Why biggest upsets hold key lessons for the underdogs
I salute all our boxers - retired or active, amateurs or professional - because you have always given the best you could. If you are in the league of perennial losers, take heart for you can be a history maker in waiting.
Welcome to the world of boxing underdogs where tables are turned in the most unexpected of ways. For boxing fans and boxers alike, we are in an era where the internet, through YouTube, offers you an opportunity to watch some of the most exciting fights in boxing history.
This file photo taken on March 24, 2012 shows Director David Foster (right) bumping fists with boxing legend Muhammad Ali on stage at the Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XVIII in Phoenix, Arizona. PHOTO | ROBYN BECK |
The fight between challenger Jess Willard and heavy weight champion Jack Johnson on April 5, 1915 in Havana, Cuba, had an interesting history packed with colour hatred.
Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion of the world and had managed to hold on to the titles since 1908 despite many attempts to relieve him of the belt.
However, none of the contenders had managed to even come close to defeating him.
Then along came Jess Willard. Willard didn’t really look likely to cause any upset. He was already 34 years old and had been boxing for less than five years. Even before the fight, Willard had said that he was expecting to be knocked around for the first 10 to 15 rounds and had trained for that very scenario.
When the fight opened, most of the fight was conducted at long range, with both fighters on the back foot. Although Willard managed to lead most of the fight, it was actually Johnson who managed to do most of the scoring. However, Willard was prepared for that and he soaked up the punches.
Boxing great Muhammad Ali during a bout in 1974.
The fight proved tougher for Johnson as his opponent seemed to have more stamina as the fight progressed. This was a 45-round fight. The end of the road for Johnson came in the 26th round when Willard threw a heavy jab, followed by a deadly right to Johnson’s jaw. This was too much for Johnson, and he was sent thudding to the ground. He could not get up and was counted out.
Although he conceded defeat, nine months later he made a written confession that he actually threw the fight in return for undisturbed re-entry into the US and a USD 50,000 fee. He stated that he threw the fight as soon as his wife received the money and gave the signal.
Johnson was a man on the run, hated by the whites for being seen with their women. Confusion aside, the fact is that despite being the world champion and firm favourite, he lost the bout and anyone betting on the underdog would be in the money.
Jack Johnson has a story for another day after former US President Donald Trump pardoned him posthumously to make a historic move against injustices against the first black heavyweight champion - Jack Johnson.
Cassius Clay vs Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964 at Miami Beach, US, started a new era of a self promoter who was young and so noisy the champion thought he was crazy. Although there weren’t many times that Clay (who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali) was seen to be an underdog in a fight, he was fresh on the scene and relatively unknown.
Mouthy upstart
Liston on the other hand was 10 years older than the challenger and had been world heavyweight champion since 1962. People simply saw Clay as a mouthy upstart who had just won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy.
Clay had his own style of dealing with his opponents, long before entering the ring. He would behave crazy. Inside the ring, he taunted Liston and kept boasting that he would knock him out.
Few people believed him. However, Clay started the fight off stronger and used his speed and fancy footwork to great effect against Liston, who was much slower.
The champion, known for his devastating punching power that knocked his opponent in early rounds, had not met a character like Clay who insulted and punched his face at the same time. By sixth round, Liston declared he could not continue.
He had cuts and bruises around his eyes and an apparent shoulder injury. Clay was declared winner by TKO and it was then that he told the world loud and clear that he was the Greatest.
This declaration was backed up in full when they met for a rematch in May 1965 and this time Clay, then known as Ali, won by a knock out in the first round. For record purpose, Liston holds the world record as the boxer with the biggest fist (15 inches) in circumference. No boxer has so far matched the size of his fist.
Leon Spinks vs Muhammed Ali February15, 1978 in Las Vegas, US showed clearly anything can happen when two boxers decide to trade punches, setting aside fame and experience.
American professional boxer Leon Spinks (left) caused perhaps the biggest boxing upset when he beat Muhammad Ali (right) in a 15-round fight in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 1978 to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
It was now Ali’s turn to be on the back end of an underdog story. Since winning the “Thriller in Manila” against Joe Frazier in 1975, Ali hadn’t really seen much in the way of decent competition. He had successfully defended all of his underperforming opponents in underwhelming matches.
Undoubtedly, Ali’s form wasn’t what it was - and his glory days were most certainly behind him. However, when he was put up against Spinks, it should still have been a pretty straight forward exercise for Ali, who had almost 20 years of boxing experience, fighting against the best heavyweights in the world.
Spinks on the other hand had just professional bouts, one of which was a draw against Scott LeDoux.
However, for his lack of confidence, Ali went into the match full of bravado. He was not only over confident but he was also most definitely ill- prepared.
A crowd of over 5,000 people turned up to watch the fight and got to witness a gruelling yet very exciting fight.
Spinks was too young and too determined for Ali.
Ali wasn’t used to taking such punishment and by the end of the match, his face was swollen and distorted. He managed to make it to the end of the fight and traded blow for blow until the final bell.
This file photo taken on October 30, 1974 shows the fight between US boxing heavyweight champions, Muhammad Ali (left) (born Cassius Clay) and George Foreman in Kinshasa. Ali, an icon of the 20th Century whose fame transcended the sport during a remarkable career that spanned three decades, died June 3, 2016.
However, it was not enough and Ali lost the fight on points.
He took the decision well and didn’t complain about the match not going his way. Ali showed his mettle then when he said that not only would he not retire but he would come back and win the title back for the third time.
The rematch
In the rematch, he proved this to be true and despite his age he showed in every way, he really was the world’s greatest.
I had an opportunity to watch this rematch live at Kenyatta International Conference Centre via satellite from the US.
James ‘Buster’ Douglas vs Mike Tyson on February 11, 1990 in Tokyo Japan. This is one fight to have gone down in history as one of the greatest upsets of all time.
Whether you like Tyson or not, you cannot deny that in his time, he was one of the greatest boxers ever to grace the sport.
He had that mix of aggression, fearlessness and power that overcame the biggest and toughest of opponents. This was the time he was deemed unbeatable and was the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world.
As the fight progressed, Douglas, who was so underrated that odds could only be 42/1 against him, began summoning his hidden power – most likely from his mother who had passed on some days before the fight.
In the 10th round, Douglas hit Tyson harder and harder knocking him out.
Unbelievable! That is the world of boxing underdogs where anything can happen. BY DAILY NATION
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