Expected the unexpected when it comes to the Sweet Science. This year had a good mix of established fighters and promising prospects getting their plans ruined by determined underdogs. Without further delay, here are BeatsBoxingMayhem’s top upsets for 2015.
10. WILLIE NELSON TKO9 TONY HARRISON 7/11/15
The goal of Premier Boxing Champions is to bring new stars to the masses. Tony Harrison appeared to fit the bill. He had the cockiness that comes with youth and a flashy style. He dogged Willie Nelson during the buildup, proclaiming him to have a glass jaw that he’d break. Nelson remained cool the entire time, right up until he shut Harrison’s mouth in the ninth round.
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9. BADOU JACK MD12 ANTHONY DIRRELL
Jack was thought to be chinny and not able to withstand Dirrell’s power. But the Mayweather Promotions standout put forth a gutsy, discplined performance to win his first world title.
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8. JONATHAN OQUENDO MD10 JHONNY GONZALEZ 9/12/15
Going into this fight, Oquendo had been a “close but no cigar” fighter. He was always competitive, but lost to the best fighters on his resume like Abner Mares and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. But on this night, he caught Gonzalez coming off a bad loss to Gary Russell Jr. and took full advantage. Oquendo was aggressive and weathered a first round knockdown to drop Gonzalez in the second. The judges rewarded him with the majority decision nod.
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7. JAMIE MCDONNELL UD12 TOMOKI KAMEDA 5/9/15
Kameda was thought to be too skilled for McDonnell, and early on that looked to be the case. But after being floored in the third, McDonnell gradually became the more active fighter while Kameda fought in spots. McDonnell’s workrate gave him the nod by the narrowest of margins (114-113 across the board). Four months later, McDonnell got another close (and disputed) decision over Kameda.
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6. MICHEL SORO TKO4 GLEN TAPIA 5/8/15
Tapia’s homecoming at the Prudential Center quickly morphed into a nightmare. Tapia would later state he was weak and lethargic due to problems making weight. Soro’s precision counter-punching didn’t help matters either.
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5. RENALD GARRIDO DQ6 BRADLEY SAUNDERS 9/19/15
Statistically, this was the biggest upset of the year with odds of +4000. What was supposed to be an exhibition bout got too real for Saunders when he was dropped hard in the sixth round. He resorted to fouling and got himself disqualified for throwing an intentional head butt. Victor Ortiz would’ve been proud.
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4. YVAN MENDY SD12 LUKE CAMPBELL12/12/15
After stopping Tommy Coyle in August, Luke Campbell seemed well on his way to climbing the UK ranks. Yvan Mendy derailed those plans starting with a left hook that put Campbell down in the fifth. By no means a one-sided affair, Campbell fought hard but was simply outsmarted on this night.
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3. ADRIAN GRANADOS TKO8 AMIR IMAM 11/28/15
Amir Imam calls himself the “Young Master” and proclaimed he was ready for the best at 140 pounds. Granados showed the kid he still has a lot to learn. Imam scored a big knockdown in the first, but seemed ill-prepared for the rough, pressure-filled strategy that Granados brought. The later rounds became more and more one-sided until Imam was rendered helpless on the ropes for a dramatic finish.
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2. ARON MARTINEZ UD10 DEVON ALEXANDER 10/14/15
People forget that at one time Devon was a Top 3 welterweight and a potential Mayweather opponent. Alexander was trying to get back on track after a year off following his loss to Amir Khan. When you consider Martinez’s showing against Robert Guerrero, Devon picking him wasn’t exactly the best idea.
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1. TYSON FURY UD12 WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO 11/28/15
We have to give Fury his due — the man backed up his words. No, it wasn’t pretty to watch, but he turned one of the most dominant champions of the last decade into an scared, indecisive fighter. Most acknowledged a Fury win was possible, but not like this. How many times have we seen a Hall of Fame bound champion give up their title so meekly?
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 