The sports betting world attracts millions of fans around the globe not only due to its potential winnings but also thanks to incredible underdog stories. When competing in prestigious tournaments and matches, athletes often fall victim to low odds. And some of them are way more famous than you might think. With that in mind, we have dedicated this article to the three underdogs who showed the bookmakers that their predictions had nothing to do with reality.
Holly Holm’s win against Ronda Rousey
Even if you have never followed the UFC, you have probably heard of Ronda Rousey at least once in your life. This fighter became the first female to sign a contract with the organization. Thanks to her brutal victories, she has been helping the UFC popularize mixed martial arts worldwide for a long time. So, when she had to defend her bantamweight UFC title against Holly Holm, the bookies thought Rousey was the clear favorite.
Holly Holm, on the other hand, treated this fight as an opportunity to impress the world with her fantastic boxing skills and lightning-fast reactions. Given that Ronda had a 12-match winning streak at the time, many experts and bettors believed that Holm would not be able to deprive Rousey of the championship belt. However, after a confident first round, Holly simply destroyed Ronda and eventually knocked her out with a left leg kick.
US hockey team makes history in 1980
This story is one of the most miraculous when it comes to team sports. In 1980, the US Olympic men’s ice hockey team had to face The Soviets on its way to the final game. Since the American team consisted of mostly amateur and college players, the bookies were surprised that it performed quite well against other teams. However, no one gave USA high odds before the match against The Soviets who had won four previous Olympiads.
The first period was very successful for the American hockey players as it ended with a 2-2 score. The Soviets were ahead of the USA by one goal in the second period, and most of the viewers were sure that this score would remain unchanged until the very end of the game. But the US team thought differently and managed to score twice in the third period. Ultimately, the American athletes went on to win the match and won the Olympic gold medal against Finland two days later.
Muhammad Ali’s “Rumble in the Jungle”
Who would have thought that the greatest boxer of all time Muhammad Ali would be considered an underdog in one of his iconic fights? And yet, this was the case in 1974, when Ali returned to boxing to fight George Foreman. Muhammad was seven years older than 25-year-old Foreman, who had already defended his heavyweight title twice at that time. On top of that, many bettors speculated that Ali had lost his incredible footwork after a three-year hiatus from the professional boxing scene.
Considering that Foreman stepped into the ring with a 40-0 record, experts predicted he would destroy Ali within the first few rounds. But from the very beginning of the fight, Ali shocked the audience with his cocky behavior. Instead of attacking George, he leaned back on the ropes and invited Foreman to try to hit him.
Although this technique seemed pretty absurd, Ali knew what he was doing. The boxer understood that Foreman would try to knock him out and lose too much strength to go the full distance in the fight. This plan was so successful that George was completely exhausted by the seventh round. Ali saw that his trick worked and ended the battle with a pair of powerful punches in the eighth round. So, even a 4-1 underdog status did not stop the legendary boxer from surpassing the undefeated champion.
