Douglas KO Tyson. Tyson was looked upon as invincible at the time. Douglas was a 40+ to 1 underdog going into the fight. It widely regarded as one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
Liston was such a fearsome figure that most people figured the first fight to be a fluke and that Sonny would avenge his loss. I don't have the betting odds, but if memory serves me right, Liston was favored to win the rematch, albeit at thinner odds. To this day, there are people who don't believe Sonny actually got hit in the rematch and that he took a dive. These people probably believe the earth is flat, but I digress...
The mere fact that someone wins a first fight, does not automatically make him favored to win the rematch. I don't think Spinks was favored to beat Ali or Douglas to beat Tyson in their respective rematches.
Of course, I could be wrong...
Well I've heard even writers say they thought Liston took a dive, like Jerry Izenberg of the Star Ledger. He did have mob ties, so it's not completely outside the realm of possibility.
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