Many people thought that Spanish featherweight Kiko Martinez had seen better days. But he upset the odds on Saturday night when he knocked out Britain’s Kid Galahad with a single right hand in the 6th round to unexpectedly win the IBF featherweight portion of the championship in Sheffield, England.
Martinez was 7/1 against to win, but the sport of boxing occasionally reminds us that anything can happen!
This article will be taking a look at six extraordinary comeback victories made by boxers who were long considered be the shadow of their former selves but ended up shocking the world by pulling off the almost impossible!
Mike Tyson v Evander Holyfield
After looking less than stellar against Bobby Czyz in his ring return after being knocked out by Riddick Bowe in their third and final bout, there were fears that Mike Tyson would seriously hurt the now Georgian four time champion.
The fight between Tyson and Holyfield was set for November 9th, 1996 in what was a WBA title defence for “Iron” Mike. And somehow, Holyfield never got the memo that everybody else seemingly did!
After being caught with a huge right hook just moments after the bell sounded, it seemed as if the script was going to go the way that many expected. But things changed in the second round when Holyfield matched Mike punch for punch and things only got worse for the “Baddest Man On The Planet” from there. In the 6th round Holyfield dropped Tyson, having previously cut him over his eye.
Tyson mainly threw only one punch at a time, obviously overconfident in his power. But Holyfield timed them to move out of the way before countering his opponent with his own punches.
The end finally came in the 11th after being caught with a barrage of hits in the previous round that Mike never recovered from.
Muhammad Ali v George Foreman
This was another instance when boxing fans feared for the life of a fighter.
George Foreman had been knocking everybody out in his path, including the likes of previous Muhammad Ali foes Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. And it was soon to be Ali’s turn on October 30th, 1974 to see if he could solve the Foreman puzzle.
As expected, Foreman came thundering out in an attempt to put Ali down. But he was unable to. All through the rounds Ali taunted the bigger and stronger man, verbally belittling his power. By the 8th round Foreman was weary and exhausted from throwing so many failed punches. And Ali knew that this was the time to strike back after resting on the ropes for the majority of the fight. A combination to the head of Foreman sent him crashing to the canvas.
He never made it up and history was made.
Marco Antonio Barrera v Erik Morales
Although Marco Antonio Barrera had been racking up several victories prior to his 2000 fight with Erik Morales, it was still unknown if he could still hang with some of the super-bantamweight division’s best. So, when the unification fight with Morales was organised all eyes were on Barrera to see if he would still be worthy of facing the calibre of a fighter like Morales.
Well, right from the off we saw Barrera prove that he could bring the intensity, the chin and will to give his Mexican rival all that he could handle. The 5th round, at least in this author’s eyes, is one of boxing’s greatest ever to be seen.
Morales was counted in the final round, although it did admittedly seem more like a slip. And that seemed to solidify that Barrera surely had done enough to get the win.
But the judges saw it the other way and Morales retained his WBC title as well as taking Barrera’s WBO crown.
The two would eventually go on to have two more fights to settle the question of who really was the superior Mexican gladiator. Barrera came out on top in both encounters.
Ray Leonard v Marvin Hagler
“Sugar” Ray Leonard retired in 1984 after an already glittering career, with one of the main reasons being serious eye issues. But two years later, after Hagler had been dominating the middleweight division, Leonard started to gain the self-belief that he could beat him.
Against the advice of many, the fight was set for April 6th, 1987.
Although the outcome is still passionately debated to this day by experts and fans alike, Leonard seemed to impress the judges more with his mobility, flashy but authoritative combinations.
Leonard won by a split decision as well as the WBC middleweight title.
George Foreman v Michael Moorer
“Big” George Foreman had already lost two world title shots since his comeback in 1987 after walking away from the sport for a decade. But in 1994, he faced Michael Moorer for the WBA and IBF portions of the championship.
A 3-1 favourite with the bookies, the younger man was outboxing the bigger older puncher before unexpectedly being clipped with a right hand in the 10th round. Moorer failed to beat the count and Foreman went on to become the oldest ever heavyweight champion.
A record that still remains intact today!
Erik Morales v Marcos Maidana
After suffering four losses in a row to Zahir Raheem, Manny Pacquiao (twice) and David Diaz modern Mexican great, Erik Morales retired from boxing in 2007. In 2010 he made a return, looking more softer and fighting two weights up from his usual fighting weight at welterweight.
In 2011, Morales got his shot against the hard punching Marcos Maidana for the WBA Interim title. Most expected him to lose conclusively. And the contest certainly appeared to be going that way when Morales’ right eye swelled in the first round. However, he used all his experience and his granite chin to dumbfound Maidana by not folding and began to fight back and use Maidana’s inexperience against him.
By the end it looked as if Morales should have snatched the fight on the cards. But he went on to lose a majority decision.
Morales would win the WBC title again by retiring Pablo Cesar Cano in the 10th round later that year.
