Ngannou add to heavyweight boxing turmoil?
Francis Ngannou is the heavy underdog in his fight against heavyweight heavyweight Anthony Joshua on March 8, but don’t tell Ngannou, who is looking to cement one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
It almost resulted in one of the most unexpected victories
The 37-year-old mixed martial arts fighter shocked the world by stepping into the ring in his debut bout against heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury in October 2023. His reckless neglect of his opponent led many to believe he would lose quickly, yet he almost did. It led to one of the most unexpected victories in the history of the sport.
With the burly Cameroonian returning to fight Joshua, he is potentially 12 rounds away from joining the boxing world for good – with just two fights remaining.
Ngannou vs. Joshua
Ngannou is a +370 underdog against Joshua, who is a -500 favorite, according to FanDuel. The implied odds for these odds suggest that Ngannou has a 21.3% chance of winning, while Joshua has an 83.3% chance.
These odds, while still lopsided, give Ngannou a much greater chance than the majority of boxing fans and experts expected in his second fight. After all, he was as much as a +850 underdog (10.5% implied odds) at some sportsbooks on the Fury fight, while many live betting odds suggested he was the favorite to win heading into the final round.
Although Fury is considered a better fighter than Joshua, the latter could present a more difficult matchup for the 37-year-old rookie. He’s stronger and more willing to land heavy blows and throw punches himself, while Fury quickly realizes that he can’t just stand in the middle of the ring and survive.
Joshua also has a tape of Ngannou to watch, while Fury has had very little outside of his MMA career.
Ngannou’s victory wouldn’t be the first time a former heavyweight champion has fallen victim to one of the many upsets, but it will be one of his most memorable. Here are some of the best sports games so far.
Remember heavyweight boxing’s greatest upsets
Buster Douglas TKOs “Iron” Mike Tyson
Tyson was the most feared man on the planet in 1990. He had a 37-0 record with 33 KOs and was fighting for the WBA, WBC, IBF, and The ring heavyweight titles when he met Douglas, a 6-foot-4-inch fighter with a record of 29-4-1 (19 KOs).
Landing quick punches to keep Tyson at bay and landing powerful, punishing strikes
Pundits believed Tyson would have crushed the seventh heavyweight contender, who were given betting odds of 42-1 (+4200 – 2.3% implied odds). But Douglas showed from the opening moments that he envisioned the fight differently, landing quick punches to keep Tyson out and landing powerful shots when he had the window.
About a month after his mother’s death, in the tenth round, Douglas knocked Tyson down with a powerful blow that sent him stumbling backwards. He pounced on the wounded champion and fired four shots to the head, putting him on the canvas for the first time in his career. Tyson tried to get back to his feet but wouldn’t count, and one of the greatest upsets in heavyweight boxing was accomplished.
Boxing’s “Cinderella Man” delivers
James J. Braddock, a poor man from New Jersey who weathered the Great Depression and rose to world heavyweight champion, was a +1000 (9.1% chance) underdog against champion Max Baer when the pair set their sights on a fight on the June 1935 date.
Braddock had a tough style and was past his prime as a fighter with 27 losses in his career. Meanwhile, Paire was taller, stronger, smoother, more powerful, and more dominant.
Braddock won a unanimous decision and controlled all three heavyweight titles
While many expected Baer, already the Ring, NBA and NYSAC heavyweight champion, to fight his way past Braddock, the duo went through all 15 scheduled rounds and had their fates decided at the judges’ table. Braddock won a unanimous decision and controlled all three heavyweight titles, which he held for two years until losing to Joe Louis.
Muhammad Ali beats Sonny Liston…twice
Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, was only 22 years old and already an Olympic champion when he looked up to Liston, the most feared man of the time. Johnny Tocco, a coach who also helped George Foreman and Mike Tyson, said Liston was the toughest hitter of the three, and arguably more fearsome than Tyson in his prime.
The young competitor was not given much of a chance as a +800 underdog after being beaten and narrowly beaten by some decisions on judges’ scorecards against lower level opponents earlier in his career. But that didn’t stop him from doing the usual verbal gymnastics and making headlines before the fight.
Liston came out angry and looked for the knockout punch for the younger, younger Clay, only to quickly discover that he didn’t have the speed to keep up with his young opponent. Controversy arose in the middle of the fight when Clay claimed that Liston smeared his gloves with a substance that caused his eyes to burn and him to lose his sight.
Undeterred, Clay continued his attack until Liston threw a corner kick, citing a shoulder injury he sustained in training. This led to a rematch between the two, as Liston did not believe Clay was the better fighter.
However, that battle also ended in controversy. Clay, now Ali, fired a right hand in the first round that knocked Liston to the ground, although the shot came so quickly and skillfully that much of the crowd didn’t even notice it.
The referee did not count while trying to return Ali to his corner, leaving the timekeeper to handle those duties. There was no microphone or easy way for the pair to communicate, but it was eventually determined that Liston had not met the ten-second window to appear, and Ali was declared the winner.
