Similarities Between Douglas-Tyson & Mayweather-Guerrero

Similarities between Douglas-Tyson and Guerrero-Mayweather: * Both favourites appear to have fared worse in pre-fight sparring than usual: Tyson was knocked down by Greg Page; Mayweather was seen sporting a black eye. * Neither favourite has their long-term trainer in their corner: Tyson had fired Rooney a few fights earlier; Roger Mayweather won’t be present due to ill-health. * The underdogs are both religious men whose children’s mothers were recovering from serious medical problems prior to the fight – Guerrero’s wife from Leukaemia and Douglas’ girlfriend from a severe kidney ailment. * Both favourites had significant personal relationships which ended in the year before the fight – Tyson’s marriage with Robin Givens and Mayweather’s friendship with 50 Cent. * Both favourites had/have a recent change in business partnership: Tyson had recently switched from Bill Cayton to Don King; Mayweather has recently switched from HBO to Showtime. * Both favourites had/will have a seemingly more challenging potential opponent watching at ringside – Holyfield in Tyson’s case and Canelo in Mayweather’s. * Both fights were held on occasions of national celebration – Cinco de Mayo weekend in the case of Mayweather-Guerrero and National Foundation Day (a national Japanese holiday) in the case of Tyson-Douglas. * In both cases there’s 6-year difference in age between the favourite and the underdog. * Prior to the fight, both favourites had an aura of invincibility, and neither underdog was thought of as a particularly serious threat.