Most difficult champ to successfully defeat in first world title fight?

[Humean]

Some fighters get relatively easy opponents to become world champion for the first time, others get very difficult ones. Which have been the toughest? Has to be their very first world title fight though.

10 possible ones:

Benitez defeating Cervantes
Leonard defeating Benitez
Hatton defeating Tszyu
McGuigan defeating Pedroza
Tunney defeating Dempsey
Duran defeating Buchanan
Honeghan defeating Curry
Monzon defeating Benvenuti
Stracey defeating Napoles
Brackus defeating Napoles

[IronDanHamza]

Ali-Liston

[Holywarrior]

Foreman/Frazier, even Foreman said he was terrified.

Holyfield/Qawi

[engleby]

randall v chavez

[rightsideup]

Some fighters get relatively easy opponents to become world champion for the first time, others get very difficult ones. Which have been the toughest? Has to be their very first world title fight though.

10 possible ones:

Benitez defeating Cervantes
Leonard defeating Benitez
Hatton defeating Tszyu
McGuigan defeating Pedroza
Tunney defeating Dempsey
Duran defeating Buchanan
Honeghan defeating Curry
Monzon defeating Benvenuti
Stracey defeating Napoles
Brackus defeating Napoles

I think your last example had the toughest matchup and the result was reversed in the rematch. Napoles was still near his prime.

[Holywarrior]

How about Castillo vs Johnston?

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Douglas over Tyson...

Taylor over Hopkins

Bowe over Holyfield

[Humean]

Douglas over Tyson...

Taylor over Hopkins

Bowe over Holyfield

Douglas had already unsuccessfully fought for the IBF against Tucker.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Douglas had already unsuccessfully fought for the IBF against Tucker.

That's right, my bad...

How about Rahman with lennox

[#1Assassin]

hearns-cuevas.. cuevas had around a dozen defenses with only two or three going the distance. this was back when the WW division was loaded too.

mccllellan-jackson.. jackson was 46-1 (44) going in. his lone loss being to the atg mike mccallum what must have been 6-9 years earlier, in those years he had been fighting almost exclusively at championship level knocking out everything that moved.

dawson-adamek.. tough, tough fight. people didnt quite reaize it at the time but we know now what a beast adamek is. keep in mind the only other fighters to beat adamek were heavyweights and he was a dominant champion at both 175 and 200lbs.

jones-hopkins.. same thing, people didnt know just how great hopkins would turn out to be. granted he was a late bloomer and jones didnt really beat the best version of hopkins back in 93, but he was no pushover thats for damn sure.

toney-nunn.. nunn was considered one of the best p4p fighters in the world and many had already crowned him the future p4p king, he was undefeated and boxing in his backyard. to make matters worse toney hadnt had the right kind of fights going in to prepare himself for nunn and was making a huge leap in class.