BoxRec

What are some the excuses you’ve heard or most embarrassing? David Haye an obvious one with his big toe after the Klit fight. What you got?

Wlad said his water was spiked after the loss to Brewster.

Wilder obviously had loads after Fury 2.

Ngannou has said stuff about the late start time or being made to get to the venue too early or something vs Joshua.

Amir Khan had the guy in the hat vs Peterson.

Willard said Dempsey had loaded gloves.

Didn't Pacquiao blame his loss to Morales on his socks not fitting right or something like that?

Bobbyptsd wrote: ↑03 May 2026, 12:39 Didn't Pacquiao blame his loss to Morales on his socks not fitting right or something like that?

Ha that’s great, not heard that one

Can’t remember the reason but didn’t Steward say Hearns lost against Haglar as he had sex or a massage before the fight and that’s why his legs weren’t strong.

Controversial wrote: ↑03 May 2026, 13:35 Can’t remember the reason but didn’t Steward say Hearns lost against Haglar as he had sex or a massage before the fight and that’s why his legs weren’t strong.

Yes on the HBO Legendary Nights documentaries he blamed Hearns' lack of movement on a leg massage in the locker room prior to the bout.

Joe Frazier:

-Lost to Foreman the first time because he wasn't "right".
-Lost to Ali the first time because of the judges.
-Lost to Ali the second time because his trainer shouldn't have stopped the fight even though he could barely see and was getting hammered. Didn't make this excuse until many years after the fight.
-Lost to Foreman the 2nd time because he wore contacts and his eyes got blurry.
-In the Olympic trials, he lost to Buster Mathis because Mathis' trunks were too high.

Tyson fought with a broken back
Duran's cramps in No Mas
Foreman's many excuses after losing to Ali. Poisoned, Loose ropes, etc.
MOsley blamed his new shoes when he lost to Pac.

Jaywheel wrote: ↑04 May 2026, 09:47 Tyson fought with a broken back
Duran's cramps in No Mas
Foreman's many excuses after losing to Ali. Poisoned, Loose ropes, etc.
MOsley blamed his new shoes when he lost to Pac.

That was actually a 1st round KO win where he claimed that

David Haye's toe will take some beating.

Controversial wrote: ↑03 May 2026, 13:35 Can’t remember the reason but didn’t Steward say Hearns lost against Haglar as he had sex or a massage before the fight and that’s why his legs weren’t strong.

Yep, Manny said that; a leg massage on Hearns seemingly caused him to go toe to toe with the iron jawed middleweight master and come off second best.

That has to be up there as one of the most laughable excuses for a defeat ever.

Holyfield blamed his loss in the 3rd Bowe fight on Hepatitis A causing his energy levels to go up and down.

The common theme is no matter how great some fighters are they are still often delusional

Yep. Obviously there have legitimate ones; but most of the time they are lame.

Controversial wrote: ↑04 May 2026, 16:06 The common theme is no matter how great some fighters are they are still often delusional

To some extent you have to be borderline delusional to even make it to the top of a sport like Boxing. You have to believe in an insane dream, and you have to put an insane amount of time into chasing that dream that only you can see.

It's hard to put that much into something, and accept that you just weren't good enough. So people NEED an excuse to keep going. To think it'll be better next time.

Riddock Bowe simply said that Holyfield was the better man on the night after second fight. No excuses.

Tua said the judges were wrong after losing to Ike.

Holyfield said judges were wrong after the first Moorer fight.

T

usually (back in the old days (pre-1960) it
was usually The Oranges" given to them by one of their own cornermen,"

Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑03 May 2026, 20:04 Joe Frazier:

-Lost to Foreman the first time because he wasn't "right".
-Lost to Ali the first time because of the judges.
-Lost to Ali the second time because his trainer shouldn't have stopped the fight even though he could barely see and was getting hammered. Didn't make this excuse until many years after the fight.
-Lost to Foreman the 2nd time because he wore contacts and his eyes got blurry.
-In the Olympic trials, he lost to Buster Mathis because Mathis' trunks were too high.

Ali said he lost FOTC because... oh no wait, he said he actually won it.

Bobbyptsd wrote: ↑03 May 2026, 12:39 Didn't Pacquiao blame his loss to Morales on his socks not fitting right or something like that?

I actually recall Manny Pacquiao's brother Bobby Pacquiao being in a fight one time where his shoes were slippery, and they had to wrap them in tape to keep him from slipping repeatedly.

I don't recall if he lost or not actually, but if he would've that would've been a legit footwear related excuse in the family

Mike Ayala supposedly was on Heroin for his fight with Danny Lopez. That's gotta be one of the most insanely reckless and irresponsible excuses ever.

Tommy “ Hurricane “ Jackson said he inhaled too much fresh air when doing road work in preparation for his shot at Floyd Patterson.

Jaywheel wrote: ↑04 May 2026, 09:47 Tyson fought with a broken back
Duran's cramps in No Mas
Foreman's many excuses after losing to Ali. Poisoned, Loose ropes, etc.
MOsley blamed his new shoes when he lost to Pac.

- Some of you are confusing excuses with reasons.

None but his trainers really know about Tyson's back, but anyone alive can tell you what happens if you strain some back muscles. See Floyd Patterson vs Ali 1.

Duran's monstrous 2 grapefruits thrown to him whole after the 1st Ray weighin that he demolished without peeling before stepping into the adjacent restaurant to polish off a full porterhouse steak dinner and then having another one just before the fight is documented. His cramps where needing to take a massive dump exacerbated by having to chase the running Ray which is what he did immediately as he was bumrushed into his dressing room. Now, he could've squatted and dumped in his corner during the rest period, but thankfully that was not an option

The overbearing idiotic Cosell made up the No Mas statement. What he said to the Mexican ref in Spanish was "I'm not fighting this clown" as he waved off Ray to turn to his corner. What did Ray do? While he ran up to hit Duran in the back...just pitiable, so what was that excuse? What, never gave an excuse? I mean really!!!

Foreman was partially drugged by Saddler in the dressing room for Ali who was mentored by the vicious Jack Kearns as Dempsey could tell us all about. He fired Saddler and Archie Moore after that and later hired Archie for his comeback after he was satisfied Archie had nothing to do with it. The ropes were grotesquely loose as Dundee first tried to do for Ali/Frazier 1 one where he was ushered off the MSG site and banned until the time of the fight.

Foreman getting cut viciously in his Zaire sparring while being confined to abandoned Army barracks held hostage by AK toting soldiers while Ali was living in the grotesquely murderous Mobutu's Presidential Mansion. George eventually moved to a Hotel just before the fight, an absolutely miserable place for Foreman.

George was KDed for the first time ever and was up at the 9sec mark of the count that had reached 10, yet was stopped with no rematch in spite of Ali rematching our 'enery Cooper, Patterson, Chuvalo, Frazier, Leon...well, I could go on but for being so dizzy with the hijinks of Ali.

Never heard the Mosely/Pac shoe tale, so please do tell us more...

The Duran excuses are total BS. His own trainers said that he was losing and quit.
Most of the Foreman stuff is BS as well.

Morrade hakaar refused to throw a punch against hopkins because he "couldnt hit a guy with glasses"

Bhop had of course cleverly worn spectacles to the press conference knowing the french destroyers only weakness

Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑15 May 2026, 16:38 The Duran excuses are total BS. His own trainers said that he was losing and quit.
Most of the Foreman stuff is BS as well.

Roberto Duran was BETRAYED big time by his own manager Carlos Eleta and promoter Don King. It was one of the greatest betrayals in boxing history.

Everything was done to accommodate Sugar Ray Leonard to win and for Duran to fail. I don't think that he had cramps. But, he could have died inside that ring for lack of conditioning in a fast paced contest.