Which Gets Your Vote?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Tyson-Douglas or Robinson-Turpin I as the biggest upset of all-time? I think Turpin should get the nod, myself.

Please specify if you'd like to throw another hat into the ring.

[dajuggernaut]

Isn't this in the wrong forum?

[Goodnight, Irene]

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Please switch to Boxers Of The Past, Mods

[sockdolager]

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Please switch to Boxers Of The Past, Mods

Before this goes I'll cast my vote...

Tyson Douglas was the biggest in terms of betting but I highly doubt anyone gave Turpin a chance in the same sense that no one gave Douglas a chance. When all is said and done, Robinson is the greatest fighter ever (imo) so that fight takes it for me.

We soon learned that Tyson wasn't the indestructable force we once thought he was so that plays a part in the historic sense of that upset. Douglas simply expanded on what Smith and Tucker did to Tyson and never backed down. Monumental upset, yes, bigger than Turpin over Robinson, not in my eyes... now, off to BotP :>

[Goodnight, Irene]

Also, you have to consider not just the upsetee, as it were, but also the upsetter. Robinson (even out of his natural weightclass) was better in '51 than Tyson was in '90, however, some of that is off-set, I believe, by the fact that, between Turpin & Douglas, Turpin was the better fighter. That pushes things toward Tyson-Douglas to some extent, but not enough, IMO. Robinson-Turpin I gets the chocolates in my book.

[p4p1]

douglas was knocked out in his next fight in the 3rd round which also have some bearing on it

i would go with robinson turpin but

[Goodnight, Irene]

douglas was knocked out in his next fight in the 3rd round which also have some bearing on it

i would go with robinson turpin but

True, but Robinson's record was an absurd --- almost obscene --- 128-1-2 going into that fight, which again sways you back to this fight as being the pick. Matching that against Tyson's comparatively puny 37-0-0 seems laughable. Also, consider --- Turpin's career, while far more noteworthy than Douglas' --- wasn't especially great.

[Baby Face Finster]

I go with Douglas-Tyson solely because Sugar Ray had already lost when he took on Turpin whereas Mike Tyson was undefeated and still had his aura of invincibility about him.

[Goodnight, Irene]

I don't understand that logic. No look at context of defeat, or quality of opposition?

I'm certain of two things --- if Robinson were a Heavyweight, he'd go 37-0-0 against the 80's crop of Heavies. If Tyson were a Welter & Middleweight, he'd unravel long before he reached 128-1-2.

[observer1]

At the time, Tyson-Douglas was a big upset.

But looking back in hindsight, looking at Tyson's insane problems outside the ring, What with him becoming careless with training and preparation, legal matters, divorce, trainers leaving, managers dying, it's really a wonder Tyson never lost sooner. So the "Upset" does not look that bad, in my opinion anyway. It would be an upset if Douglas went on to win and become some World-Class HW Boxer of all time. But fact is, everybody felt Tyson would have had his head screwed on in a rematch, and probably won by an early stoppage.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

Please specify if you'd like to throw another hat into the ring.

--- Not even close really, it's Johnson/Jeffries hands down.

Results caused riots, civil disturbances, a hundred or more violent deaths, black primarily but also white from shore to shore that took a month to tamp down. Untold property damage and personal injuries.That's quite a bit more than mere "boilover."

Jeff was considered as indestructible as the Rock of Gibralter, as strong as Hercules, and as white a superhero as Natural Order of Supremacy could come up with. We know in hindsight now that he was attempting what no boxer has ever achieved, melting off 33% of his body weight after antiquidated 6 yrs of accumulated rust to fight a prime HOF great right out of the "box."

Nonetheless, Jack London and most of the white press knew little of the intricacies of physical conditioning and competition, instead knowing that white natural supremacy would prevail.

As it turns out, John L knew, but kept his personal opinion out of print until after the fight. He had attended both camps as his duties as a boxing writer providing exclusive coverage of the fight. He'd already been there and done that to ill results and could see the writing on the wall, so he wrote a note to an editor to be opened after the fight.

Interesting how a no count boxing ruffian was able to provide objective analysis for print while most of the press of the day, not just the boxing press, had lost the plot.

[tonyevs]

I voted Tyson v Douglas ... Douglas was given no chance what so ever, it was just a straight forward defence .. hardly any interest.

Robinson had been on a `working holiday` prior to the fight .. and as said, he was fighting a naturally bigger guy.