When Gervonta Davis stepped into the ring to fight Lamont Roach Jr., he never imagined the outcome to be a majority decision draw. But what made the fight extremely controversial was a knee Tank took in the 9th-round that wasn’t ruled a knockdown by referee Steve Willis. It got even stranger when Davis later revealed he technically didn’t take a knee. Why? It wasn’t Roach who sent him down, but the grease from his fresh hairdo that got in his eyes, partially blurring his vision. Crawling to the corner to clear his eyes, referee Steve Willis noticed it and, after a brief back-and-forth, let the incident slide by simply giving him a warning. However, the boxing world wasn’t having it.

You see, if the referee had stuck to his guns and ruled the voluntary knee a knockdown, Lamont Roach Jr. would have won the fight and the championship, and Tank would have had a loss on his career. But, alas, it didn’t happen, leading to a wide outcry from boxers like Terence Crawford and Ryan Garcia, as well as boxing experts worldwide. But if you think that’s the only bizarre incident to happen in boxing, think again. There’s a whole treasure trove of ridiculous, unexpected moments inside the ring that make the Gervonta Davis incident look tame. From strange decisions to jaw-dropping mishaps, these events will have you shaking your head in disbelief. Here are three of them.

Oliver McCall starts crying mid-fight

Oliver McCall shocked the boxing world back in September 1994 with his 2nd-round TKO victory over the boxing great Lennox Lewis, handing him his first professional loss. The victory immediately propelled McCall to global fame and made him the WBC heavyweight champion. However, three years later, everything changed for The Atomic Guy. By the time they had their rematch in February 1997, McCall was dealing with serious personal issues—mental health struggles, d–g problems, and legal troubles, including an arrest just months before the fight. When the rematch came around, McCall’s behavior in the ring was unsettling.

The fight this time was again for the vacant WBC heavyweight title, and everybody expected McCall to come in strong. However, that didn’t happen. From the very first round, Lennox Lewis was overpowering his reluctant opponent. But many thought it was all part of McCall’s gameplan, only it wasn’t. After the third round, things took a strange turn when Oliver McCall refused to return to his corner and was instead walking and pacing aimlessly around the ring while his trainer, the legendary George Benton, looked on helplessly. Then came the fourth round, where he refused to fight Lewis back or even defend himself while a hesitant Lewis followed him around the ring trying to land punches.

And this time, when the bell rang, McCall walked into his corner and started crying profusely while nodding his head in disagreement. It was clear that he was having a mental breakdown in the middle of a championship fight. When the bell rang once again, he came out again, refusing to fight. It was clear that something was very wrong. Thankfully, referee Mills Lane stopped the fight a minute into the fifth round, declaring Lewis the winner. It was heartbreaking to watch, and the boxing community was left not thinking about the fight but about McCall’s well-being. It only goes to show the immense amount of pressure that athletes face and that even the toughest men are not free of mental health struggles.

Tony Wilson’s mother attacks Steve McCarthy

In September 1989, Steve McCarthy was on the brink of finishing Tony Wilson in their light-heavyweight clash when things took a wild turn. The then-undefeated Steve McCarthy had knocked Wilson down in the 3rd round and had him pinned against the ropes. He was hitting the 20-8 boxer continuously, but out of nowhere, Wilson’s 62-year-old mom, Minna, rushed into the ring and started attacking McCarthy with her shoe. Total chaos, right?

McCarthy thought he had the win in the bag and walked toward his corner with his hands raised, as is the norm in case of a disqualification. However, in a bizarre twist, referee Adrian Morgan insisted the fight go on. McCarthy wasn’t having it, though. So he refused to continue. As a result, the mamma’s boy was declared the winner by technical knockout.

It would have been a KO win for McCarthy if the 62-year-old had never stepped inside the ring. Her stiletto heel even injured McCarthy’s head, leading to him being hospitalized. Ultimately, the crowd was outraged, and the British Boxing Board of Control called for a rematch. So, did the rematch ever materialize? No, it never did. McCarthy pulled out as he was suffering from the flu. Wilson, though baffled by his mom’s actions, had to ban her from future fights, while his manager defended her, saying she just “blacked out” in the heat of the moment. It was one of the strangest moments in boxing, and Minna Wilson’s shoe-wielding intervention remains etched in boxing history!

A parachutist halts Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield

You’d never expect something like this to happen in boxing, right? And who would imagine a parachutist interrupting a heavyweight championship fight? But that’s exactly what went down in November 1993 during the rematch between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield for the IBF title. In the seventh round, a guy named James “The Fan Man” Miller, known for similar shenanigans, had a motorized fan strapped to his back and tried to land it in the ring as part of a publicity stunt.

His stunt went horribly wrong—he got tangled in the ropes of the ring, causing a huge disruption. Security and the crowd rushed in, and he was quickly pulled from the ring. He was even manhandled by the crowd for disrupting an important fight. As a result, the fight was halted for 21 minutes while they dealt with him, but once the action resumed, the final announcement was made. Holyfield eventually won the fight, but it was Miller who took the biggest beating of that night.

Can you think of any other wild moments like that? Do share your thoughts with us below.