockout.
But their reputations were forever tarnished by the final meeting on September 26 1951, which is often cited as the dirtiest fight in history. This vicious encounter, which took place at the New York Polo Grounds before a crowd of 14,000, shocked even hardened boxing reporters. They likened it to a street brawl in which every rule in the book was broken. To quote one observer, "any resemblance to a boxing match was purely coincidental".
As spectators watched aghast, the two great rivals spat, butted, tripped, back-handed, gouged and wrestled one another while referee Eddie Miller struggled to keep a semblance of control. The 'contest' ended after the ninth round when Pep, who was badly cut over the right eye, retired. In the ensuing furore, the New York State Athletic Commission banned Saddler from the ring for 60 days, despite his protestations: "I thought I fought a clean fight," he said, tongue firmly in cheek. Pep was banned for life, mainly for his blatant tripping, only to be reinstated less than two years later.
In his post-match testimony, referee Miller said that the fight had been so savage that he feared the two boxers might have triggered a race riot. In fact, all four of the Pep-Saddler fights set new standards for the type of rough-house tactics which can still occasionally be seen in the ring today.
Let's not forget the fight in Philadelphia in 1939 when 'Two Ton' Tony Galento butted and gouged Lou Nova for 14 unpleasant - and bloody - rounds. The ring stools, for a subsequent four rounder, had to be moved three feet inwards to avoid the slippery blood-stained canvas.
And Ernie Terrell claimed Muhammad Ali thumbed him in the eye during their distasteful unification fight in 1967, which Ali dominated - without ever looking like stopping Terrell - and won on points.

Other dishonourable mentions:
Luis Resto - Billy Collins Jr
Fritzie Zivic - Al 'Bummy' Davis
Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson
Gerrie Coetzee-Mike Schutte

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Didn't Pep once win a round without throwing a punch? Such was his defensive prowess and agility, Steve689's inquisitive fact for the day. On the subject of Steve Holdsworth, i keep e mailing him but he hasn't as yet read out my name

In the annals of boxing there are many tales of lore. Did William Harrison Dempsey really call himself Jack after that great middleweight Jack 'The Nonpareil' Dempsey? Did Joe Louis once give a shiny half-dollar to a goggle-eyed youngster named Rocco Marchegiano? Did Muhammad Ali draw the smallest crowd for a world heavyweight title fight? Was Harry Greb really blind in one eye? And did Willie Pep, the Will o' the Wisp, really win a round without landing a single punch?
By the age of 20, Pep had won 54 fights in a row and was world featherweight champion. Four years later, he took on Jackie Graves in a non-title encounter. Graves was no mug. Ranked in the world top ten, he boasted a 25-2 record and was a southpaw to boot. Perhaps a sportswriter had written he might cause Pep a problem or two. Perhaps, as some have suggested, Pep had laid a friendly bet with his manager. Or perhaps Willie was just in the mood. Whatever, before the fight the world champion made a prediction to rival any of those made later by Muhammad Ali - that he would win a round without throwing a single punch. More than that, he told sportswriters in which round he would do it. Round number three.
Bert Randolph Sugar said of the audacious feat: "Pep tipped off a few friendly sportswriters that he would not throw a punch in anger in the third round. Pep moved, Pep switched to southpaw, Pep danced, Pep weaved, Pep spun Graves around, Pep gave head feints, shoulder feints, foot feints and feint feints. But Pep never landed a punch." The crowd at ringside were oblivious to the fact he wasn't throwing any punches - as were the three judges. He looked like he was dominating by his sheer artistry.
Pep went on to floor Graves NINE times en route to an eighth round stoppage, but it wasn't the victory the ringside press were excited about, it was the scorecards of the judges. When the cards were presented, there it was in black and white. Willie Pep had won the third round, the punchless round, on all three cards.
The Will o' the Wisp had given boxing another legendary moment. Oh, as to those other 'did it happens?': Jack Dempsey did name himself after The Nonpareil, Louis did give a half-dollar to Marciano and another kid as they followed him around at a boxing show where he was guest announcer, Ali-Liston II drew only 2,434 fans to Lewiston and Greb was blinded in one eye by Kid Norfolk in 1921 yet kept it a secret and fought on successfully for the final five years of his career and his life.
And, of course, Willie Pep did win a round without landing a single punch.