I'm certain Naz was a heavy betting favourite in all of his pro fights. While Barrera winning shouldn't have been a surprise in retrospect, most people were expecting Hamed to win going in. Benn was a big underdog against McClellan, and was probably the underdog coming into the Eubank rematch. I'm pretty sure he was an underdog in both fights with Collins. He may have been a slight underdog for the first fight with Galvano. I think he was favoured against Barkley, at least with the British bookies. Eubank was the underdog coming into the first Benn fight, as well as the two Thompson fights and Calzaghe. I'd be interested to see the odds in the Rocchigiani fight as opinion was divided going into that one.
Benn was a big underdog against DeWitt and Galvano. Underdog against Eubank in rematch, near evens in the end with Wharton (surge of late bets on Wharton), huge underdog against G Man and slight underdog against Collins Eubank was a big underdog against Logan, Benn (first) and Thompson (first), underdog against Calzaghe too. He was still favourite in the second Collins fight, and still favourite against Watson in the rematch despite press claiming some nonsense robbery first time around. He was slight favourite in the second Thompson fight Naz was surely a slight underdog against Belcastro. He was fave against Robinson, Kelley and Barrera
I’m pretty sure Naz was a big underdog against Robinson (maybe 3/1). I’m sure it mentions the odds at the start of the fight, not seen it for a while so I may be spouting nonsense
There is (was?) a YouTube video of the full Benn McClellan broadcast on ITV. After the introductions they actually handed over to John McCririck for the fight odds and he also covered the papers predictions. From memory he went through the lot and it was something like ‘the Sun, Mail, Telegraph and Star have McClellan in the first, Mirror, Express and Racing Post McClellan second, Guardian, Times and Independent McClellan third.’ Really was a sense that he’d go out and just blow Benn away.
Benn and Eubank fought each other mate. Twice. So I’m guessing at least one of them was the underdog at least once no?
Not being betting favourite doesn't mean you are an underdog. An underdog is considered to have little or no chance of winning a contest.
No. The underdog is literally the betting outsider. It doesn’t get any clearer. Next week with felix Sanchez “the favourite isn’t necessarily the betting favourite with the bookies”
Benn was a big underdog against G man. Many expected Benn to get stopped early and he very well nearly did.