Wobbly cheeks, bodies in free fall, and a thunderous punch leading to a KO. That’s the charm of boxing. But the sweet science can be unforgiving, too. Especially when a lapse in judgment occurs, and it costs you the whole fight. We witnessed so many moments where the fight ended on a controversial note, leaving the fans and viewers scratching their heads and dumbfounded. If you try to find logic behind those, you might not find one—it’s a disqualification for a reason. So, let’s dive into some chaotic antics.

#5 Alycia Baumgardner vs. Delfine Persoon: clash of heads

When Alycia Baumgardner took on Delfine Persoon, the fans had billed it as a blockbuster. The champion knows how to put on a show, from the walkout to the end of the bout. She started the fight with a first-round knockdown of the challenger, but the latter hung on to her life and weathered the storm until there was an accident clash of heads in round 4, and it opened a cut on Persoon’s eyebrows.

The doctors soon rushed in, and a medical review recommended halting action. The referee listened to the medical experts and stopped the fight prematurely, and the 30-year-old champion left the arena with her unified titles intact.

#4 Floyd Schofield vs. Esteuri Suero: not following the boxing spirit

Floyd Schofield is one of the hottest prospects whom you can name in the lights division. But the American boxer also had his fair share of luck, too. You can call it bad luck, too, in a way. He took on Esteuri Suero earlier this year, but the fans didn’t see an exciting affair. He started the fight strongly, whereas Suero, intentionally or unintentionally, landed some low blows repeatedly. First in the second round, then in the fourth, and each time it resulted in a point deduction.

The final straw came in round 5 when Suero did it again, and the referee had had enough. The officials disqualified Suero because of his actions, which resulted in Schofield defending his WBA international lightweight gold strap and shielding his unblemished record.

#3 Richard Torrez vs. Joey Dawejko: a matter of a gum guard

Richard Torrez had a splendid start to his pro career. Coming on the heels of an Olympic silver medal and a 10-fight KO streak, the fans expected a similar result. And he was about to get to the good part when he started unloading punches in the fourth round. In the same round, Joey Dawejko dropped his gumshield 4 times. The referee made history frustration known to him and cautioned him of a DQ consequence.

But Torrez connected a big shot again in round 5, and Dawejko dropped his mouthpiece again. It ended in a rare DQ win for Torrez and for the fans, too, who are not used to seeing this kind of stoppage.

#2 Ablaikhan Zhussupov vs Khavasbek Asadullaye: going Mike Tyson way

Ok, this is something we didn’t expect to happen, actually. We all grew up hearing how Mike Tyson had a piece of Evander Holyfield‘s ear in their rematch in 1997. We didn’t expect a repeat of the same act in 2024 in an Asian Elite Boxing Championships fight. Ablaikhan Zhussupov took on Khavasbek Asadullaye in the final match, which turned controversial in the blink of an eye.

Asadullaye seemed to have his molars instead of his punches as he bit on Zhussupov’s shoulders during a clinch. It left visible teeth marks, but the referee overlooked the foul. An appeal soon followed, and Asadullaye had to pay with his title for the mistake he made, and Zhussupov won the fight via disqualification.

#1 Idris Abdurashidov vs. Bagher Faraji: anything but a boxing match

Well, Darren Till had trash-talked about kicking Tommy Fury in the face if their boxing bout didn’t play out the way he wanted. While he never got the chance to do it officially, Idris Abdurashidov actually did it. The undefeated Russian fighter fought Bagher Faraji in his debut boxing fight but struggled to make an impact. So, Faraji was on course to bag a comfortable decision win. However, as soon as the fight hit the last few seconds of the fight, Abdurashidov pulled out weapons from his MMA career.

He hit Faraji with a brute kick to the face and got slapped with a disqualification loss. What infuriated the fans was his boast about the same act on his social media handles. It invariably invited criticism and some trolling.

What do you make of these boxing matches resulting in disqualifications and no-contests? Which one was most peculiar to you? Let us know in the comments below.