Emanuel Augustus, among others, used drunken boxing.
Boxing is a sport with many styles and techniques. Part of the fun is that each athlete has a distinct style. Some fighters, such as Floyd Mayweather, transition from aggressive to defensive styles.
Generally speaking, boxers use a lot of the same techniques and fighting styles, with little variation in preparation and approach. But that’s not the situation for everyone.
The UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya sometimes uses Zui Quan in the octagon, a fighting style that originated in the 18th century.
Modern Zui Quan is known as drunken boxing. Not many fighters use this style, but Emanuel Augustus is the most famous.
Although Augustus’ professional record of 38-34-6 may not seem impressive, his style made him difficult to beat on his best days. In 2004, he even captured the IBA Light Welterweight title.
‘The Drunken Master’ is the best example of a boxer using the style.
Emanuel Augustus and drunken boxing with Floyd Mayweather
In 2000, Emanuel Augustus nearly defeated Floyd Mayweather with his drunken boxing style.
A WBC Super Featherweight Champion at the time, Mayweather met ‘The Drunken Master’ when he had a professional record of 22-16-4.
Augustus brought the fight to Mayweather despite his lackluster record, but Mayweather rallied to win by knockout in the ninth round.
Floyd Mayweather reflected on his career and his fight with Emanuel Augustus in a 2012 interview with ESPN.He admitted that the bout was his toughest.
Among all the guys I have fought, Emanuel Augustus is the best. He didn’t have the best record in boxing. He hadn’t won a world title, but he came to fight. At that particular time, I had taken a long layoff.”
