BEING punched in the face for 36 minutes by thick-set leather gloves will undoubtedly leave its mark.
But in the sport of boxing, accidental (or not) headbutts and even TEETH have also caused blood to spill and skin to be ripped open.
No boxer likes to win on a cut, but sometimes the referee has no option but to wave it off on doctor’s advice.
Nowadays boxers, Tyson Fury included, invest heavily in a top cut-man in the corner to prevent the most heartbreaking of stoppages.
And of course a severe cut is at risk of opening up at anytime when it’s being pounded.
Here SunSport list seven of the most gruesome cuts of all time – with some of the victims even managing to triumph at the end.
BADOU JACK vs Marcus Browne, 2019
Jack sustained a horrific cut to his head midway through his WBC Silver light heavyweight title fight against Marcus Browne.
People on social media described how it looked like the fight had suffered an “axe wound” on his forehead.
The Swedish boxer came off worse when the fighters clashed heads in the seventh round, leaving him with a deep wound on his forehead that poured with blood.
Despite the injury gushing with claret, Jack was allowed to continue and somehow made it to the end of the fight.
TYSON FURY vs Otto Wallin, 2019
Tyson Fury suffered a huge gash above his right eye after taking a series of hooks from Otto Wallin last September.
He revealed after the fight that it required 47 stitches.
Fury’s face was covered in blood and photos later emerged of the gruesome laceration before it was stitched together again.
He enlisted the help of legendary cutman Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran for his second battle against Wilder in Las Vegas – but he barely needed him as he battered the American.
MASON CARTWRIGHT vs Darren Tetley, 2018
This is the horror injury suffered by boxer Mason Cartwright that saw his fight against Darren Tetley waved off.
The two welterweights had put on a real blood-and-thunder battle on the undercard of Josh Warrington’s world title win against Lee Selby.
On the doctor’s advice, the fight was all over in the ninth and Tetley was the new WBO European welterweight champion.
It was hardly surprising with Cartwright’s lip appearing to be hanging off.
HENRY COOPER vs Muhammad Ali, 1966
Cooper was cut to pieces in his two fights against boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
“Our ‘Enry” as he became affectionately known, was stopped in the fifth round of his first fight against Ali in 1963 – but he did score a knockdown.
In their 1966 rematch there was no sweet revenge for the Brit as cuts over his right eye, on his nose and even on his shoulder saw him stopped in the sixth.
The Londoner suffered with cuts throughout his career but will still go down as one of the gutsiest fighters ever.
EVANDER HOLYFIELD vs Mike Tyson,
Holyfield shocked the world in 1996 after stopping Tyson in the 11th round, with their rematch a year later resulting in one of the most controversial and talked-about moments in boxing history.
Tyson was disqualified after biting off a chunk of his opponents ear, and commenting on the infamous incident, Holyfield added: “When people look at me, I know they are looking at my ear.
“People think I got the whole ear bit off!”
The two have kissed and made up – and could even be rolling back the years for a trilogy fight with both considering lacing up the gloves again.
VITALI KLITSCHKO vs Lennox Lewis, 2003
Brit hero Lewis successfully defended his WBC belt against Klitschko in 2003 after the challenger was pulled out after six rounds of their blood-soaked bout.
Fifty stitches were needed to repair the skin savagely ripped from around the challenger’s eye but the fact he was ahead on all three scorecards has forever pained Klitschko.
The Ukrainian politician was ahead on all three cards 58-56 and was gutted to have the contest decided on a cut.
Klitschko went on to win the WBC title that Lewis vacated by retiring but he always felt robbed of his shot at revenge.
ISRAEL VAZQUEZ vs Rafael Marquez, 2010
These two put on four legendary fights that no fan could say didn’t entertain.
Each had the blood, sweat and tears you would expect when two bantamweights put it all on the line.
The fourth fight was undoubtedly one too far for Vazquez, who it was rumoured wore a face-mask in camp due to fears his numerous cuts over the years would open up.
As expected that is exactly what happened in Part IV against fellow Mexican Marquez.
Vazquez’s left eyebrow looked like it wanted to escape at the end and he had a big slit above the right eye, and Marquez secured a fourth-round win.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
