The 1980’s was the era of big hair and big fights. Bookended by the decline of Muhammad Ali and the rise of Mike Tyson, the decade of crack cocaine featured a boxing renaissance where the best fought the best.
The era was highlighted by dream fights between the “4 Kings of Boxing” (Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns), who became the faces of the sport. These are the seven boxing upsets in the ’80s that sent shockwaves throughout the sporting world.
1. Michael Spinks def. Larry Holmes (1985)
Seven years after Leon Spinks upset Muhammad Ali, his younger brother Michael did the impossible. The undisputed champion made an unprecedented move by jumping up two weight classes to heavyweight to defeat the legendary (and at the time, undefeated), Larry Holmes. In an age-old battle between speed vs. power, Spinks’ rapid combinations were enough to secure a unanimous decision
2. Kirkland Laing def. Roberto Duran (1982)
Given little-to-no chance, journeyman Kirkland Laing left a big L in the palms of the “Hands of Stone.” On paper, the fight was such a huge mismatch that boxing fans were concerned for the health of Duran’s opponent leading up to the fight. Laing finally tapped into the unfulfilled potential that had eluded him because of his party-boy antics. Finally focused, he secured a decision victory over the Panamanian legend.
3. Bobby Joe Young def. Aaron Pryor (1987)
The late, great Aaron Pryor struggled with addiction, but never with an opponent until he stepped into the ring with a car salesman. The undefeated former Fighter of the Year returned from a two-year retirement only to be called out by his own trainer for looking “flabby around the gut.” He was subsequently KO’d in seven rounds by Young for the only loss in his Hall of Fame career.
4. Lloyd Honeyghan def. Donald Curry (1986)
A Donald Curry win was such a foregone conclusion that some oddsmakers didn’t bother issuing a betting line. With his eyes set to challenge the “4 Kings of Boxing,” a lethargic Curry overlooked his welterweight title defense. The end result was not pretty. Battered and bloody, Curry quit in his corner in the sixth round. The English Honeyghan later tossed the WBA Welterweight Title he won into a trash can to protest South African apartheid.
5. Livingstone Bramble def. Ray Mancini (1984)
Eyeing a superfight with Aaron Pryor and still traumatized from seeing his opponent die in the ring, a distracted Mancini was pummeled by his Carribean opponent. Bramble, an eccentric character known for breeding pitbulls and rumored to practice witchcraft, ripped the WBA lightweight title from “Boom Boom” via an 11th round KO that resulted in an emergency hospital visit.
6. Iran Barkley def. Thomas Hearns (1988)
Cruising to a comfortable victory, “The Hitman” Thomas Hearns got caught by a flurry of shots that dropped him in the third round. A massive favorite, Hearns dominated the first two rounds, landing 52.7 percent of his punches (compared to Barkley’s 31.1) and leaving massive cuts under both of the former rough and tumble Black Spades member’s eyes. Barkley, the great-uncle of New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley, continued to have the Hall of Famer’s number, defeating him again in a 1992 via split decision.
7. Sugar Ray Leonard def. Marvin Hagler (1987)
It’s hard to believe an all-time great like “Sugar” Ray Leonard would ever be an underdog. But coming off a five-year hiatus and facing the legendary “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, the odds were against him 4-1. Controlling the first four rounds through rapid-fire volume punching, Leonard scored just enough to secure a controversial split decision that ended Hagler’s decade of dominance, and ultimately, his career.
