10. Joe Frazier vs. Dave Zyglewicz, Houston, TX, April 1969
Why a mismatch: As a 10-1 underdog, Dave Zyglewicz was given less chance against Joe Frazier than Jake Paul is being given, at least by bookmakers, when he enters the ring against Anthony Joshua. For good reason, too. Unranked, unknown, and a bricklayer by trade, Zyglewicz had the odd noteworthy win on his 28-1 record but they came when the likes of Willi Besmanoff and Billy Daniels were a long way past their best.
What happened: Zyglewicz came out swinging and was duly dropped twice, from left hooks, and counted out after 96 seconds.
9. Riddick Bowe vs. Michael Dokes, New York, NY, February 1993
Why a mismatch: Though former WBA beltholder Michael Dokes’ body of work might make his placement here somewhat surprising, the fact remains that he was shot to bits – and everyone knew it – when he was fed to 20-1 favorite Riddick Bowe, the new heavyweight king, in some truly gruesome matchmaking.
What happened: Dokes was even worse than feared. His punch-resistance had gone, his balance barely existent, and Bowe hit him at will before the slaughter was curtailed at 2-19 of the opening round.
8. Floyd Patterson vs. Pete Rademacher, Seattle, WA, August 1957
Why a mismatch: Though an Olympic champion in 1956, Rademacher wasn’t exactly the Teofilo Stevenson of his day. He persuaded 22 wealthy Georgians to stump up Floyd Patterson’s purse and the fight between the world heavyweight champion and the debutant was made. Former king Joe Louis called it “the worst mismatch in history” and, according to the United Press, there were no on-day bets being taken because it was deemed such a woeful fight.
What happened: Rademacher did himself proud, scoring a knockdown in the second round, but took a sustained hammering. He hit the deck seven times himself before being counted out at 2-57 of the sixth.
7. George Foreman vs. Jimmy Ellis, Reno, NV, December 1991
Why a mismatch: Many of George Foreman’s comeback fights in the late 80s/early 90s could be labelled mismatches but this one, against the hapless Jimmy Ellis, was among the worst because it came directly after Foreman had proved he belonged amongst the elite during a highly competitive loss to world champion, Evander Holyfield. Though Ellis came with a respectable 16-0-1 record, the names upon it were far from. No sports books offered odds in the hours leading to the fight, which says it all.
What happened: Foreman spent the first round chugging after Ellis and ignoring trainer Angelo Dundee’s pleas to “get your hands up, George” before really opening up in the second. The dazed Ellis, his face a mess, took such a pasting he had to do a lap of the ring before locating his stool and, by the third, Foreman was noticeably easing off out of fear he might send Ellis’ nose into orbit. Thankfully, referee Richard Steele stopped the bout before the worst occurred.
6. Frank Bruno vs. Chuck Gardner, Cannes, France, June 1987
Why a mismatch: Those in the unenviable position of spinning this monstrosity into a worthwhile scrap understandably focused on Chuck Gardner’s past: He’d been in with Earnie Shavers, John Tate, Tony Tucker, and Trevor Berbick. Only problem was they were all in his distant past and Gardner hadn’t seen the fifth round against any of them.
What happened: Gardner looked like he’d been awoken from a feverish afternoon nap when he entered the ring, his sweaty, balding head dotted with unkempt grey hair and his stomach eager to escape from his shorts. Even British commentator Harry Carpenter, for so long Frank Bruno’s biggest fan, was dismayed by the whole charade when Gardner went down and out after 55 seconds from a shot that barely landed.
5. Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley, Las Vegas, NV, August 1995
Why a mismatch: Perhaps a more understandable match than Joshua vs. Paul given the four-year layoff from which Mike Tyson was coming back but the difference in levels was apparent long before Peter McNeeley entered the ring. Talk about a sacrificial lamb.
What happened: McNeeley – drunk out of his mind on nervous energy – ran at Tyson to instigate a briefly thrilling exchange. Needless to say, Tyson got the better of it and the mauling was all over after 89 seconds.
4. Tommy Morrison vs. Tim Tomashek, Kansas City, MO, August 1993
Why a mismatch: Tim Tomashek was “in the crowd, drinking a beer” when he got the nod to replace Mike Williams and somehow challenge Tommy Morrison for the WBO heavyweight strap. The day before, with Williams making noises that he might pull out and the organisers starting to panic, the unheralded Tomashek had been invited to attend should that occur. He was given zero chance of winning.
What happened: Tomashek, wearing trunks that still “had blood on them from my last fight and didn’t smell too good”, gave it a good go but was ultimately bludgeoned to a predictable defeat in the fourth.
3. Mark Gastineau vs Tim Anderson II, Oklahoma City, OK, December 1992
Why a mismatch: On paper, this rematch was no mismatch. Tim Anderson – a one-time Dolph Lundgren stunt double – had caused an upset of sorts when he exposed Gastineau as the imposter he was when he outpointed him over five rounds in June 1992. The infamous promoter Rick Parker worked with both men but recognized in Gastineau, a former defensive end for the New York Jets, someone altogether more marketable. Parker’s attempts to persuade Anderson to take a dive in the first fight had failed, and thus, forty-five minutes before the rematch began the heavyweight stalwart was given some water that tasted peculiar. By the time Anderson entered the ring, he was struggling to walk and could not see straight. What followed coined the phrase: ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, poison ‘em.’
What happened: Anderson, a shadow of the man who had won so convincingly only six months before, was knocked out in the sixth round and soon collapsed in the dressing room. A janitor found him at 3am and called an ambulance, saving the apparently drugged Anderson’s life.
2. Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 2023
Why a mismatch: Ngannou, though a renowned beast in the world of mixed martial arts, had not had a professional boxing match – at least not a sanctioned one – when he was pitted against the then-unbeaten Tyson Fury, the consensus choice as the best heavyweight in world with a lifetime of experience in the sport. So Ngannou, 0-0, versus Fury, 33-0-1, was widely derided and, before the opening bell, looked like one of the biggest mismatches in the history of boxing.
What happened: The most competitive fight on this list by a considerable distance; if Jake Paul wants some encouragement, this might be the fight to watch. The unfit and under-prepared Fury, who was floored along the way, could not get to grips with his crude but energetic foe. After 10 messy rounds, the African was thought exceptionally unlucky to come up short on the scorecards.
1. Bert Cooper vs. Joe Savage, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, April 1994
Why a mismatch: Savage, from the West Midlands in England, claimed to have only stopped his reign of terror on the bareknuckle scene, where he promised his record was 42-0 (42 KOs), because his ear had been ripped off. With his ear sown back on – all seems perfectly feasible so far – he made some noise about his fighting prowess and managed to secure a bout with “Smokin” Bert Cooper, the former contender who had given Evander Holyfield and Michael Moorer hell. The Briton admitted that, even though he was indeed a freaking wrecking ball, he had never once been shown how to throw a punch. His talents, he warned, were all natural.
What happened: Entering the ring looking like a cross between John L. Sullivan and Homer Simpson, the pot-bellied Savage went after Cooper from the off. Cooper, by now years past his best, used his cross-arm defense to effortlessly block anything coming his way before cracking Savage with a left hook to send him down inside a minute. Savage got up and, drawing on the hooligan within, started windmilling once more. Cooper picked his moment to put an end to the utterly ridiculous affair, using his right hand this time, and duly sent Savage to sleep.
