‘I live for this s***’ – Tyson Fury happy, Anthony Joshua unsettled, Mike Tyson ‘dead’ vs Lennox Lewis and Floyd Mayweather Jr emotional with dad in boxing’s most memorable corner moments

Boxing is often thought of as an individual's sport, with two men battling it out in the ring - and may the best man win.

What people sometimes forget is that there is a whole team behind every boxer, from trainers to cut-men and nutritionists, who all play a part in the success or failure of the man in the middle.

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These supporting members find themselves in the corner on fight night and sometimes they provide more entertaining moments than the actual fight.

Here, talkSPORT looks at some of the most memorable.

Floyd Mayweather's emotional message to his father

'Money' is well known for retiring unbeaten with a record of 50-0, rounding off his career in typical Mayweather fashion by securing one of the biggest paydays in sporting history when he knocked out Conor McGregor in 2017.

One fight prior to this contest, in 2015, Mayweather Jr had announced he would be retiring after taking on Andre Berto.

As he was cruising to victory over Berto, he began to reflect on his career and, while holding back tears, spoke to his father and trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr ahead of round 12.

“I’ve been looking back on my career, baby. Everything you taught me from day one, I’ll always remember. Love you, baby, I love my father.”

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The father and son duo had endured an up and down relationship throughout the years, but this was a touching moment to show their issues had been resolved and it was a fitting end to Mayweather Jr's career... or at least what seemed like the end at the time.

Anthony Joshua feeling strange during first fight with Andy Ruiz Jr

In 2019, Anthony Joshua was on top of the world having unified three of the four major heavyweight world titles and he was coming off the back of a knockout victory over Alexander Povetkin in front of 70,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

This prompted Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, to unveil the heavyweight star to the American public. He was due to fight Jarrell Miller at Madison Square Garden, but after Miller was removed from the card due to a failed drugs test, Ruiz Jr stepped up to take on the Brit.

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He was not considered a credible threat in the build-up, but achieved the seemingly impossible by knocking Joshua down four times on his way to a stoppage victory.

During the fight, no-one could believe what they were seeing and it seemed neither could AJ, as he was heard asking trainer Rob McCracken after round six in the corner, “why am I feeling like this?” 

Joshua went on to exact revenge over Ruiz Jr in the rematch later that year and regain his belts, but that night in New York will forever be remembered as one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

Tyson Fury 'lives for this s***'

Fury has faced his fair share of adversity in his life, whether it was rising from the canvas in the twelfth round of his first fight with Deontay Wilder in 2018 to avoid defeat, or battling with mental health issues.

When Fury decided to take on Swedish heavyweight, Otto Wallin, in September 2019 in a 'keep busy' fight before his 2020 rematch with Wilder, few expected the challenger to cause any problems, but once again adversity arrived on Fury's doorstep.

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Early in the contest, Fury suffered a horrendous cut above his right eye and over the fight it just got worse and worse to the point that it was clear at times the 'Gypsy King' could not see the punches coming.

The referee and doctor kept a close eye on the cut throughout the fight and there were many occasions where they would have been justified to stop the bout, as we have seen fights called off for less.

In the corner between rounds, Fury's cut-man was hard at work while Ben Davison, Fury's trainer, was focused on keeping the heavyweight calm and focused.

However, the 'Gypsy King' seemed unconcerned by the stream of blood oozing from above his eye, as he simply said: "I live for this s***."

Fury went on to win the fight comfortably on the scorecards, managing to avoid a potential banana skin defeat, but the heavyweight did have to get 47 stitches after the contest.

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Chris Eubank Sr slapped back into reality

Eubank was known for being a showman during his career, but his trainer Ronnie Davies was having none of it when he decided to start showboating mid-fight against Steve Collins during their 1995 clash.

Having been knocked down himself in the eighth round, Eubank returned the favour by dropping Collins in the tenth, but instead of stepping on the gas, Eubank stood proudly in front of Collins taunting him.

When he returned to the corner, he was greeted by a slap from a furious Davies who told him: “You gotta stop him. Sit down, Sit down. F****** around like that, why didn’t you stop him?”

Eubank went on to rue the missed opportunity as he was beaten by unanimous decision on the judges scorecards.

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Mike Tyson a 'dead man'

Tyson was a formidable force in the boxing ring, especially in the first five years of his career, but by 2002 when he came up against Lennox Lewis, the aura of fear that surrounded 'Iron Mike' had faded.

The opening few rounds between the heavyweights were competitive but as the rounds wore on and Tyson began to tire, the Brit began to exert his dominance.

This was not enough, however, for Lewis' legendary trainer, Emanuel Steward, as he had some choice words for Lewis at the end of round five.

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“F****** ridiculous. You got a dead man in front of you and you still doing this, just let that s*** go, this fight is over with," he shouted.

"You’re gonna f*** around and let him catch you with some s*** if you don’t watch. This man is dead out there, he wants to quit."

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Lewis went on to finish the fight in round eight by landing a crushing right cross to knock Tyson down for the second time in the round, but this time he didn't get up, as Lewis defended his unified WBO and IBF heavyweight world titles.