Here is My List of the Top 5 Boxing Upsets in History.
- Mike Tyson vs James ‘Buster’ Douglas. February 11, 1990. Tokyo Dome; Tokyo, Japan. No one expected a 42-1 underdog in Douglas to knock out the reigning ‘Heavyweight King’ Tyson, especially me. Douglas shocked the world with his 10th round knockout of ‘Iron’ Mike, proving he was anything but. It was a Saturday night I’ll never forget watching it live on HBO, and is the single greatest upset in boxing history to me.
- Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield. November 9, 1996. MGM Grand; Las Vegas, Nevada. When Mike Tyson knocked out WBA champ Bruce Seldon with a phantom punch on September 7, 1996, the odds for his November 9th agreed bout with Holyfield opened at a ridiculous 25-1. I purchased a ticket to see the fight live at the MGM in Las Vegas, and was a witness to what many thought was impossible. Evander showed no fear, knocked Tyson down in the sixth, and out in the 11th, in what to me is the second greatest upset in boxing history.
- Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks. February 15, 1978. Hilton Center: Las Vegas, Nevada. When Muhammad Ali signed to fight Leon Spinks, a 1976 Olympic champion with a professional record of 6-0-1, no one took it seriously. Ali was shot at the time, didn’t train as he should have, and took a thrashing at the hands of the young Spinks, live on CBS television. While Ali showed heart and determination as the later rounds began, he lost a split-decision and his title to Leon Spinks, in what to me is the third biggest upset in boxing history.
- Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay. February 25, 1964. Miami Beach Convention Hall; Miami Beach, Florida. Cassius Clay was known as the ‘Louisville Lip’ when Sonny Liston agreed to give him a title shot, and talked during the entire promotion of the bout. The 8-1 underdog wasn’t given much of a chance by the sportswriters, who saw Liston as a brute, and unbeatable. When the fight actually began, Clay was anything but afraid, and boxing circles around the slower Liston. In frustration as much as anything, Sonny quit on his stool after the sixth, shocking the world and making Cassius Clay the Heavyweight Champion, in what to me is the fourth greatest upset in boxing history.
- Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard. April 6, 1987. Caesar’s Palace; Las Vegas, Nevada. Having fought only once in 5 years, when Sugar Ray Leonard signed a contract to meet on April 6, 1987 in Las Vegas, most everyone thought Ray was nuts. However, he trained for a year, and had the motivation and the style to defeat the long-reigning middleweight king in Hagler. I was as excited to be, and after seeing Leonard train for 3 days live in Hilton Head, South Carolina 3 weeks before April 6, believed in his chances more than ever. When he pulled off the upset with a split-decision over Hagler, it was and it one of the greatest moments of my life as a boxing fan, and that huge win is the 5th greatest upset of all time in my book.
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