APRIL 7, 2001, fans at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas patiently await the arrival of one of the most electrifying fighters in the history of the sport – ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed. On this night his opponent is ‘The Baby Faced Assassin’ Marco Antonio Barrera – potentially the toughest assignment of his career so far.
Yet, those expecting the latest masterclass in pugilistic wizardry from Hamed were left wanting. The typically front-footed Barrera stood off and outboxed him for the entirety, scoring with numerous eye-catching counterpunches on his way to a deserved unanimous-decision upset win.
Twenty-four years to the day since that fabled meeting, which marked the beginning of the end for Hamed’s enthralling time at the top, Boxing News looks at five more fights where Barrera’s countrymen sprung the upset over a much-fancied Briton.
MAY 10, 2019 – JORDAN GILL vs MARCO ENRIQUE TINOCO
Undefeated in his 23 fights prior, Jordan Gill stepped through the ropes to take on Mario Enrique Tinoco as the 1/50 favourite. The gritty away fighter would be hard to put away but surely prove no match.
Yet, from the opening bell it was clear that Tinoco did not turn up to simply give Gill rounds. He showed intelligence and intent, attacking the body of the Cambridgeshire 126lber, determined to silence the onlookers.
Switching stances throughout and presenting unexpected issues for the home fighter, Tinoco would drop ‘The Thrill’ on three occasions, each being the result of a vicious body blow, before trainer Dave Coldwell pulled Gill out after eight, one-sided, rounds.
JUNE 1, 2019 – ANTHONY JOSHUA vs ANDY RUIZ JR
Second only to Mike Tyson-James ‘Buster’ Douglas, Andy Ruiz’s unexpected victory against Anthony Joshua is one of the most astonishing heavyweight upsets of all-time. This is arguably the most memorable occasion when a Mexican shocked the boxing world, despite the ‘Destroyer’ being born and bred in California.
Nevertheless, it would be remiss of us to not recall that catastrophic night at Madison Square Garden. It looked set to be another regulation ‘AJ’ knockout win for the unified champion against the much maligned Ruiz who replaced Jarrell Miller after the American failed multiple drug tests.
Eager to impress on his U.S. debut, Joshua charged into Ruiz Jr. After dropping the chubby challenger in round three, a highlight-reel knockout looked likely but Joshua was left with his senses scrambled and twice fell to the canvas after Ruiz landed a desperately needed left-hook that would be later dubbed as a ‘punch from the gods’.
Joshua never recovered but bravely survived until the seventh session, where referee Michael Griffin decided he had seen enough after the Brit was decked for a fourth time in the fight.
DECEMBER 11, 2020 – TOMMY FRANK vs HUGO GUARNEROS
A former Commonwealth super-flyweight champion, unbeaten Tommy Frank dropped down to flyweight with the intention of rising the 112lb rankings and teeing up an intriguing all-British showdown with Sunny Edwards down the line.
In a battle for the vacant IBF Inter-Continental flyweight title, Frank was tasked with Hugo Guarneros at a freezing cold Sheffield Arena Car Park in December 2020, where a shoulder injury to the South-Yorkshireman hampered him throughout and encouraged Guarneros to press on and dominate the proceedings.
Frank was pulled out of the fight after eight rounds of action but got his shot at vengeance in the rematch six months later, only for Guarneros to repeat his efforts and score a split-decision victory to retain the belt on away soil.
FEBRUARY 13, 2021 – JOSH WARRINGTON vs MAURICIO LARA
Usually roared on by his beloved Leeds United faithful, the obscurity of fighting under COVID-19 restrictions at Wembley Arena was always going to provide an unusual challenge for a ticket-seller like Josh Warrington. Few anticipated that ‘The Leeds Warrior’ would run into any trouble against unknown Mexican, Mauricio Lara.
However, the rough and rugged style of Warrington played directly into the hands of the hard-hitting Lara, who announced himself to the featherweight division with a brutal beatdown of the former IBF 126lbs champion, who had vacated his title a month prior.
After suffering a hard knockdown in the fourth, Warrington fought on unsteady legs for the remainder, until the contest was brought to a close in the ninth-round when he was knocked out cold by a lethal left-hook from ‘El Bronco’.
Looking to right the wrong Warrington chose to rematch Lara seven months later at Headingley Rugby League Stadium. Sadly, the bout was brought to a premature end in round 2 after an accidental clash of heads left Lara unable to continue.
MAY 1, 2021 – JAMES TENNYSON vs JOVANNI STRAFFON
Having not gone the distance in the 12 fights prior, former IBF title challenger James Tennyson’s clash with Jovanni Straffon was never going to need the judges. Lara’s surprise triumph over Warrington three months prior served as a warning to fans but few thought that lightning could strike twice, and that Northern Ireland’s Tennyson could suffer a similar fate.
In a one-round shootout, southpaw Straffon sent Tennyson crashing to the canvas with a left hook. “He went down in instalments,” said fight commentator Andy Clarke. The fallen Irishman managed to beat the count but only just.
With a minute left on the clock, Tennyson could not defend himself and was stopped on his feet seconds later, as Straffon landed a decisive right-hand down the pipe. That proved too much for referee Michael Alexander who stepped in to end the fight.
