It seems virtually no-one is prepared to give British challenger, former WBA lightweight champ Anthony Crolla any chance at all against the supreme skills of current 135 pound king and pound-for-pound best (in the opinion of most) Vasyl Lomachenko. Crolla, refusing to be fazed ahead of tomorrow night’s fight in Los Angeles, may or may not have looked at the betting odds available on the fight (probably not, and that’s not a bad thing), but those who do take a look will see that the southpaw from Ukraine is listed in some places as a whopping great 100/1 favorite over the Britisher.
This has led some to suggest that if – if – Crolla can somehow, some way, pull it off, the Manchester man will have pulled off THE biggest upset ever scored by a British boxer. It’s tough to disagree, even when looking back at some of the monster shocks the best from these shores have given us over the years.
Randy Turpin, who in 1951 managed to defeat the incomparable Sugar Ray Robinson, in Britain, overcame enormous odds, even though Sugar Ray was ‘only’ listed as a 4/1 favorite to defeat the first man to challenge for his 160 pound belt. These numbers pale in comparison to the 100/1 price that is available in the Lomachenko-Crolla fight. But in terms of beating the best of the best, perhaps what Turpin managed will still be looked at by the old timers as a bigger British victory/upset than a Crolla win over Lomachenko.
Lloyd Honeyghan was an 8/1 outsider the night he smashed the welterweight title from the gifted Don Curry. Honeyghan reportedly bet a bundle on himself and picked up quite a sum as a result. How much will Crolla take home if he wagers a considerable amount on himself to beat Lomachenko and actually does it?
Ricky Hatton was a 4/1 dog the night (or early morning UK time) he challenged the magnificent (if ageing) Kostya Tszyu. Hatton fought THE fight of his life and wore down the defending 140 pound king. A Crolla win would be a bigger upset, but the night Hatton beat Tszyu remains one of the most special nights in British boxing history.
Some other British boxers who scored notable upsets:
Nigel Benn Vs. Doug DeWitt, Gerald McClellan
Barry McGuigan vs. Eusebio Pedroza
Frank Bruno Vs. Oliver McCall
John H. Stracey Vs. Jose Napoles
Dennis Andries Vs. Jeff Harding (fight-three)
Joe Calzaghe Vs. Jeff Lacy
