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Life is unpredictable. What’s born will die. What grows shall perish. Anything can happen.
The aforementioned statements — as clichéd and cheesy they may sound — ring true for us mortals. Regardless of who you are, where you come from or what you’ve achieved through your blood, sweat and tears, you are not indispensable. Everyone gets caught sooner or later, and that, folks, is the undisputed truth.
This theory of a mere mortal and his/her expendability rings true in the hurt business as well. Underdogs beat favourites, novices slay legends; all part of the beautiful sport we know as boxing.
Today we take a look at some of the most shocking upsets in the history of professional boxing.
#5 Larry Holmes vs Michael Spinks
Larry Holmes was all set to match Rocky Marciano’s undefeated pro-boxing record as a Heavyweight. The Ali slayer was 48-0 and set to take on one-half of the famed Spinks brothers — Michael.
Spinks was a decent pugilist, but at the time was viewed as a gimme fight for Holmes; nothing more than a stepping stone for the latter to make history and match Rocky’s record.
Nevertheless, Spinks shocked the world and took the fight to Holmes, besting his overconfident foe and walking away with the victory in what’s still considered one of professional boxing’s biggest upsets. The loss to Spinks changed Holmes’ life and career, with the latter never quite recovering from the monumental upset.
#4 Roy Jones Jr. vs Antonio Tarver
Roy Jones Jr. first fought Antonio Tarver in November of 2003, with the rematch taking place a few months later in 2004.
Jones looked to be in cruise control, tagging Tarver at will, when out of nowhere, the underdog caught Roy with a monstrous left hand, felling him like a tree.
Now 48 years old, Roy looks back at a career that could have been had he not eaten that bomb at the hands of Tarver. Make no mistake about it, Jones still is a legit Hall-of-Famer, but his boxing career took a nosedive after the KO loss to Tarver.
As per several sources, 2017 may very well be year RJJ decides to hang up the gloves for good. The fans have also got a confirmation of the same right from the horse’s mouth.
Regardless, the night of May 15th, 2004 will always be remembered as one of the craziest ever — one that saw Tarver change the course of boxing history with one punch.
#3 Cassius Clay vs Sonny Liston 1
Sonny Liston is widely regarded as one of the best boxers of all time. Liston was known for his aura of invincibility and unbridled ferociousness both inside and outside the ring.
It was in the latter stages of his career that he happened to cross paths with a strange man, so to speak. That brash, outspoken man was then known as Cassius Clay, who’d later etch himself in the history books as Muhammad Ali.
Liston and Clay fought twice, with the latter winning both bouts. However, it was their first encounter that sent shockwaves throughout the combat sports community.
Liston couldn’t land a single clean shot on Clay. No, seriously! The fight was bonkers and if you are to re-watch it, you’d get how crazy the atmosphere surrounding the fight and how it turned out, actually was. The Heavyweight titan quit on the stool and a star was born in Clay/Ali.
Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali eventually immortalized himself, carving a unique niche for himself in the world of professional boxing.
#2 Jack Dempsey vs Gene Tunney
Jack Dempsey was bigger and supposedly stronger than Gene Tunney. More than a 120,000 people had gathered in Philadelphia to witness the unique matchup between size and speed.
Dempsey was expected to overpower Tunney but the latter put a beat-down on the intimidating Heavyweight, earning a Decision victory and with it the Heavyweight title.
Tunney would beat Dempsey again in the rematch that took place the following year in 1927. But the sheer shock value of their first encounter could seldom be surpassed by any other contest in combat sports events that followed.
#1 ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson vs James ‘Buster’ Douglas
Mike Tyson faced James ‘Buster’ Douglas in a matchup that was considered to be just another outing for ‘Iron’ Mike.
Tyson was partying all the way up to the fight, whereas Buster went through a terrible tragedy with his mother passing away a few days prior to the fight. The odds seemed stacked against Buster, and just one casino in Vegas would take bets on the fight, with the betting line being 42-1 in favour of Tyson.
The fight started off with Buster slowly chipping away and Tyson regaining control in Round 8 of the matchup with a huge knockdown of Douglas. The referee’s count while Buster was down was quite controversial as it extended well up to 14 seconds rather than the usual 10.
Nevertheless, Buster miraculously regained his composure and came back to KO Tyson in Round 10 winning the WBA, WBC, IBF and lineal Heavyweight titles.
The fight is to date considered the biggest upset not only in boxing or combat sports history but in all of sports-entertainment.
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