Since its inception, boxing has sat on the fringes of society. Just like the sport as a whole, the fighters have existed on the outskirts as well. While many competitors are model citizens and great ambassadors of the sport, plenty of individuals also placed prize fighting in a bad light with their awful decision-making outside the fight game.
With that in mind, here are the 10 most shocking crimes committed by boxers.
Mike Tyson
By 1991, Mike Tyson had transcended the confines of boxing and was one of the most famous people on earth. Four straight wins put him back on track to regain the heavyweight titles he lost to Buster Douglass the year before. That momentum would come to a screeching halt days after his decision win over “Razor” Rudduck.
In early July, Tyson was arrested for the rape of Desiree Washington, an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant. He was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison. He was released less than three years later, registered as a sex offender, and has maintained his innocence over the years.
Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins’ legacy has been defined by longevity. At 46 years old, he became the oldest person in history to win a world title. He’d break his own record just two years later when he won the IBF light heavyweight belt. “The Executioner” credits prison for his historic success.
At 17, he squandered a promising amateur career for criminal activity and was sentenced to prison for a string of robberies and assaults. After witnessing an inmate being murdered over a pack of cigarettes, Hopkins focused his efforts on boxing. Upon his release five years later, Hopkins began his professional career.
Carlos Monzon
Widely regarded as one of the best boxers of all time, Carlos Monzon’s resume is stellar. Throughout his 100 fights, he only saw defeat three times and avenged those losses. He held the undisputed middleweight championship for 7 years and was a beloved celebrity in his native Argentina.
Violence outside of the ring became commonplace for Monzon. Multiple women accused him of being abusive and he was detained by police multiple times as a result. In 1988, he beat and strangled his wife before throwing her off of a balcony. He was convicted of homicide and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Six years later, he died in a car accident while on a weekend furlough.
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Tony Ayala Jr
As one of the biggest what-ifs in the sport of boxing, Tony Ayala never lived up to his potential. Despite starting as a 22-0 championship hopeful, his disturbing criminal acts derailed his career at just 19 years old.
After being sentenced to probation for two previous attacks on women, Ayala continued in his antisocial and reprehensible behavior. On New Year’s Day of 1983, he brutally raped a neighbor after breaking into her home. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Upon making parole in 1999, Ayala resumed his career. Unfortunately, he continued to get in trouble with the law.
Trevor Berbick
Trevor Berbick is best remembered for losing the WBC heavyweight crown to Mike Tyson, a street fight with Larry Holmes, and defeating a well past-prime Muhammad Ali. He also won the bronze medal at the 1975 Pan American Games for Jamaica.
In 1990, Berbick beat and raped his children’s babysitter in her Miami apartment. Two years later he was convicted of the crime and sentenced to five years in prison. After an early release, Berbick resumed his boxing career. He was deported to Canada following a parole violation in 1997.
Luis Resto
Luis Resto was a journeyman boxer with an unremarkable record and resume. His biggest accomplishment was winning the New York State Golden Gloves welterweight title twice. But he’s most known for one of the most infamous criminal acts committed inside the ring.
Immediately after winning an upset decision over Billy Collins Jr, the NYSAC commission impounded his gloves and wraps after Collins Sr noticed how thin Resto’s gloves were. The gloves had padding removed and caused permanent damage to Collins, ending his career. Resto was charged and convicted of assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and conspiracy.
He was served over two years in prison. He later admitted to also dipping his wraps in plaster of Paris and taking a banned substance to increase his stamina.
Riddick Bowe
Riddick Bowe had a remarkable career that spanned 45 fights. He captured the undisputed heavyweight crown and picked up notable wins over Evander Holyfield, Bruce Seldon, and Andrew Golota. After his initial retirement, Bowe engaged in bizarre behavior that took him from joining the Marine Corps to becoming a school crossing guard.
His exploits turned criminal during a wayward attempt to repair his marriage. The former champ drove across state lines to his estranged wife’s house in North Carolina, threatened her, and forced his family to ride back to Maryland with him. He served 17 months for interstate domestic violence.
Floyd Mayweather Sr.
Floyd Mayweather never rose to the heights of his son but had a respectable career at welterweight. He suffered a late TKO to Sugar Ray Leonard in his highest-profile fight. A gunshot wound ended his time in the ring.
After successfully guiding a young “Pretty Boy” Floyd as an amateur, the elder Mayweather would be arrested for trafficking cocaine. He served over five years in prison and became a world-class trainer when he was released.
Jake LaMotta
Jake LaMotta held the middleweight title for two years and was known for an aggressive brawling style. Those unfamiliar with boxing history books might better know him as the subject of the Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull.
LaMotta made some shocking admissions about his actions outside of the ring. He confessed to assaulting his wives, nearly beating a man to death during a robbery, and raping a woman. However, in 1958 he spent six months in jail for promoting an underage sex worker at his Miami nightclub.
James Butler
Although he fought for the IBF super middleweight belt, James Butler’s boxing career is overshadowed by the unsanctioned violence he displayed. In November of 2021, the “Harlem Hammer” sucker punched Richard Grant after dropping a 10-round decision. He spent four months on Riker’s Island and nearly three years exiled from the sport. But that assault pails in comparison to what he did several years later.
In October of 2004, Butler murdered Sam Kellerman, the younger brother of boxing media personality Max Kellerman, and attempted to burn his Los Angeles apartment to cover up the crime. Butler was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison.
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