5. LLOYD HONEYGHAN W RTD 6 DON CURRY
September 27, 1986
Some British interest in this list. Has there ever been a bigger upset by a Brit than Honeyghan’s thrashing of Curry at Atlantic City in September 1986? Sure, the Southwark man was unbeaten in stockpiling British, Commonwealth and European welterweight titles, but Curry had his own 100 per cent record, including a devastating two-round destruction of Milton McCrory. Such was the reputation of the “Lone Star Cobra” that there was serious talk of him bypassing super-welter to challenge world middleweight king Hagler.
Curry had already stated plans to move up in weight and the Honeyghan match went ahead before a mere 1,100 crowd at Caesars Casino Hotel. Yet Lloyd proved a revelation as he hammered the Texan into retirement after six rounds with a broken nose and cuts on his left eye and lower lip.
Click below to read on
4. SUGAR RAY LEONARD W PTS 12 MARVIN HAGLER
April 6, 1987
“Marvelous” Marvin Hagler had been world middleweight champion for nearly seven years when he defended against the sport’s one-time golden boy in Las Vegas in April 1987. It appeared a match made purely for financial reasons: Leonard, the 1976 Olympic gold medallist and world champion at welter and super-welter, had been inactive for 35 months, retiring with a detached retina following a get-off-the-floor victory over Kevin Howard.
Ray had also never scaled more than 153lbs, a whopping 7lbs below the middleweight limit, so seemed to be in it for the guaranteed $11m (plus a share of closed circuit receipts in home state Maryland – Hagler was guaranteed $12m). Yet for some inexplicable reason southpaw Hagler boxed in an orthodox stance during the early rounds, conceding a lead that Leonard would hang on to with some dazzling flurries en route to a split decision that stunned the world.
3. YOUNG CORBETT W KO 2 TERRY McGOVERN
November 28, 1901
We’re going way back with this one, but the toppling of McGovern in Hartford, Connecticut in November 1901 was a massive upset. Admittedly, this was a time when many boxing results couldn’t be trusted, but the feeling is that McGovern-Corbett was on the level – Terry simply came in over-confident against a smart challenger who turned out to be better than expected.
McGovern had already held the world bantam title before weight problems forced him up to featherweight, where he won a second global crown. The powerfully built 5ft 3in “Terrible” Terry was a cruel puncher, especially to the body – he beat world lightweight king Frank Erne in three rounds of a non-title bout. Yet Corbett got to him first, dropping McGovern in the first then putting him away in round two with body blows followed by a jaw shot.
2. MUHAMMAD ALI W RTD 6 SONNY LISTON
February 25, 1964
Such is Ali’s reputation now that it’s difficult to realise just what an underdog he was going into his February 1964 world heavyweight title challenge to Liston in Miami Beach. Of 62 writers polled shortly beforehand, only three predicted a win for Cassius Clay, as he was then known. Jack Nilon, Liston’s manager of record (he was effectively controlled by the Mob), told reporters that “carrying” a fighter was illegal and “not even God could suggest that to Sonny.”
On the night, Liston’s bulk and power, which had twice seen off Floyd Patterson inside a round, proved of no use against the fast, accurate punching and fleet footwork of the challenger, who had clearly filled out impressively since winning Olympic light-heavyweight gold in 1960. Liston was cut on the left eye and looked an old, tired man when he quit after six rounds with an injured left shoulder. The Ali era had begun.
1. BUSTER DOUGLAS W KO 10 MIKE TYSON
February 11, 1990
“Iron” Mike Tyson spent the late 1980s cleaning up the heavyweight division, but too many blowouts of frightened challengers forced him to take his show on the road. His first trip to Japan (1988) had resulted in a two-round walloping of Tony Tubbs, so when he returned to Tokyo to defend against James “Buster” Douglas in February 1990, it was seen as another routine defence for The Baddest Man on the Planet; the only newspaper to predict a Douglas victory was in his Columbus, Ohio hometown.
But Tyson’s short pre-fight time in Japan included a string of personal appearances and commercial commitments, not to mention getting dropped by Greg Page in sparring. And in the fight itself – staged on a Sunday afternoon local time for the benefit of US television – a motivated Douglas produced the performance of his life to outbox the listless champ and survive an eighth-round knockdown before shattering the myth of Tyson invincibility in the 10th.
Click on the Comments tab above to let us know what you think
