TOP 10 UPSETS in the history of heavyweight boxing

[Like a Boss]

The Bleacher Report has provided us with some more discussion fodder by naming its TOP 10 UPSETS in the history of heavyweight boxing:

1. James "Buster" Douglas vs. Mike Tyson

2. James Braddock vs. Max Baer

3. Hasim Rahman vs. Lennox Lewis

4. Corrie Sanders vs. Wladimir Klitschko

5. George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer

6. Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman

7. Max Schmeling vs. Joe Louis

8. Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson

9. Gene Tunney vs. Jack Dempsey

10. Cassius Clay vs. Sonny Liston

What do you disagree with there ??

[Crease]

Yeah, it looks a fairly good list. Normally when discussing upsets, we are usually talking about the reigning champion being beat, so it's normally a fairly high-profile upset.

I think the above examples are definitely debatable in terms of readjusting the sequence of them, but most of them are there.

I wouldn't have said that Tunney's victor over Dempsey was that much of an upset. Sure it was a bit of shock, but surely not worthy of the greatest upsets in the history of the division.

[Ezzard]

Fitz-Corbett should be right up there.

[SteveO]

I'd add Spinks-Ali to the list.

[Rexob]

Frazier vs Ali.

[Bodyshot3]

@ Like a Boss....seems pretty fair to me, I might waggle around some of the ratings though.
Liston v Ali seems well on the low side at 10 for me because Liston was universally feared not unlike Foreman and Tyson.

A couple of others I'd mention.....Ingemar Johansson bombing out Floyd Patterson was a big upset, European heavyweights fighting American champions stateside were expected to lose in that era. Ingemar won big that night and it was a major shock at the time.

I'd pick the other Spinks brother....Mike beating Holmes ..... which on balance was a better/more unexpected result that his brother Leon beating the husk of Ali.

[SteveO]

Ingemar Johansson bombing out Floyd Patterson was a big upset, European heavyweights fighting American champions stateside were expected to lose in that era. Ingemar won big that night and it was a major shock at the time.
I'd pick the other Spinks brother....Mike beating Holmes ..... which on balance was a better/more unexpected result that his brother Leon beating the husk of Ali.

Johansson-Patterson is a good one.
Holmes was expected to overtake Marciano's unbeaten record but Michael Spinks spoilt the party.

[witherspoon]

I think Michael Bentt tko1 Tommy Morrison surely deserves a place. Morrison must have been quite a bit upset after that result.

[Like a Boss]

I'd add Spinks-Ali to the list.

That was the first one that came to mind for me as being missing when I posted the list

[Like a Boss]

Kenny Norton busting Ali's jaw and beating him must go close to being top 10.

Norton did prove it was no fluke by his performances in their other two fights though.

[Ambling Alp II]

Some others to consider:

Sullivan-Corbett
Jeffries-Fitzsimmons
Carnera-Sharkey (Don't even say it, buzz )
Patterson-Johansson II

Always wondered if Burns-Hart was much of surprise, but you don't hear a lot about it.

Some of these we have mentioned were major surprises at the time, but in retrospect don't seem to be that surprising. Others are still hard to believe.

[elmersalsa]

Douglas vs Tyson by far is the greatest upset of all time of any weight class.

But, second greatest upset in my view should be Tyson vs Holyfield I. The odds were 25-1. Some were betting that Tyson was going to win inside the first round. It was the first time that I feared The Real Deal for his life. He was considered washed up after he got BRUTALLY KO'd in a slugsfest with Riddick Bowe rubber match. He looked unispiring in his next outing with Ray Mercer, and couldn't blow out a blown light heavyweight like Bobby Cyz. I think that is why Tyson's camp accepted the match, because they believed that Evander was shot. Maybe he fooled Tyson and all of us that night. He gave a spectacular performance.

[elmersalsa]

And remember, at the time, the great Evander Holyfield's heart condition was also into question. I was just hoping he didn't succumb and have a heart attack in the middle of a big fight.

[davie]

4. Corrie Sanders vs. Wladimir Klitschko

Good list, but I'd just throw Brewster and Purity in with Sandders to be honest, each as shocking as the other, particularly with a bit of hindsight

you may argue it has to be a shock at the time, so hindsight doesn't count, but it's not like the Sanders fight was a result that shook the world at the time

[caldo2025]

When you can remember exactly where you were and who you watched the fight with, it was one of the great fights of your lifetime. Of course, that's not possible with the older fights but I can remember the Buster/Tyson night like it was yesterday. I watched that fight at a party. Initially, it was just a few us watching but more people gathered around the tv with every round. The place went absolutely nuts when the KO happened.

I can also remember where I was for the Foreman/Moorer fight and the Sanders/Wlad fight. But the Buster/Tyson fight will always be the greatest upset i'll ever see I think. I can't see anything beating that ever.

[elmersalsa]

When you can remember exactly where you were and who you watched the fight with, it was one of the great fights of your lifetime. Of course, that's not possible with the older fights but I can remember the Buster/Tyson night like it was yesterday. I watched that fight at a party. Initially, it was just a few us watching but more people gathered around the tv with every round. The place went absolutely nuts when the KO happened.

I can also remember where I was for the Foreman/Moorer fight and the Sanders/Wlad fight. But the Buster/Tyson fight will always be the greatest upset i'll ever see I think. I can't see anything beating that ever.

I don't think any of us will see something like that again, Caldo.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

- I see a silly little girls report is stirring up the locals without any parameters defined of what is considered a major heavyweight upset.

Just using their #1, the Buster Douglas upset over Mike Tyson, an example of a huge upset over the betting odds, but pretty much anticipated given the extreme deterioration of Tyson's mental capacity after consecutive losses of HOF mentors Cus D'amato and Jimmy Jacobs that resulted hooking in with the despicable Don King. King ruined more good and great heavyweights in the history of this country, nobody even close, with Tyson unfolding as trainwreck in slo-mo. Medicated on pyschotropic sedatives to keep his bipolar mania in check, all reports out of Japan indicated a very poor training camp. King appointed stooges in his corner used ice water balloony things instead of Endswell on his face in a tough fight. The ref allows Douglas to clock a sedated Tyson on every break before giving Douglas a 15 sec KD count to salvage the dirty deed, pretty much setting the stage for the modern era of bought and paid for refs putting up obstacles over the fighter chosen to lose, Tyson in this case, and the betting public as the insiders cleaned up. The only genuine upsets on this list are Braddock over Baer, Schmeling over Louis, Mr. Field over Tyson, and Clay over Liston. The others had circumstances known by insiders and others who follow lead ups to big fights studiously. Of course there was also little toothless ama Leon over a pitifully shot Ali as previously mentioned that should be the biggest upset.

If you're going to plump for all time upsets, nothing quite compares to Johnson over Jeffries who was considered an invincible god in spite of 6 years ring absence and 100 lbs of blubber still freshly imprinted in memory. John L saw the upset in the leadup and wrote a letter to a friend affirming it even as he stayed neutral on his press reports. We know now Jeffries attempted the impossible though Vitali Klitschko pulled it off after 4 yrs absence, but he had stayed near his fighting weight and been training off and on with his brother in camps.

And speaking of Jack Johnson, certainly it was a huge upset when he let a raw cowboy, a past prime in years Jess Willard with only 4 yrs experience take him into deep waters and KTFO out of him. Johnson was also upset by Marvin Hart who was never more than a game brawler, and then upset by a novice, Joe Jeannette, that allowed Jeffries retire confident there were no other fighters of any merit left. Had journeyman Battling Jim Johnson been given credit for making Jack quit on his stool in Paris, ruled a draw by French clowns appointed as the first ever three judge jury of dimwits that turned out to be the future model for boxing, that would have been the biggest upset of all.

Shame that, but such is the shady character of boxing.

[keithmoonhangover]

Clay - Liston should be much higher. Foreman - Moorer wasn't much of an upset, in terms of betting.

[Bodyshot3]

Clay - Liston should be much higher. Foreman - Moorer wasn't much of an upset, in terms of betting.

Exactly, Ali beating Liston was a big time upset at the time.

And also agreed...the bookies were not fooled by George's I train on scoffing ribs, steak, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream routine.
They'd seen enough off George by that point to know that he could still hit like a freight train hitting and only needed one connection.

[keithmoonhangover]

Clay - Liston should be much higher. Foreman - Moorer wasn't much of an upset, in terms of betting.

Exactly, Ali beating Liston was a big time upset at the time.

And also agreed...the bookies were not fooled by George's I train on scoffing ribs, steak, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream routine.
They'd seen enough off George by that point to know that he could still hit like a freight train hitting and only needed one connection.

I made a lot of money by betting on George that night. I got 7/2 on Foreman and IMO it was a no brainer. A fat, chinny guy with little lateral movement and one of the biggest punchers on the planet. My theory was, that Foreman only had to land one clean shot on Moorer's chin and it'd be night night........ it was.

[BoxBuzz]

Some others to consider:

Sullivan-Corbett
Jeffries-Fitzsimmons
Carnera-Sharkey (Don't even say it, buzz )
Patterson-Johansson II

Always wondered if Burns-Hart was much of surprise, but you don't hear a lot about it.

Some of these we have mentioned were major surprises at the time, but in retrospect don't seem to be that surprising. Others are still hard to believe.

I"m sayin' it.

Carnera-Sharkey was not an upset. It was an agreement.

[BoxBuzz]

And honestly the world was more shocked by Braddock Baer than by Mike vs Buster.

Buster was a live underdog. Though Tyson was a media masterpiece.

Braddock winning was like a guy stepping out of Hospice to beat the Hulk.

Baer had quite the reputation himself at that time....But the greater discrepancy was in how completely written off Braddock was.

[BoxBuzz]

When you can remember exactly where you were and who you watched the fight with, it was one of the great fights of your lifetime. Of course, that's not possible with the older fights but I can remember the Buster/Tyson night like it was yesterday. I watched that fight at a party. Initially, it was just a few us watching but more people gathered around the tv with every round. The place went absolutely nuts when the KO happened.

I can also remember where I was for the Foreman/Moorer fight and the Sanders/Wlad fight. But the Buster/Tyson fight will always be the greatest upset i'll ever see I think. I can't see anything beating that ever.

I don't think any of us will see something like that again, Caldo.

I was on stage playing in Washington DC, and watching this happen on couple of good size (for the time) TV's behind the bar. I think the band just about forgot what song we were playing, when we saw Tyson hit the deck the first time.

[evrenb]

When you can remember exactly where you were and who you watched the fight with, it was one of the great fights of your lifetime. Of course, that's not possible with the older fights but I can remember the Buster/Tyson night like it was yesterday. I watched that fight at a party. Initially, it was just a few us watching but more people gathered around the tv with every round. The place went absolutely nuts when the KO happened.

I can also remember where I was for the Foreman/Moorer fight and the Sanders/Wlad fight. But the Buster/Tyson fight will always be the greatest upset i'll ever see I think. I can't see anything beating that ever.

I don't think any of us will see something like that again, Caldo.

I was on stage playing in Washington DC, and watching this happen on couple of good size (for the time) TV's behind the bar. I think the band just about forgot what song we were playing, when we saw Tyson hit the deck the first time.

I remember watching live that night with my friends and my dad and when |Tyson went down we were jumping up and down with glee, 'ding dong the witch is dead' - feel so bad though now as I really like Mike now.....incredible night - it was just unbelievable!

[elmersalsa]

I knew that the great Mike Tyson could be beaten, but, never thought that it was gonna be Buster Douglas. One of the most unforgettable moments of all sports