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Upsets are a big part of sport and with Nadal losing in straight sets to Darcis today in Wimbledon in what must be one of the sport's biggest upsets, I thought I'd weigh in on what are my top boxing upsets of all time:
1. Tyson v Douglas: You just couldn't make this up, Douglas was a huge 40-1 underdog, there were casinos in Vegas not even accepting bets. Tyson was meant to destroy this guy...and then this happened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DskIL3pOdyw
2. Ali V Foreman: Ali was 32, he had lost, he'd had his nose broken, he'd been put down. Foreman was 25 and undefeated having obliterated Joe Frazier. This was meant to be Ali's last night, boxing writers were penning obituaries then came the most famous 8th round in history:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTn9GeHs11I
3. Braddock v Baer: Braddock was a man with porcelain hands and Baer was the boxer who had killed a man inside the ropes. The Cinderella man was supposed to get destroyed. None of that happened and Braddock got a UD, it is still one of the great heavyweight upsets in history.
4. Turpin v Robinson: On one side, the greatest fighter on the planet, on the other, a little known British middleweight. No one expected Turpin to out point, out skill and out hustle the veteran champion. Still to this day one of the biggest upsets in MW history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkXB-lL0ULI
5. Curry v Honeyghan: Honeyghan was a good fighter but Curry was the consensus p4p number one and the best 147 pound fighter on the planet. There were comparisons with Leonard, talks of a future move up in weight. Honeyghan stopped all that, by not only beating Curry but making him quit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3BXQ5Q2C-s
6. Sanders v Klitschko: Wlad was supposed to be the next big thing, Sanders was brought out of retirement and a huge 20-1 underdog. The fight ended in 2 rounds with Wlad an absolute wreck. Never before has there been such an underdog moment. Watch it for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzISYRTl2h0
7. Moorer v Foreman: One punch is all it takes in boxing and it seems a 45 year old Foreman had it in him, observe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0SONoA5L1g
8. Armstrong v Zivic: Armstrong was one of the greats, a legend in his own lifetime. A multi-weight world champion who should have disposed of the limited yet tough Zivic, on paper anyway but we all know fights are not fought on paper. Zivic would hurt the champion, drop him and win a UD.
9. Ali V Liston I: Liston was the destroyer, Mike Tyson even before the baddest man on the planet had been born. Hard hitting and ferocious with a furious jab, Ali was meant to be too skinny, too inexperienced and too young. Two rounds some said, three the optimists cried, it ended with a disheartened Liston quitting in the corner, having tried everything to beat the challenger (even some rather dodgy substances on his gloves).
10. Duran v Laing: Duran was still one of the world's best, even though his losses to Leonard and Hearns and hurt his persona, the man was still feared. But the mercurial Brit didn't care, he marched at Duran, he countered, he attacked and he out boxed. Laing would never again reach these heights but that night he was one of the greats.
What are your opinions? Your favourite upsets?
1. Tyson v Douglas: You just couldn't make this up, Douglas was a huge 40-1 underdog, there were casinos in Vegas not even accepting bets. Tyson was meant to destroy this guy...and then this happened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DskIL3pOdyw
2. Ali V Foreman: Ali was 32, he had lost, he'd had his nose broken, he'd been put down. Foreman was 25 and undefeated having obliterated Joe Frazier. This was meant to be Ali's last night, boxing writers were penning obituaries then came the most famous 8th round in history:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTn9GeHs11I
3. Braddock v Baer: Braddock was a man with porcelain hands and Baer was the boxer who had killed a man inside the ropes. The Cinderella man was supposed to get destroyed. None of that happened and Braddock got a UD, it is still one of the great heavyweight upsets in history.
4. Turpin v Robinson: On one side, the greatest fighter on the planet, on the other, a little known British middleweight. No one expected Turpin to out point, out skill and out hustle the veteran champion. Still to this day one of the biggest upsets in MW history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkXB-lL0ULI
5. Curry v Honeyghan: Honeyghan was a good fighter but Curry was the consensus p4p number one and the best 147 pound fighter on the planet. There were comparisons with Leonard, talks of a future move up in weight. Honeyghan stopped all that, by not only beating Curry but making him quit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3BXQ5Q2C-s
6. Sanders v Klitschko: Wlad was supposed to be the next big thing, Sanders was brought out of retirement and a huge 20-1 underdog. The fight ended in 2 rounds with Wlad an absolute wreck. Never before has there been such an underdog moment. Watch it for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzISYRTl2h0
7. Moorer v Foreman: One punch is all it takes in boxing and it seems a 45 year old Foreman had it in him, observe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0SONoA5L1g
8. Armstrong v Zivic: Armstrong was one of the greats, a legend in his own lifetime. A multi-weight world champion who should have disposed of the limited yet tough Zivic, on paper anyway but we all know fights are not fought on paper. Zivic would hurt the champion, drop him and win a UD.
9. Ali V Liston I: Liston was the destroyer, Mike Tyson even before the baddest man on the planet had been born. Hard hitting and ferocious with a furious jab, Ali was meant to be too skinny, too inexperienced and too young. Two rounds some said, three the optimists cried, it ended with a disheartened Liston quitting in the corner, having tried everything to beat the challenger (even some rather dodgy substances on his gloves).
10. Duran v Laing: Duran was still one of the world's best, even though his losses to Leonard and Hearns and hurt his persona, the man was still feared. But the mercurial Brit didn't care, he marched at Duran, he countered, he attacked and he out boxed. Laing would never again reach these heights but that night he was one of the greats.
What are your opinions? Your favourite upsets?
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