Blood Sport: The Worst Boxing Cuts Ever
Beyond the skills and artistry in the ring, at its essence, boxing is a blood sport.
Fighters leave their mark on each other throughout ruthless rounds of battle.
Whether from intentionally accurate shots or accidental clashes, many boxers have sustained gruesome gashes with horror movie-like consequences.
BOXRAW look back at the worst boxing cuts ever in history.
Badou Jack (vs Marcus Browne, 2019)
“I’m a fighter. I ain’t gonna quit,” Badou Jack declared after sustaining a horrific gash down his forehead in 2019, which provided one of the most disturbing insights into how brutal boxing can be.
The three-weight world champion was quite literally split open, leaving him requiring plastic surgery to sew his face back together and needing 100 stitches across three layers of skin.
Evander Holyfield (vs Mike Tyson, 1997)
More of a complete tear-off rather than a cut next, but Mike Tyson’s infamous ear bite of Evander Holyfield caused shockwaves in their 1997 rematch.
‘Iron Mike’ was disqualified in one of the most controversial moments in boxing history, after leaving Holyfield missing a chunk of his ear from a moment of madness.
Tyson Fury (vs Otto Wallin, 2019)
What was supposed to be a routine heavyweight world title defence for Tyson Fury turned into a bloody night’s work in Las Vegas, with long-term consequences.
‘The Gypsy King’ endured a nasty cut which ran the length of his eyebrow against Otto Wallin, but the scar tissue later came back to haunt him too, when the injury reopened during sparring before his eventually postponed Oleksandr Usyk showdown.
Vitali Klitschko (vs Lennox Lewis, 2003)
Vitali Klitschko and Lennox Lewis had produced a great 2003 heavyweight match-up before several savage cuts forced proceedings to end prematurely.
Klitschko had given Lewis plenty of problems as he led on all three scorecards and was visibly annoyed when the early stoppage was officially called, as he left the ring wearing a crimson mask from both eyebrow and cheek lacerations.
A deserved rematch, unfortunately, never materialised.
Stephen Smith (vs Francisco Vargas, 2017)
Liverpool’s Stephen Smith was forced to undergo immediate medical attention as surgeons worked to save his ear following a severe slash in 2017.
The gruesome cut occurred from a repeated clashing of heads with opponent Francisco Vargas, though Smith admitted he only noticed after looking up at the big screen and seeing his ear "flopping everywhere".
Rocky Marciano (vs Ezzard Charles, 1954)
In the second of their two legendary heavyweight title battles, Rocky Marciano suffered a sliced left nostril in the 1954 rematch with Ezzard Charles.
‘The Brockton Blockbuster’ had been cut around the eye in their first meeting, but this return fight cut was far worse and caused a constant stream of blood to flow.
Despite the horrendous wound, Marciano literally saw red and rallied to a late eighth-round knockout victory to successfully defend his heavyweight crown.
Henry Cooper (vs Muhammad Ali, 1966)
It’s fair to say Henry Cooper was no stranger to leaving the ring covered in blood, especially when facing Muhammad Ali, with both their fights ending early due to cuts.
Affectionately known as ‘Our 'Enry’ to his home supporters, Cooper was left cut to pieces against Ali, but he did manage to score a famous knockdown of ‘The Greatest’ in their first match-up.
Other notable worst boxing cuts ever:
Jack Catterall (vs Harlem Eubank, 2025)
Israel Vazquez (vs Rafael Marquez, 2010)
Mason Cartwright (vs Darren Tetley, 2018)
Jorge Barrios (vs Rocky Juarez, 2008)
Alan Minter (vs Marvin Hagler, 1980)
Kevin Mitchell (vs Jorge Linares, 2015)
Marco Antonio Barrera (vs Amir Khan, 2009)
Miguel Cotto (vs Joshua Clottey, 2009)
Header image: Wil Esco - Bad Left Hook