A mere definition doesn't quite do it justice.
Up·set (noun): An unexpected result or situation, esp. in a sports competition.
Instead, at least when it comes to boxing, you’ve got to attach a name.
Say “Buster Douglas” to a fan from the early 1990s and you’ll instantly conjure memories of a stunning night in Tokyo, where, over the course of 10 rounds on HBO, the irresistible force known as Mike Tyson was reduced to semi-consciously groping for a mouthpiece.
Say “Cassius Clay” to a fan from the early 1960s or “Jim Braddock” to another from the late 1930s and you’ll encounter similar nostalgia from the nights that unbeatable champions like Sonny Liston and Max Baer shockingly became ex-titleholders.
Thankfully, though, the upset is not a once-in-a-generation phenomenon.
While the stunners of the Tyson-Liston-Baer magnitude are admittedly not so common, each year in the ring provides at least a handful of results that only the most prescient among us—and even then it’s usually only next-day geniuses doing the boasting—saw coming.
Here’s a look at our top picks for 2013. Feel free to drop some comments with your suggestions.
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