This thread is to help everyone here bring to mind all the fights where a feared puncher with legitimate power and a heavy favorite is soundly beated by an underdog fighter. I'll start with my mtachups I recall(and i welcome any correcting criticism....I never claim to be right 100% of the time) as fitting the above criteria. Ali-Liston 1 Ali-Foreman Foreman-Young Hopkins-Trinidad Hopkins-Pavlik(at least by popular press picks) Calzaghe-Lacy(at least by anyone not from the UK) Douglas-Tyson Pep-Saddler 2 Tua-Byrd(not sure on the odds for this but just on power differential alone Tua most likely was heavily favored) Jones-Ruiz(I know I might get flack for this, but as ordinary skillwise as Ruiz was he was still world class and significantly bigger than Jones by nearly 30 pounds) Schmeling-Louis 1(Joe was a undefeated wrecking machine when he first met Max and I'm pretty sure the odds were heavily on Joe. Schmeling had been knocked around the ring by Max Baer prior to this correct me if I'm wrong) Agbeko-Darchinyan(on sheer power alone at flyweight Vic was heavily favored in this fight)
Jones was favored to beat Ruiz. Salvador Sanchez-Danny Lopez Michael Watson-Nigel Benn Lennox Lewis-Razor Ruddock Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson Winky Wright-Felix Trinidad Corrie Sanders-Wladimir Klitschko Nonito Donaire-Vic Darchinyan
People didn't think too much of Lewis then. I remember USA Tuesday Night Fights took a poll on whom would emerge from the Bowe/Holyfield/Lewis/Ruddock fights and Lewis by far got the least votes.
Nice, thanks for the info. On topic: A fight that hasn't been listed yet is the infamous James Butler/Richard Grant bout. I believe that nutcase was heavily favoured to win the fight, but got soundly beaten.
Then the nutcase decided to schedule his own unsanctioned rematch immediately following the reading of the scorecards. He just said **** it to wearing his gloves or even letting Grant know it was on....and then he proceeded to walk over and cold **** Grant. I never knew Lennox Lewis wasn't favored over Razor Ruddock. Helps me realize how lightly regarded he was at the time. Really must have shook up the boxing world when he took out the usually durable Ruddock so quickly. The same Ruddock who was controversially stopped in 7 competitive rounds by Tyson and was one of the very few to extend Iron Mike the full distance in their rematch.