10 Worst Boxers To Ever Get A World Championship Match, Ranked

Title fights are supposed to feature the best of the best in the boxing world. However, that's not always the case in this sport. Over the years, there's been a lot of boxers who held the gold that shouldn't have. That being said, there are even worse competitors who have stepped up to fight for a title, who shouldn't have even been in the building.

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These names stand out as the worst title challengers in boxing history. While some of these athletes were very talented fighters, they didn't need to be anywhere near a championship, especially at these moments in their careers.

10 Sibonsio Gonya

One of the worst title challengers in boxing history fought very recently. In November 2017, Zolani Tete got to defend his WBO bantamweight championship against Sibonsio Gonya. The challenger wound up being knocked out in just seconds.

The result begged the question, how did Gonya get a title shot to begin with? With only a few professional bouts, sitting at 12-5 and he comes without the pedigree of a lengthy amateur career. Unsurprisingly, he hasn't fought for gold since.

9 Eric Molina

The fact that Eric Molina got not one, but two title shots is a slight on the heavyweight division. In June 2015, the relatively unknown Mexican boxer got called to face Deontay Wilder. While he had success early, he was knocked out in round nine.

He put together back-to-back wins and got a title shot against Anthony Joshua the following year. Predictably, he was knocked out in the third round. To this point, Molina is still competing but hasn't defeated any major names.

8 Audley Harrison

Just to be clear here, Audley Harrison wasn't a terrible boxer. He won gold at the Olympics and beat some okay names. That being said, he's considered a bit of a joke because of his performance against David Haye in 2010.

Harrison lost by third-round stoppage, in a fight where he barely threw a punch or moved. His performance was so bad, that he was investigated for throwing the bout. Following the investigation, his full purse was returned to him, because he was apparently just that bad.

7 Rod Salka

Rod Salka's fight with Danny Garcia in 2014 was controversial immediately after its announcement. At the time, 'Swift' was the undefeated linear, WBA (Super), WBC, and The Ring light welterweight champion. Meanwhile, Salka was most known for losing to Canelo Alvarez's brother Ricardo.

The WBA and WBC refused to sanction the fight, just leaving the linear title on the line. They were proven correct not to sanction the bout, as Salka was easily knocked out in round two.

6 Richard Frazier

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It's honestly unfortunate that Richard Frazier ended up on the list because he tried his best. In 1999, the 18-3-1 boxer was the number one ranked WBC light-heavyweight contender. Sadly, the champion was a prime Roy Jones Jr.

Frazier was predictably knocked out in the second round, in a massive squash match. To his credit, he was a full-time police officer during his boxing career and was never supposed to reach these heights, to begin with.

5 Tim Tomashek

Speaking of boxers who were never supposed to be in a title fight, Tim Tomashek got the surprise of his life in 1993. Then WBO heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison was set to fight Mike Williams, with 'Doughboy' being a backup boxer. Right before fight time, the challenger refused to box.

As a result, Tomashek, who had already had some beers and hot dogs, was called into the main event. While he lost by knockout, the story is an absolutely legendary one. That being said, he obviously shouldn't have been there.

4 Jose Roman

George Foreman is one of the greatest boxers of all time, but he beat a lot of less-than-stellar competition. While 'Big George' famously beat five men in one night, he had several title defenses that essentially fit the category of little more than an exhibition.

His September 1973 title defense against Jose Roman is an example of that. Foreman won by first-round knockout, defending his WBA and WBC heavyweight gold. The fight was by far the biggest of Roman's life, and he finished his career with a 54-27-4 record.

3 Marvis Frazier

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While Joe Frazier is one of the best heavyweights ever, his son didn't earn the same reputation. Marvis Frazier had a solid amateur career, and at just 10-0, got a title shot against the undefeated Larry Holmes in 1983.

This fight was little more than a mugging. 'The Easton Assassin' won by first-round knockout, and Frazier never fought for a title again.

2 Owen Beck

Nikolai Valuev is largely remembered for being the tallest heavyweight champion ever. While he defeated some big names including Evander Holyfield, he also had a forgotten title defense against Owen Beck in 2006. He entered the contest having lost two of his three most recent bouts.

Unsurprisingly, Beck was knocked out in the third round. He didn't beat any major names in his boxing career and retired on a 10-fight losing streak.

1 Eddie Croft

Eddie Croft is arguably the worst title challenger ever, especially considering the context. In 2003, 'Prime Time' was easily knocked out by Erik Morales in a bid for WBC featherweight gold. But, why was he there to begin with?

He retired with a record of 23-7-1 and lost five of his last six fights before fighting Morales. Furthermore, it's not like he was even competitive in his recent defeats, having been knocked out three straight times. Oh, and he took off three years before getting the title shot against Morales.

There's no sport quite like boxing.

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