The Biggest Fluke Win In Boxing...

I'm glad you mentioned that fight, Russell. Maybe calling it a fluke is going a bit far, but if they had fought 10 more times I don't think Nunn would ever be able to repeat that performance, so there was an element of fluke about it.
Good pick.

I suppose when looking at fluke wins, the obvious choice would be dramatic come-from-behind, one-punch wins or a win where the opposing fighter got injured by some extraordinary set of events.

One could consider Mike Weaver's dramatic one-punch kayo over Tate as one example. Mike sort of caught lightening in a bottle, although he always carried a threat because of his power.
Naturally, Hearns-Barkley 1 springs to mind, although Iran proved himself in the rematch.

One of the strangest flukes I ever saw was John Mugabi beating Rene Jacqout, who slipped and sprained his ankle as he ducked under one of Mugabi's punches, giving Mugabi one of his easiest -and luckiest - wins.

Another was Virgil Hill's win over Adolpho Washington. Although Hill was probably up on points at the time, Washington bumped his head on a TV camera at ringside in the 11th round, sustained a nasty cut, and could no longer continue. It was one of the strangest 'wins' I've seen. TKO'd by the cameraman...

 

chavez ko over meldrick talyor or louis over conn

 

Luis Santana/Terry Norris first and second fight.

 

Mercer-Damiani.

 

There's nothing "flukey" about knocking a guy out with a punch in a boxing match.

Twisted ankles, banging into TV cameras, etc. Yes, those wins can be classed as flukes.

But when a guy like Mike Weaver knocks guys out that's no fluke, that's what he planned to do. That's why he climbed through the ropes in the first place, and that's how he earns his living.

Iran Barkley beating Thomas Hearns is no fluke either.

I haven't seen Kalambay-Nunn.

 

Wlad Klits loss to purity maybe?

 

Two in which Hasim Rahman starred - ending up on the short end of the stick.

When David Tua hit him after the bell and subsequently knocked him out.

When Oleg Maskaev knocked Rahman out of the ring and he could not make it back inside on time.

Hasim fought two fights each with both. The above happened in the first fight in each case. He was leading on points in both instances.

 

I find that many are confusing a 'fluke' with an 'upset' in this thread.

 

Defining "fluke" as "big upset":

Barkley-Hearns I

Shannon Briggs KO Sergei at the last possible second seemed kind of "flukey", I guess

 

Oscar DelaHoya fluked out a win vs Ike Quartey. I firmly believe Quartey won that fight regardless of who won the the last round. DelaHoya didn't do nearly enough to win the decision and was at the end of Quartey's jab and right hand over and over. If that fight was fought anywhere else other than Las Vegas, Quartey would probably get the decision. DelaHoya also fluked out against Whitaker, who I'd say beat him worse than Mayweather did and also against Felix Sturm. That decision that he got against Felix Sturm is the kind of black mark on the sport that shouldn't happen. The judges gift wrapped that one for DelaHoya because he was scheduled to fight Bernard Hopkins.

 

Mayweather over Hatton

UNBELIEVABLE


j/k

 

I think a genuine 'upset' is when the consensus underdog outperforms the favourite and proves to be the better man on the night.

IMO landing a single big shot when you are down on points is not really outperforming and it does carry an element of chance about it

"Imagine if that one punch had missed etc... " is a reasonable post-mortem observation, whereas "imagine if he had missed those 300 jabs" is not!