Toughest Pro Debut A Boxer Won

In his pro debut, Michael Carbajal won a split over future world champion Will Grigsby. Sure Grigsby was only 1-0 at the time, but it is rare for a fighter to defeat a future champ in his pro debut.

Holyfield fought Byarm in his pro debut, who was 9-1-2, and it was a 6-rounder.

Whitaker fought a 9-0 Farrain Comeaux in a scheduled 6.

Ali (then Clay) fought a scheduled 6 against 15-9-1 Tunney Hunsaker.

Lomachenko's debut risk is impressive. Yet there is some logic to it. Lomachenko has won two Olympic gold medals, has often won outstanding boxer awards, including in the Olympics, and I believe he has been fighting some no headgear amateur bouts. So he is capable of pulling it off.

That said, if I was managing him, I personally wouldn't take a guy with so much quality pro experience, one who has shown a chin, durability, and power, who was young and frisky and had been close and competitive even in losses, in my former amateur's first pro fight. Great risk can have great reward; but his people are going to look like idiots if Vasyl loses or gets hurt. It is sort of like being the Patriots going for it on 4th down from your own side of the field. Shows balls, but be prepared for the heat if it doesn't work.

 

good question...i can't think
i remember riddick bowes debut being a harder ask than i would have expected

 

Yeah, the guy Bowe fought (Lionel Butler) went on to KO Tony Tubbs in 1 round just 3 years later, and was a ranked contender for 2 or 3 years.

 

The first answer which always comes to my mind along those lines is Roberto Duran-Carlos Mendoza, a pretty famous and obvious example. Six years later, El Canonero would deck Olivares twice in a non title fight before getting stopped in six. Five years after that, Mendoza would bloody up a peak Gomez before getting stopped in ten, in a surprise showing which many consider Wilfredo's toughest title win before Pintor.

Mendoza followed up Gomez with a ten round SD over Kid Meza, the first bout Carlos had after turning 30. In 1982, Garza stopped him in ten, by far the latest round the deadly punching Jaime would ever halt anybody in. Mendoza was a full decade older than Garza.

Carlos Mendoza closed out his career reputably with four straight seventh round KO wins, the second of those against two-time Gomez challenger Juan Antonio Lopez.

Soo-Hwan Hong, Ricardo Cardona and Leo Randolph were Gomez's WBA counterparts during Mendoza's rise from Olivares to Gomez and Meza I. Had he gotten a WBA SBW shot at one of them instead of Gomez, he too might have snagged a title like Grigsby.

Unfortunately, Mendoza might have been a little too long in the tooth by the time he rematched Meza in a WBC eliminator on the Sanchez-Gomez undercard. This time, Juan stopped the now 32 year old Mendoza in ten to get the next crack at Gomez. Mendoza had been gone for nearly a year when Kid shocked Garza in one to obtain Wilfredo's old WBC SBW belt, so there was no chance for a Mendoza-Meza III rubber match for that title. [Juan was too good by then for Carlos to have any chance of prevailing in 1985, but Mendoza was doing well enough when he retired that he might have had one last title shot if he'd continued through 1984.]

 

Duran-Mendoza would have been my choice along with Radamacher-Patterson.

Rafa Marquez fought and lost to former champion Victor Rabanales in his debut. Rabanales was also trained by Nacho and from what I've read it was meant to be an exhibition and Rafa only found out it was a real fight at the last minute.

 

the guy who beat Bernard Hopkins ?

 

David bey v buster douglas

 

Roberto Duran's debut in 67 was against Carlos Mendoza who fought the great Gomez for the title twice

 

This is what I came to post.

 

I forgot about this. Looking back on his record, Freight Train weighed in at 202 for this bout... His most recent (last?) bout was in 2010 in which he weighted 290+. Thems a lot lb's to put on a 5-10 frame!

 

Jimmy Ellis was thrown to the wolves when he went pro. In his first 9 fights he had fought Holly Mims (twice), Rory Calhoun, Wilfie Greaves and Johnny Morris. And in his pro debut he fought the experienced Arley Seifer who was having his 29th pro fight and had already duked it out with Carmen Basilio and Wilfie Greaves (twice). Also, I believe Curtis Cokes turned pro against Manny Gonzalez, who would go on to fight Emile Griffith and Cokes himself for the title.

 

Lionel Butler was a complete waster.
He was in decent shape when he KO'd Tubbs too, at about 215-225 pounds I think, then a couple of years later got a huge opportunity against Lennox Lewis, and turned up around 260 !
A crack head too, of course.

 

Eddie Trujillo surely wins hands down, as he beat the Homicide Hank on debut...

 

Remember though, that the debuting professional had to have also WON, which throws out Rademacher and Marquez as candidates. [also Bonecrusher Smith, who was knocked out in his debut by James Broad.]

The requirement of a victorious debut makes Vysotskyy's question an excellent challenge.

Mike Ronay Evans was decisioned in six rounds by a debuting Tyrell Biggs. Though Lee Roy Murphy and Adilson Rodriguez were easily the most consequential wins on Mighty Mike's ledger, he did take four different HW Title claimants the distance [Tubbs, Tucker, Moorer and Sanders], and had a pretty respectable HW career. As debut wins go, events proved this one to be a laudable beginning for Biggs. Once Mike's career got going, only the best or most serious up and comers were really able to manage him conclusively [usually via the distance route].

Pedro Vilella won his debut against the extremely hyped fellow debut of Bobby Joe Young over four rounds in the Felt Forum. Young would fall short of crushing expectations, while Vilella would go 17-0-1 before upsetting Marlon Starling over 12 for the NABF WW Title.

Henry Tillman won his debut against future IBF CW champion Uriah "Bossman" Grant.