Greatest Cinderella stories in boxing history

Definitely Buster Douglas, he overcame the 42-1 odds and shocked the world, with a heavy heart as well. Arguably the single greatest performance of the last 24 years.

 

Johnny Tapia considering he was kicked out of boxing for about 3 years before he ever won a title. Pretty remarkable that he could pick as a contender and still get the title.
It's fair to say many wrote him off.

 

Gatti completely changing his style under buddy McGirt and winning a JWW title having 2 successful title defenses and securing the biggest fight of his career against Floyd Mayweather. I thought he was finished after De La Hoya put a beating on him.

 

Frankie Duarte - a bantamweight contender during the mid-70s but fell to the sounds of the street and addiction, quitting the game in '81 a complete mess. However, 3 years later, now clean, sober and inspired, he began a comeback with a fledgling group calling themselves 10 Goose Boxing in '84 and went on to win the NABF and the Stroh's bantamweight tournament which got him a title shot at the age of 32. He also received a shot at the super bantamweight title in his last fight against Daniel Zaragoza, but that first shot at Bernardo Pinango was pure robbery. Duarte decked Pinango and the Venezuelan lost 3 points for low blows and they still gave him the fight. I scored it 144-141 for Frankie. He may not have won the title but this was a Cinderella story.

 

Randy Turpin beating SRR
Lloyd Honeghan beating Donald Curry
Iran Barkley beating Thomas Hearns
Frankie Randall beating J.C Chavez
Michael Bentt beating Tommy Morrison
Corrie Sanders beating Wladimir Klitsckho

 

Steve Robinson a fighter with a very mediocre record gets called up as a late replacement and wins a version of the world title. The story does not end there as he goes on to make several title defences,often as very much the underdog

 

Yikes!! How could I name Johnny Dundee and not think of Criqui. I am really slipping (though I'm just getting out from under a bad case of pneumonia!). The first article I read about Criqui was in an early 1960s Boxing Illustrated. Really impressive piece of WWI boxing history. Good catch!

Your posts are always a pleasure!

By the way, my good friend the late light-heavyweight Eddie Cotton almost made this list. As a matter of fact he is on my personal list of Cinderella fighters, but realistically I don't think he would pass muster with the forum members, and I don't really want to fight about it.

 

And Robinson went on a run cleaning out pretty much all the world class British featherweights.

 

Wild Bill Hanrahan. Sub .500 LHW champion who'd won 2 of his last 10 fights knocked out undefeated Marvin Hart. Then he almost got Choynski before it hit midnight.

I think hes the only champ with a 100% KO rate.

 

Then I'd say Vito Antuofermo,his right feet was clubbed,he had nothing to be proud of except a tough chin and a bleeding skin,I do think he had quite good power but he had trash punching mechanics.

Look out the final results vs Corro.

 

Bobby Chacon winning the WBC super-featherweight title by defeating Bazooka Limon in a thrilling 15 round contest, just nine months after his wife Valerie committed suicide. That last second knockdown in the 15th round which secured him the victory is arguably my favourite moment in boxing.

 

You knew and were friends with THAT Eddie Cotton? the one that fought Jose Torres at age (about) 40? How was his minds health in later years? he was around for a long time in boxing I hope he got out together and lived a good life… I’m sorry for the loss of your friend, (it was a long life age 92…) KK. Can you tell us some stuff about him? I only know him from the Torres fight, I watched it ages ago… I was trying to see if Torres was anything to fuss about, I liked him enough in interviews and he was a Cus student, Cus’s first champion? I don’t remember but I was curious and it revealed again what I’ve been taught, it was a flawed system that looked like Jose was uncomfortable In, Jose respectfully was pretty underwhelming but I kept thinking man this Cotton guy fights like a pro, I was going in trying to give Torres the benefit of the doubt in every round because he was who I was “studying” I was trying to see the best in him, and I just kept thinking about how professional Cotton fought, that he knew what to do with his uppercuts the second he looked at Torres with his square way of fighting - I think he might’ve won that fight.