Prior to Tyson-Douglas, the greatest underdog to win a heavyweight title was James Braddock, known to many as "Cinderella Man," beating Max Baer in 1935. Anything offered above 10-to-1 would have made Douglas the biggest Heavyweight underdog of all time. The most popular bet across Vegas was for Tyson to drop Douglas and end the fight in either Round 2 or 3.Ģ. It's like, who would offer a moneyline on Centenary vs Alabama if they're a 65-point underdog?" "At some point, it's like what's the point in offering it anymore. "We were booking Tyson fights and, as he continued to crush people, the underdogs were going from 6-to-1 to 8-to-1," recalled Jimmy Vaccaro, the head bookmaker at the Mirage at the time. All sportsbooks offered odds on when Tyson would knock out Douglas, but only one - the Mirage - offered bettors the chance to bet on Tyson or Douglas straight-up. Thirty years later, there's plenty to clear up about "42-to-1" odds story.ġ. Mike Tyson, one of the biggest longshot victories ever in a head-to-head competition.īut as with all upset tales, Douglas over Tyson has taken on a life of its own after the fact. 11 marks the 32nd anniversary of Buster Douglas' 42-to-1 upset vs. Sullivan is regarded as America’s first star athlete, and it was said that people would stand in line to shake hands with someone who could prove they’d met “the Boston Strong Boy.Editor's note: This article was originally published in December 2018, before ESPN's airing of the "42 to 1" documentary.įeb. It’s a reference that goes back 125 years. It goes back to Sullivan, ‘I’d like to shake the hand that shook the hand of John L. "It’s the ultimate sports title,” Schaap said. You know, you would have thought he was 8-foot-tall.”Įvery generation has had a heavyweight champion who inspired that sort of awe. He was undefeated and had been beating opponents with chilling brutality. The film also does a good job of showing just how dominant Tyson had been. We believe that we can do it, too.” 'He was a monster' “Then all the sudden a guy comes up - the average, hardworking young man - and pulls off something that’s, you know, totally unexpected, and in such a dynamic fashion.”įor Schaap, “The upsets, when they do occur, the big ones, they validate the whole idea that the unexpected can happen and does happen … that someone can summon the best part of themselves and can prove the doubters wrong. “You always know about the guys who are sorta like the moral winners,” Douglas said. “It’s a human story,” Schaap said, “about someone finding, against all odds, the best version of himself.”Īnd is there anything better than a big upset? Schaap’s version takes the viewer inside the mind of the underdog to help show how he did it. Douglas,” which came out 15 years ago.īut it’s nothing compared to endless retellings of the story of Muhammad Ali and his various fights. And HBO’s “Legendary Nights: The Tale of Tyson vs. “The Last Great Fight: The Extraordinary Tale of Two Men and How One Fight Changed Their Lives Forever,” by Jack Layden, was published 11 years ago. There have been a few versions that stand out. “People have heard so much of Mike’s story that they think they know (Douglas’) story - but they don’t.” “It’s pretty amazing how little has really been done on this,” he said. “I was an underdog my whole career,” he said in a recent interview, adding later, “But I knew I had the ability to compete with those guys.” 'Against all odds'įor co-director Jeremy Schaap, it’s a story that has gone overlooked in plain sight. It’s called “42 to 1,” for the odds Vegas put on the fight, “meaning, you would have had to put up $42,000 to win $1,000,” oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro says in the film.ĭouglas knew he was a long shot, but he didn’t care. “A guy who’s not expected to do much, not expected to have a chance, but comes out on top.
He was at the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight title fight in Los Angeles recently, and almost 30 years after he stunned everyone but himself by knocking out Mike Tyson, there’s a new documentary telling his side of the story.ĮSPN’s latest “30 for 30,” which premiered on Tuesday, focuses on the man everyone overlooked on Feb.
0 kommentar(er)
