The very first recorded boxing match took place in 1681 and was between the butler and butcher of the 2nd Duke of Albemarle. These types of early boxing matches had no set rules.
Ever since then this game has produced the biggest upsets in sporting history.
Ali vs. Foreman
The fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974 was known as the “Rumble in the Jungle”. Many boxing fans believed that Ali was past his sell by date and Foreman was the favourite to win.
The match was even postponed to allow Foreman time to heal after an injury while training.
The match took place in Zaire on an especially hot day, which made the boxing ring soft, and with little spring. Ali took all the punches and did not really fight back and just at the right moment when Foreman was visibly exhausted Ali delivered the winning punch and claimed both the WBC and WBA titles.
Spinks vs. Holmes
Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes came face to face in 1985 and looked as though Holmes was set to win with 48 wins under his belt.
Both of these fighters were titleholders and both were undefeated, but Spinks was the underdog among the bookies as he was a lightweight moving up a level.
Although Spinks was smaller this in no way hampered his performance. They fought for 15 rounds and Spinks was able to stand his ground and came out the clear winner and became the first lightweight to successfully win a match after stepping up to the next division.
Douglas vs. Tyson
The James Douglas and Mike Tyson fight in 1990 is considered one of the most upsetting upsets in boxing.
James Douglas challenged Mike Tyson to a fight. Douglas had only had one title fight in his career and he lost it to Tony Tucker. Tyson was in excellent form and remained undefeated for 37 fights and held the WBA, WBC and IBF titles.
The odds that Douglas would win were not good and some casinos were not even taking bets. In the 5th round Douglas managed to close Tyson’s eye and he was knocked out in round 10, which was his first defeat.
Clay vs. Liston
The 1964 fight between Cassius Clay and Sonny Liston was a fight every boxing fan will remember and was surely as exciting as playing blackjack in a real online casino has to offer today! Liston was the heavyweight champion and was a force to be reckoned with in the ring. His record of 15 knockouts in 17 matches was quite impressive.
Even though Clay was a gold medallist he was young and inexperienced and thought to be no match for the title holder. Clay performed well which led to Liston trying an underhanded trick of putting liniment on his glove which blinded Clay during round 4. Clay was not to be defeated and won the match after taking control during the 6th and 7th rounds where Liston was forced to concede.
Foreman vs. Moorer
We go back to George Foreman but this time his fight with Michael Moorer in 1994 was the upset. In this fight Foreman was the underdog and had not won a fight since his match with Muhammad Ali in 1974. At this time Moorer held the IBF and WBA titles and his performance at the time was excellent.
Moorer dominated the first 10 rounds and Foreman was not able to retaliate and then all of a sudden Foreman landed a punch on Moorer’s jaw that broke his mouth guard and sent him to the ground. Foreman, at 45 became the oldest heavyweight champion in the world.