What's the most unlikely rivalry in the history of boxing?

[Hulk]

Mosley and Vernon Forrest kinda. Forrest ain't really done shit since.

And of course like Biblo said, THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND...

Ricardo Mayorga over Vernon Forrest.

[Mark TKO]

like SSN the one that sprang to mind was Barkley Hearns

Collins Eubank ??


Golota Bowe (yes I know Bowe 'won' both he got hammered !!!)

[BIG H]

Junior Jones over Barrera

[ICB]

Carlos Monzon vs Nino Benvenuti
Salvador Sanchez vs Danny Lopez

[Kev]

Junior Jones over Barrera

ah yeah great call with Junior Jones, Barrera twice beaten by a man who shouldn't have been fit to lace his gloves.

[Chino]

Junior Jones over Barrera

ah yeah great call with Junior Jones, Barrera twice beaten by a man who shouldn't have been fit to lace his gloves.

Barrera vs Jones II hhhhhmmmm didn't really think Jones one that one just like ODLH vs Mosley II. Oh well .

But yeah, Terri Norris vs Santana was unbelievable. The guy taking 2 dives, wow. I savored the 3rd fight how Terri Norris jumped and celebrated aggressively yelling at Santana.

[CutMeMick]

I guess you guys missed the part where Bilbo said:

"someone who was completely unheralded..."

So far IMO the only ones that I think appliy are Santana-Norris & Peden-Nate & Monzon-Nino and Lopez-Sanchez.
Talk about guys who had not seen world stage yet and they did it.

The rest IMO the fighters had already been on world stage.

No way does SSM-Forrest, Mayorga-Forrest, MAB-Jones, Golota-Bowe etc. etc. apply.

[Kev]

I guess you guys missed the part where Bilbo said:

"someone who was completely unheralded..."

So far IMO the only ones that I think appliy are Santana-Norris & Peden-Nate & Monzon-Nino and Lopez-Sanchez.
Talk about guys who had not seen world stage yet and they did it.

The rest IMO the fighters had already been on world stage.

No way does SSM-Forrest, Mayorga-Forrest, MAB-Jones, Golota-Bowe etc. etc. apply.

Good points Mick and well noticed.

I think Barrera Jones and Mayorga Forrest fit the criteria though as take away Jones wins over Barrera and Mayorgas wins over Forrest and neither of them would have very much at all. Same would have been true for Rahman had he beaten Lewis a second time.

It's an interesting topic though I think, trying to think of a big name elite fighter who got beat by an unheralded fighter not once, but twice.

I reckon Forrest and Barrera losing to Mayorga and Jones are the best examples but you are far more familiar than me with older fighters so I'm sure there are several more.

Had Randy Turpin won the rematch with Sugar Ray that would have been another decent example, and maybe Ingemarr Johansson came close over Floyd Patterson, certainly he's only famous for beating Patterson.

[CutMeMick]

I guess you guys missed the part where Bilbo said:

"someone who was completely unheralded..."

So far IMO the only ones that I think appliy are Santana-Norris & Peden-Nate & Monzon-Nino and Lopez-Sanchez.
Talk about guys who had not seen world stage yet and they did it.

The rest IMO the fighters had already been on world stage.

No way does SSM-Forrest, Mayorga-Forrest, MAB-Jones, Golota-Bowe etc. etc. apply.

Good points Mick and well noticed.

I think Barrera Jones and Mayorga Forrest fit the criteria though as take away Jones wins over Barrera and Mayorgas wins over Forrest and neither of them would have very much at all. Same would have been true for Rahman had he beaten Lewis a second time.

It's an interesting topic though I think, trying to think of a big name elite fighter who got beat by an unheralded fighter not once, but twice.

I reckon Forrest and Barrera losing to Mayorga and Jones are the best examples but you are far more familiar than me with older fighters so I'm sure there are several more.

Had Randy Turpin won the rematch with Sugar Ray that would have been another decent example, and maybe Ingemarr Johansson came close over Floyd Patterson, certainly he's only famous for beating Patterson.

You see to me Jones was not unknown/unheralded.
Neither was Forrest or Moyarga at the time each won.
But I see your points.

Turpin-SRR would have possibly been the biggest.

[rjj tszyu]

I guess you guys missed the part where Bilbo said:

"someone who was completely unheralded..."

So far IMO the only ones that I think appliy are Santana-Norris & Peden-Nate & Monzon-Nino and Lopez-Sanchez.
Talk about guys who had not seen world stage yet and they did it.

The rest IMO the fighters had already been on world stage.

No way does SSM-Forrest, Mayorga-Forrest, MAB-Jones, Golota-Bowe etc. etc. apply.

Good points Mick and well noticed.

I think Barrera Jones and Mayorga Forrest fit the criteria though as take away Jones wins over Barrera and Mayorgas wins over Forrest and neither of them would have very much at all. Same would have been true for Rahman had he beaten Lewis a second time.

It's an interesting topic though I think, trying to think of a big name elite fighter who got beat by an unheralded fighter not once, but twice.

I reckon Forrest and Barrera losing to Mayorga and Jones are the best examples but you are far more familiar than me with older fighters so I'm sure there are several more.

Had Randy Turpin won the rematch with Sugar Ray that would have been another decent example, and maybe Ingemarr Johansson came close over Floyd Patterson, certainly he's only famous for beating Patterson.

Wasn't Johansson an olympic medallist though? I am not sure I may be wrong but something sticks in my head about him and the olympics and therefore he would be somewhat heralded just for some olympic glory!

I must say I am stuck for answers to this question I'll think of some though!