Title Fights That Ended In a Stoppage Due a Fighter Being Injured

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By Joshua “City” Brewer

Former WBA bantamweight champion Ryan Burnett, 19-1, 9 KO’s, was on a rather impressive run heading into this past Saturday’s championship fight with Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, 39-5, 25 KO’s. The fight was a part of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) bantamweight, 118 pounds tournament. The big storyline heading into the fight was the fact that Donaire was making a trip back down in weight to 118 pounds for the first time in seven years. The 35 year old Donaire came into the fight having gone 1-2 in his last three. Returning to the weight that essentially made him famous, he was facing a Burnett who was essentially starting to peak in what would have been the second defense of his title.

The fight in itself was living up to the hype and in a sense, exceeding the expectations. There was a ton of back and forth action where both fighters had their moments, cracking with hooks from both sides. The pivotal moment came towards the tail end of the fourth round when after missing on a right cross, Burnett went down to a knee holding the right side of his back. After making the count, Burnett essentially was forced into a corner where Donaire unloaded with shots just as the bell rang. It was evident that something was wrong as Burnett was unable to answer back with the right and looked very discouraged.

While in his corner, Burnett told his team that he was unable to throw the right hand which effectively rendered him unable to defend himself. The fight was stopped right then and there giving Donaire the fifth round knockout victory while also making him a bantamweight world champion once again. One man’s devastation is another’s triumph in a sense. Both guys are class acts and one can’t help but feel the pain of Burnett while also feeling the joy of Donaire, who has been a warrior willing to face the best throughout his career. The WBSS tournament moves on where Nonito Donaire will now face South Africa’s Zolani Tete, 28-3, 21 KO’s, in the semi-finals to move one step closer to the Muhammad Ali Trophy.

It’s always a devastating thing when a champion loses his title via injury. This got me thinking of other high-profile championship fights where the champion lost the title due to injury in a fight he was expected, or enroute to winning (in no significant order, of course).

Jess Willard Vs Jack Dempsey – July 4, 1919

This fight goes way back to when Jack Dempsey arrived in a major way as he was able to take the heavyweight championship of the world away from the giant known as Jess Willard. WIllard was the favorite coming into the fight and outweighed Dempsey by more than 50 pounds, to go along with another four to five inches in height. At the start of round one, Dempsey essentially went all in as he was supposedly looking to cover a bet associated with him knocking out Willard in the first round. The beating that ensued that round was one of the most brutal in fight history. This was at a time when fighters weren’t required to retreat to a neutral corner and as expected, the knockdowns came one after another, seven in the first round. Miraculously, Willard was able to regain himself and lasted through the third round before ultimately retiring on his stool before the fourth round due to an assortment of injuries ranging from a broken jaw to broken ribs. It should be noted that there have been varying disputes as to whether Willard was really injured. The world may never know for sure.

Sonny Liston Vs Muhammad Ali – February 25, 1964

Probably the most high profile example of them all took place in Miami Beach, Florida, 1964. Liston, then heavyweight champion of the world, was the overwhelming favorite and was expected to wipe the mat with the young and brash Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay at the time. Some feared for Clay’s life as the buildup to the fight saw him push the limits of trash talk. The fight that ensued ultimately became Ali’s crowning moment as he showed the world that he was in fact “The Greatest.” Despite a scare in the fifth round due to as substance temporarily blinding him, Ali systematically broke Liston down and by the end of the sixth, Liston retired in his corner due to a torn shoulder muscle. This fight essentially changed the entire landscape of the heavyweight division, and boxing as a whole. An item of note is that to this day there have been cries of Liston not really being hurt and/or the fight being fixed.

Vitali Klitschko Vs Chris Byrd – April 1, 2000

Klitschko was the WBO world heavyweight champion coming into what was to be his third defense of the title. This was essentially the first ‘high profile’ fight of the Ukrainian native’s career. The towering heavyweight used his reach to garner a wide lead on the official judges’ scorecards. Despite the lead, Klitschko retired in his corner after the ninth round due to a torn rotator cuff. Byrd’s reign, though, was short lived as he lost the title to Vitali’s younger brother, Wladimir Klitschko, in his very next fight.

Can you think of other major, high-profile fights where the champion was forced to retire on his/her stool due to injury?

Let us know and stay locked into RSR for the latest in the world of boxing.

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