The boxer who became known as the ‘Cinderella Man’ was American James Braddock, who was so christened by author Damon Runyon after an unexpected victory over Max Baer in a world heavyweight title fight in 1935. Despite a series of crippling hand injuries, which threatened to end his career, Braddock returned to the ring in 1934 and, after defeating several much touted contenders, earned himself a shot at the heavyweight title. He lined up against Baer as 10/1 underdog, but despite being shaken by a short right hand in the seventh round, kept coming and eventually won the contest by unanimous decision, to complete one of the greatest ‘rags-to-riches’ stories in boxing history.
Braddock made defended his title just once, against leading contender Joe Louis two years later. Once again, he held his own, but eventually succumbed to a powerful right hand, which caught him flush on the jaw and sent him to the canvas; it was his only defeat by knockout in his 86-fight career. Braddock fought just one more, beating Tommy Farr, by split decision, the following January before retiring. Nevertheless, his contract for the Louis fight guaranteed him 10% of Louis’ earnings from future title fights, so Braddock was financially secure for the rest of his life.
The first man to go 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali was the Canadian George Chuvalo, who did so in a WBC heavyweight title fight at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto on March 29, 1966. Making the third defence of the title, which he had won from Sonny Liston two years earlier, Ali went into the fight with a pristine 22-0-0 record.
The bout was billed by ‘Sports Illustrated’ as ‘Showdown with a Punching Bag‘, such was Ali’s perceived superiority over his opponent, who had lost two of his last three fights. Nevertheless, defying odds of 7/1, Chuvalo went the distance before losing by unanimous decision. Reflecting on his defeat, he said, ‘The judges voted for Ali, but he had to be taken to the hospital afterwards while I went dancing with my wife.’
Interestingly, Chuvalo would fight Ali again, for the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) heavyweight title at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on May 1, 1972. Again he went the 15-round distance, but again lost by unanimous decision. In an 18-year career, Chuvalo fought 93 times, including against Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Ernie Terrell, and was never once knocked down. The plucky fighter may not have got the win he was looking for against Ali, but bookmakers like Michigan sportsbook and others around the United States and beyond, are well aware that punters are looking for the long odds ‘dream bet’ to come good.
Of course one person’s outsider is anothers competitive matchup. By which I mean that when some people think ‘big odds’ they really are looking for a ‘needle in the haystack’ type bet to come good, whereas other are happy to go with the more likely outcome of something deemed the outsider of the two. Boxing in many ways is a sport of upsets, as just when you think you’ve got it all figured out a spanner will go flying into the works. This of course was true even last weekend in the Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk fight, where the long wished for prospect of an AJ VS Tyson Fury unification bout was put firmly on the back burner by Usyk.
There have of course been bigger surprises in the world of boxing over the years. Who can forget the shock defeat of Mike Tyson by Buster Douglas in February 1990 for instance. At the time Tyson was seen as all but unstoppable (as well as being the undefeated and undisputed WBC, WBA and IBF champion) and Douglas not given a hope, indeed he was a 42-1 underdog. Douglas however didn’t let others opinions of him impact his winning mentality in the fight held at the Tokyo Dome. Instead he went about delivering one of the biggest shocks in boxing history.
As a punter it’s important to both understand when others are all aboard the hype train and also when a challenger has a style that is clearly going to give the champion more problems than he initially realises. When you have a keen eye for spotting both of these scenarios you’re likely going to be able to spot good value bets.
Anthony Joshua is the unified world heavyweight champion, having held the IBF, WBO, WBA and IBO titles since 2019. Indeed, in 2021, Joshua and WBC title holder, Tyson Fury, signed up for a two-fight deal to determine the undisputed world heavyweight champion. That was, of course, before Deontay Wilder won his arbitration case for a third fight with Fury, which is now scheduled for October 2021. Likewise, Joshua in scheduled to defend his titles against mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021, so the eagerly-awaited showdown is on hold for the time being.
Anyway, to answer the headline question, at the time of writing, Anthony Joshua has fought 25 times as a professional, winning 24 times, including 22 knockouts. The sole defeat of his professional career came against American Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden, New York on June 1, 2019. Despite starting 25/1 underdog, Ruiz felled Joshua four times before the referee stopped the fight and awarded Ruiz victory, by technical knockout, in the seventh round. A rematch inevitably followed and, in the so-called ‘Clash On The Dunes’ in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, Joshua defeated Ruiz, by unanimous decision, to reclaim his heavyweight titles.
What does this teach us? Well certainly that no fighter is unbeatable. No matter what previous pattern of easy wins has been apparent, there can always be surprises or underdog occurrences and that really is what at times makes boxing so unpredictable and captivating. New online casinos open every day, start playing today. People at a roulette wheel see red coming in X number of times are become convinced that either 1) the pattern will continue or 2) the next spin will be black. Of course though, as with boxing (though of course ability factors into boxing too) each ‘spin’ or ’bout’ is a separate event, and it pays not to imagine that we know how it’s going to unfold. In realistic terms if boxing were a casino game it’d be more like poker though. Strategy, a poker face, raw ability and a pinch of luck all go into the mix. And of course boxing and casinos are actually a fit that goes back many decades. Just look to Vegas, and also casinos routinely sponsoring big fights.
So what next for Anthony Joshua? Well, many eagerly anticipate a match up with the undefeated Tyson Fury. The fight has been on the cards for years and tantalizingly close to happening at times, only for boxing politics to get in the way. With the storm that Covid brought to the world of sport over the past couple of years, any hope of much anticipated bouts coming to fruition has been put firmly on the back burner. Sure we’ve had some fights of note, but if anything the biggest bouts of late have been novelty fights in nature, featuring Youtube celebrities like Jake and Logan Paul. Sure, it’s easy money for them but possibly a slight concern for boxing that fights not exactly based around ability have top billing at the present time. Hopefully as the general health and vaccinated situation improves, we’ll be back to having some brawls that go down in history before long.
Boxing was made great by a series of super fights throughout the ages. Mohammed Ali took on Sonny Liston twice, “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier in Manilla, and George Foreman in Zaire. After that, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler faced off, as did Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward. Let’s not forget about Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson.
Unfortunately for the sport, mega-fights have been hard to come by in recent years. Currently, there’s one that stands out from the crowd – Anthony Joshua Vs Tyson Fury. Both are British and world champions, giving the bout extra spice. However, the obstacles appear to be getting in the way, and they’re quite significant.
Deontay Wilder & Oleksandr Usyk
Wilder and Usyk are the respective opponents for Fury and Joshua after Deontay Wilder refused to step aside for the two to meet. Everyone understands the American’s punching power, even if his boxing ability isn’t as strong as Fury’s. The boxing betting ranks the champ as the 3/10 favourite after the Brit knocked him out in their last fight, but it only takes one punch to upset the apple cart.
Usyk, on the other hand, is somewhat of an unknown quantity. The Ukrainian swept the cruiserweight division when he KOed Tony Bellew, becoming the first cruiserweight in history to hold all four major world championship belts. Again, Joshua is the favourite for their September bout at 4/11.
However, the odds distort the threat the Ukrainian poses because he’s relatively untried at heavyweight. If he can bring power to the table while keeping his speed, Joshua may struggle to hold on to his titles. Both men will need strong performances if they plan on meeting at some point in 2022.
The Venue
The fight is between two British fighters who will potentially hold all the major championship belts in the division. Logically, it makes sense for the matchup to take place in the UK. Joshua, for example, has fought most of his opponents in London. Plus, Wembley Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have massive capacities, and the demand will be huge.
But, the word at the moment is that Saudi Arabia will get the first crack of the whip should the fight go ahead. After all, the original contest was due to take place in the kingdom before Wilder won his arbitration case. As a result, Eddie Hearn may feel as if he owes the Saudis one.
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have finalised the date for their undisputed heavyweight championship clash and will meet in a specially-created stadium ?
That will leave the British boxing fans devastated. One of the biggest fights in the sport’s history between two Brits should happen on these shores, yet it looks as if it isn’t going to be the case.
Father Time
Something that’s out of everyone’s control is time. If Fury and Joshua were in their early or mid-20s, it may be easier to relax and accept the fact that they will touch gloves eventually. Unfortunately, the fighters are in their 30s.
They will only get older the longer the saga continues, with Fury potentially turning 34 by the time the fight takes place in 2022. The Gypsy King has already spoken about his desire to retire for the sake of his health, so it’s hard to see the boxer carrying on for too many more years.
In any case, no one wants to watch fighters who are past their primes. We watched Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao and it was a damp squib compared to what it may have been.
For the sake of the sport, we should cross out fingers and hope that these two great champions get to square off in the ring. It will be a massive disappointment if they don’t.
