Experts rate the greatest upsets

[bennie]

Buster Douglas' shocking 10th-round knockout of Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990 is the biggest upset in the history of boxing according to a panel of four experts: Bert Sugar, and legendary trainers Eddie Futch, Angelo Dundee and Emanuel Steward. Each of the four panelists selected their top 10 upsets in history - and all of them made Douglas-Tyson number one.
Buster was considered to have no chance. The bout was on the board at only one sportsbook in Las Vegas, The Mirage. Jimmy Vaccaro, who was running The Mirage book at the time, opened with Tyson as a 27-1 favorite with Douglas a 20-1 underdog. Shortly after the 27-1 price was posted, Vaccaro said someone bet $54,000 on Tyson to win just $2,000. The price went up to 31-1, and Vaccaro said a bettor put up $93,000 on Tyson to win $3,000. When the odds increased to 40-1, he said someone bet $160,000 to win $4,000.
"Douglas closed at 37-1," Vaccaro said. The biggest bet on Douglas at 37-1 was $1,500.
Cassius Clay's upset of heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, who was considered to be indestructible, in 1964 in Miami Beach finished as the second-biggest upset. Clay, the brash, young 'Louisville Lip' changed his name to Muhammad Ali soon after his mind-boggling victory.
Max Schmeling's 12th-round knockout of Joe Louis in New York in 1936 was the third-biggest upset. Louis won the heavyweight championship a year later. In his celebrated rematch with Schmeling in 1938, Louis knocked the German out in the first round.
James J. Braddock's 15-round decision over Max Baer in Long Island in 1935 to capture the heavyweight championship was upset number four. Finishing at number five, and the first non-heavyweight fight in the list, is Randy Turpin's 15-round decision over Sugar Ray Robinson for the world middleweight title in London in 1951.
The sixth-biggest upset goes back to James J. Corbett's knockout over John L. Sullivan in the 21st round in 1892 for the heavyweight championship in New Orleans.
Leon Spinks, in only his eighth fight, accounted for upset number seven with his 15-round split decision over Ali for the heavyweight championship in 1978 at the Las Vegas Hilton. Judges Harold Buck (144-141) and Lou Tabat (145-140) scored it for Spinks, while judge Art Lurie of Las Vegas had Ali ahead by one point at 143-142. Spinks then caroused around before losing the title back to Ali seven months later in New Orleans.
Sugar Ray Leonard's close and disputed 12-round decision over undisputed world middleweight champion Marvin Hagler in 1987 at Caesars Palace is the eighth-biggest upset. Because Hagler had been so dominant as middleweight king, and Leonard had been retired for three years, the leading boxing writers in the country gave Leonard no chance. To compound their view, Leonard held a workout for the large contingent of press from around the world a few days before the fight and - it was later revealed - purposely looked bad, which made his winning performance seem even more surprising.
Carmen Basilio's 15-round decision over Robinson in 1957 at Madison Square Garden is the ninth-biggest upset. Basilio was the world welterweight champion and moved up in weight to capture Robinson's middleweight title. "He outboxed Robinson," Dundee said.
Upset number 10 in the voting is going to be unfamiliar to a lot of people - Archie Moore, one of boxing's all-time greats, was knocked out in the first round in 1948 in Oakland by the unheralded Leonard Morrow. "Archie got a little careless because Morrow was a youngster," Futch said. "But Morrow was a good puncher. He was a fast starter." Futch said he attended the rematch in Toledo in 1949, and Moore knocked Morrow down several times before the fight was stopped. "Moore knocked the young man out in the 10th round after a horrendous beating," Futch said. "Morrow was taken to the hospital on a stretcher."

I thought Evander Holyfield's 11th-round TKO over Tyson in 1996 at the MGM Grand Garden should have made the top 10. Holyfield was given so little chance, Tyson opened as a 25-1 favorite. I myself thought so little of Holyfield's chances, I didn't even think the fight should have been made.

[FreeIkemefula]

I agree with you on the Holyfield fight. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but I thought that version of Mike was fading, but I thought Holyfield was a corpse. Before that fight, I toght this was Holyfield's Swan Song, little did I know it was Mike's. It is in my top 5 for sure. It is hard for me to rate the other upsets because I wasn't alive for most of them. In my lifetime, those two were large. Recently, I think Forrest/Mosley one was a big one. Nobody picked Forrest.

[Mr Pickalini]

Here's another thread concerning big upsets incase anyone's interested:
http://www.boxrec.com/phpBB2/viewtopic. ... highlight=

[Boxerdog]

I wonder how long ago Sugar, Dundee, et al composed this list? I would think that Sanders pasting of Wlad might have displaced somebody on here.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Douglas' win over Tyson is the biggest shocker ever. I remember the ring magazine at the time roundly blasting Tyson for taking on such a hapless opponent.

Me and my mate who were fanatical about Tyson at the time (young and impressionable) boycotted the fight entirely on prinicipal as we felt it would be a massacre.

When I got up in the morning and found out the result on the news, I thought they had made a mistake I was that flummoxed.

[Sweet Scientist]

What about...

Gene Tunney over Jack Dempsey...

Ingemar Johansson over Floyd Patterson...

Muhammad Ali over George Foreman...

Jersey Joe Walcott over Ezzard Charles (already lost to Charles 3 times)...

Michael Spinks over Larry Holmes...

George Foreman over Michael Moorer...

Goerge Foreman over Joe Frazier (everybody liked Joe before the fight)...

[MightyWarrior]

I think Honeyghan/Curry belongs in the top ten - at the time is was a real shocker

At least with Leonard/Hagler to had two all time greats..but no-one gave Lloyd any chance with Curry...

[jamesmcdonnell]

Still not as big an upset, not in terms of odds anyway.

[Holyfield Headbutt]

In my humblest of opinions...

1)Douglas-Tyson
2)Clay-Liston
3)Ali-Foreman
4)Holyfield-Tyson
5)Rahman-Lewis

[stujones]

In my humblest of opinions...

1)Douglas-Tyson
2)Clay-Liston
3)Ali-Foreman
4)Holyfield-Tyson
5)Rahman-Lewis

Thats a very good list, odd that their all heavyweights. Two other heavyweight fights that belong somewhere in the list are Ali vs Spinks I and Foreman vs Moorer.

One of the greatest upsets (although not widely covered) I can remember was Steve Little beating Michael Nunn.

Also, although not a title fight, what about Mr Hype Omar Sheika losing to Tony Booth!