The Worst Sucker Punches in Sports

As adrenaline flows through the veins of competing athletes, it's not rare to see scuffles, aggressive arguments or even solid jabs thrown. 

However, when an athlete is down and seemingly defeated, his true colors are shown.

There are some who scratch and claw until the end of the match, while others throw cheap shots in an effort to earn a classless victory.

Here are those athletes who couldn't contain their disrespect. A sucker punch to their opponent was evidently their last hope.

Enjoy.

15. Woody Hayes Ends His Career on Top

This is certainly one way to fire up the team... or break your hand.

While he is known for winning three national championships, capturing 13 Big Ten Conference titles and earning 205 wins during his tenure as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Woody Hayes made one instinctual decision that abruptly ended his career.

After Clemson linebacker Charlie Bauman ran back an interception towards the opposing sideline during the 1978 Gator Bowl, he was met with the mighty fist of this Hall-of-Fame coach.

A classy end to a great career as Hayes was immediately fired.

14. Paul Daley Plays by His Own Rules

Apparently English MMA fighter Paul Daley couldn't wait for the ref to get set.

With Daley and Josh Koscheck ready to fight at UFC 113 in 2010 for a chance to challenge Georges St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship, the stage was set for an entertaining bout.

At the end of the third and final round, Daley seemingly lost all respect for his opponent and threw a left hook that was seemingly blocked by Koscheck. Referee Dan Miragliotta quickly ended Daley's day.

The 30-day suspension from the Quebec Athletic Commission he was given may have been generous.

13. Brittney Griner Gets Wound Up

It's about to be a, what... girl fight.

After Texas Tech's Jordan Barncastle swung Baylor's Brittney Griner around like a rag doll, Griner decided to take action.

The freshman standout landed a successful punch to Barncastle's face and was eventually called for a flagrant foul and ejected.

Barncastle looked like a wounded boxer following the jab. 

12. Carmelo Anthony Gets His Last Licks

This is undoubtedly the reason the Knickerbockers traded for Carmelo Anthony; they were angry at point guard Mardy Collins as well for never averaging more than 5.2 points per game after being drafted with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.

The New York front office likely hoped that a solid sucker punch from a superstar would wake the youngster up.

It didn't.

11. Kyle McLaren Won't Be Beat

This is definitely one way to play defense. 

With just over a minute left in the fifth game of the 2002 playoff series between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, defenseman Kyle McLaren seemingly lost track of winger Richard Zednik, who had scored his team's only goals. 

McLaren wasn't willing to take any chances and tossed out a last-second elbow to the face of Zednik.

The former Montreal winger received a suffered fractured cheekbone, broken nose and a concussion, while McLaren got a useless three-game suspension.

10. Shawn Michaels Isn't a Team Player

This may have been staged, but it's the thought that counts.

While it may have been a despicable act on the part of Shawn Michaels, it's fair to say his tag-team partner on The Rockers, Marty Jannetty, would have likely jumped through the window either way to escape.

In the end, Michaels did save Jannetty from future beatings.

9. Ron Artest Embraces the Fans

Less of a sucker punch or more of a sucker brawl, the Malice at the Palace was quite the showing and truly got the crowd involved.

While many fans likely forget that Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace initiated the fight, they surely remember former Indiana Pacers instigator Ron Artest and his unacceptable response to an unruly fan who tossed a drink.

This entertaining, yet abominable night for the NBA featured a solid meeting between Artest's fist and a fan's face.

8. Zinedine Zidane Is Made of Steel

Seemingly yearning to be Jason Statham in Crank: High Voltage, this retired French footballer made the 2006 World Cup a memorable one.

After Italy's Marco Materazzi allegedly insulted his sister in the 110th minute, Zinedine Zidane headbutted his opponent and was sent off immediately.

This must've been his way of practicing headers.

7. Elizabeth Lambert Plays Nice

It's safe to say Elizabeth Lambert is perhaps the dirtiest soccer player ever.

She pulls hair (now we know how Troy Polamalu feels), punches backs and blind-sides opponents in the face.

Other than that, she's a model citizen.

6. Flavio Zandona Isn't Quite Done

What starts out as a comical exchange of subtle slaps quickly becomes a brutal display.

During the 1995 match between Velez Sarsfield and Flamengo, Brazilian striker Edmundo quickly discovered that he had messed with the wrong man.

Flavio Zandona evidently decided that a revenge slap wasn't quite enough.

The result is jaw-dropping. 

5. Marty McSorley Practices His Stick Work

While it wasn't quite a punch, this stick slashing was more than slightly unacceptable.

After Donald Brashear dominated Marty McSorley in an early fight during the game between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins in 2000, he taunted the Boston bench as he approached the penalty box. He then collided with Bruins goalie Byron Dafoe later in the game, requiring him to be taken off on a stretcher.

McSorley wanted revenge and continuously tried to fight the NHL enforcer, but to no avail.

Finally, with three seconds left in the game, McSorley whacked Brashear with his stick. His head hit the ice and he experienced a seizure and grade 3 concussion.

While Brashear allegedly didn't remember the incident, McSorley was charged with assault with a weapon and never played in another NHL game. 

4. Tie Domi Defines Karma

Seemingly a worse version of Matt Cooke, former NHL agitator Ulf Samuelsson was known for his dirty play.

While he was loved by fans and teammates, Samuelsson was despised by the rest of the league, especially after Game 3 of the 1991 Wales Conference Final, when he hit Cam Neely knee-to-knee (this was seen as the cause of Neely's career being cut short). 

Tie Domi, however, was also known as an enforcer and took matters into his own hands after Samuelsson tempted him with juvenile name calling in 1995.

Many believe this punch was generous.

3. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Disrespects Boxing

What was initially a highly-touted battle between Victor Ortiz and the disgraceful Floyd Mayweather Jr. became a disappointing display of boxing.

Even more entertaining than the fight was the interrogating interview of Mayweather by Larry Merchant.

The 34-year-old's only chance at redemption is to fight Manny Pacquiao.

2. Kermit Washington Defends Himself Too Hard

The punch heard round the world essentially ended Rudy Tomjanovich's career and almost his life.

During an on-court fight in 1977 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, Kermit Washington almost ended his opponent's life with a punch that presented Tomjanovich with life-threatening head injuries.

While Washington is one of only seven players in NCAA history to average 20 points and 20 rebounds throughout the course of their career (American University), he will forever be remembered for his notorious punch.

1. Todd Bertuzzi Makes the Wrong Kind of History

After Colorado's Steve Moore went after Vancouver's Markus Naslund, the team took notice and was ready for revenge.

However, NHL enforcer Todd Bertuzzi took things too far. After tailing the Avalanche center for more than a few moments, he threw a blind-sided punch that eventually ended Moore's career.

In the end, the punch may have hurt Bertuzzi's psyche more than it did his victim's neck.