Daniel Dubois broke The Code but so did some of the hardest men ever, including Roberto Duran and Mike Tyson When Daniel Dubois quit in the 10th round against Joe Joyce, the young heavyweight with the kind face and a good heart was hurled into a pit of shame alongside some of the hardest men in the history of boxing, Roberto Duran and Mike Tyson among them.The public court of social media – the modern equivalent of Robespierre’s revolutionary tribunal – pronounced that Dubois had committed the fight game’s unforgivable sin. The panel, surprisingly to some, included members of his own tribe: Dillian Whyte, David Haye, Johnny Nelson, Carl Frampton and others familiar with the reality of the ring. He...
The two fighters should look to boxing history before signing up to their world heavyweight rematch in the Middle EastIt is nearly 45 years since the Rumble in the Jungle – and still the myth of that wild night lingers, dangerously ignored.There is much to learn from deconstructing the most famous sporting event of the 20th century. When a fierce storm swept through Kinshasa shortly after Muhammad Ali had landed his perfect finisher on George Foreman in the eighth round, coming off the ropes to level the most feared champion since Sonny Liston, it was not enough to cleanse Zaire of the stench of collusion and bad dealings. Related: Amnesty International criticises sanctioning of Joshua v Ruiz Jr in Saudi...
Muhammad Ali and Kevin Doyle came to different decisions about their careers but will scientific advances make decisions any simpler in the future?There’s a story Larry Holmes tells about the night he fought Muhammad Ali for the world title, 37 years ago today, that gives an insight into the epic self-delusion of the greatest heavyweight champion of all.From the first bell Holmes grasped that Ali wasn’t the same man he had sparred with for years. That he was weak and “slower than Heinz ketchup”. Yet Ali’s “damn pride” meant that he would not quit. It took 10 rounds before Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee, pulled him out. Before then Holmes had started praying that he wouldn’t damage his friend permanently. Related:...