Not just a pretty face: How Canada's Justin Trudeau bounced off the ropes to KO his doubters
There was little to suggest he could win - beyond his pedigree and good looks - but low expectations turned out to be his greatest advantage.
Nobody expected Justin Trudeau to win when he entered the boxing ring three years ago to duke it out against one of Canada's Conservative senators in a charity match. Trudeau's competitor, Patrick "Brass Knuckles" Brazeau, had fought more matches in a month than Trudeau, a Liberal senator, had in his privileged life, one sceptical announcer said as the fight began.
A few minutes later, though, it was Trudeau's arm that was thrust into the sky, and not even Brass Knuckles could argue with the outcome.
"I'm giving the man credit. He beat me," Brazeau said.
Trudeau had defied all expectations, proving he was more than just the son of Canada's charismatic, beloved former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
He did so again last week with his stunning upset over Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's party, defying polls, pundits and sceptics who just a few months ago saw the 43-year-old with the youthful looks and lovely family as having little chance of ending the decade-long Conservative reign.
Trudeau's Liberals on Monday won 39.5 per cent of the overall vote and 184 out of 338 seats in Parliament, a large enough majority to enable Trudeau to govern without relying on other parties. Trudeau has vowed to raise taxes on the rich, boost government spending on infrastructure and other projects, step up efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and embrace Canada's ethnic diversity.