HEAVYWEIGHT HISTORY OF UPSETS SAYS LEAPAI CAN WIN - By Ben Damon. Australias Alex Leapai will be a implausible underdog when he fights Wladimir Klitschko for his four heavyweight world title belts. The great Klitschko holds the IBF, WBO, WBA Super and IBO belts and has not been beaten in a decade, while Leapai is a former footballer from Queensland who drives a delivery van. The equation is impossible for Leapai - he is given no chance at all within the boxing world, and is quoted at mocking odds by all respected bookmakers. Common sense says Leapai cant win, but history shows that common sense has no place in heavyweight boxing. In no particular order here is a selection of five of the greatest upsets in the history of the division. DOUGLAS V TYSON - Rocky Lives! This is the result against which all sporting upsets are now measured. James Buster Douglas was a 40/1 outsider against the invincible animal that was an undefeated Mike Tyson, when the pair met in Tokyo in 1990. Tyson held the IBF, WBC and WBA titles and was considered the worlds best boxer, pound for pound. Douglas was a journeyman heavyweight who had been stopped by Tony Tucker during his only previous world title contest a few years earlier. Tysons professional record was 37-0 with 33 knockouts, and he was proclaimed, the baddest man on the planet. The one area in which Douglas did possess an advantage in this bout, however, was motivation. Just three weeks before the fight Douglas mother had passed away and he dedicated his performance to her. Douglas was fearless and dominant. He jabbed Tyson and outworked him, scoring the better shots in their exchanges. The comical over-confidence of Tysons corner became evident as their fighters eye began to swell from the constant right hands. Without the traditional equipment they used a surgical glove filled with icy water to treat the eye. They failed. Tyson mustered his ample aggression to knock Douglas down in the ninth round, but as the underdog clambered back to his feet at the count of nine Tysons chances evaporated. Douglas resumed control and destroyed Tysons aura in the tenth round. The shot of Tyson on the canvas for the first time in his career, fumbling with his mouthpiece as he is counted out, has become the enduring image of this incredible upset. Read more.... buff.ly/1lxNb9g
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 11:00:11 +0000
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