Claims of a robbery in boxing have become common, with the statement being thrown around on a regular basis.
However, only some shouts can be backed up, and here are the ten most controversial fights that genuinely rocked the sport.
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Manny Pacquiao, Lennox Lewis, Gennady Golovkin and George Foreman are among the most famous names to step into the ring.
But they are also just a few of the boxing superstars to have been stung by some inexplicable judging…
10. Canelo Alvarez D12 Gennady Golovkin (2017)
An appalling robbery? No.
But it looked obvious to most viewers that ‘Triple G’ had done enough to earn a close-but-clear decision win over his great rival in their epic first fight, out-landing Alvarez in 10 of the 12 rounds.
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But Adalaide Byrd’s jaw-dropping scorecard of 118-110 to Canelo (with Golovkin winning just two rounds) led to a split-decision draw and fuelled the bad blood that engulfed this feud.
“The scoring is not my fault,” shrugged Golovkin, while his trainer Abel Sanchez suggested Byrd must have filled out her scorecard before the two middleweights entered the ring.
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9. Erik Morales W12 Marco Antonio Barrera (2000)
Another dubious decision that sparked a memorable trilogy.
Unbeaten Morales was the favourite going into this war with his Mexican blood rival, which perhaps swayed the judges.
The ferocious action went back and forth, but Barrera’s left hook finished many of the exchanges, while a knockdown in the final minute seemed to seal his win. However, two of the judges had other ideas, giving Morales a split-decision triumph.
Barrera won another controversial fight the second time around (with several observers believing this time ‘El Terrible’ deserved victory) before sealing the trilogy in a final thriller.
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8. Oscar De La Hoya W12 Felix Sturm (2004)
Debatable decisions followed ‘The Golden Boy’ around. De La Hoya’s defeats by Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley (in their rematch) provoked huge debate, as did his victory against Pernell Whitaker.
But the clearest bad decision came against unfancied Sturm. De La Hoya was warming up for a blockbuster showdown with Bernard Hopkins and, out of his natural division at middleweight, got outworked by Germany’s Sturm in a scrappy bout.
The judges, perhaps unwilling to derail a super-fight, all gave De La Hoya the nod at 115-113. A fair scorecard… just for the wrong boxer.
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7. Josh Taylor W12 Jack Catterall (2022)
One of the most blatantly incorrect decisions in a British ring.
Scotland’s Taylor had done superbly to unify the world titles at 140lb yet couldn’t get to grips with Catterall in a messy fight between two southpaws.
‘El Gato’ knocked down Taylor in round eight and landed the cleaner punches throughout. But the split decision in Glasgow saw two of the judges edge the fight to the champion.
“What a load of s***!” Catterall tweeted afterwards, which seemed a fair summary.
Two years later, the pair met again for a rematch and Catterall was able to avenge the shock defeat, winning via unanimous decision.
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