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NFT: 29 years ago today - Buster Douglas defeated Mike Tyson

lawguy9801 : 2/11/2019 12:04 pm
Unlike other Mike Tyson fights, this one was not very hyped at all; I think it wasn't even on PPV and was just on HBO or Showtime. I don't know if you young'uns today realize what a big effing deal this was, as boxing is not nearly as big today as it once was. One of the biggest upsets in sports history.
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you beat me to this by like 5 seconds lol  
Jints in Carolina : 2/11/2019 12:05 pm : link
.
42-1 underdog  
JonC : 2/11/2019 12:06 pm : link
won.
First time Mike Tyson had ever been knocked down  
lawguy9801 : 2/11/2019 12:08 pm : link
.
My dad was watching the fight  
bceagle05 : 2/11/2019 12:08 pm : link
and sensed an upset was brewing, so he woke me and my sister up and put us in front of the television to watch (we were both little kids). We joke about it to this day, but I'm glad he did it. Always fun to witness a little history.
I saw the 30 for 30 on it a few months back  
figgy2989 : 2/11/2019 12:08 pm : link
You just can't believe how much of an underdog Douglas was. It was funny that they showed how the different sports books wouldn't even take bets on the fight.
They played the audio with a still picture on ESPN....  
Britt in VA : 2/11/2019 12:09 pm : link
the next morning. Woke up to it. Crazy.
We all gathered at my apartment at NC State to go to a party  
Jints in Carolina : 2/11/2019 12:09 pm : link
but first we wanted to watch Tyson's latest destruction of another bum. Fight would last 2 rounds tops......well.........by the end of the fight there were 50 of us gathered around the tv going nuts.
It was on Showtime or HBO  
Chef : 2/11/2019 12:09 pm : link
I remember watching it slightly damn that was a long time ago.
You also forget that Douglas's Mom  
figgy2989 : 2/11/2019 12:09 pm : link
who he had a very close relationship with passed away just as he was going to fly over to Japan.
Saw the Fight on TV  
Samiam : 2/11/2019 12:20 pm : link
Once Douglas got through the first 2 rounds, it was clear that Douglas had a good chance of winning if he didn't get stupid. As the fight went on, and Tyson got tired, the crowd was cheering for Douglas. The shame with Douglas was that he had all the ability in the world to be very good but for whatever reason, discipline, coaching, outside influence, he never became what he could have been. It wasn't like Tyson got beat by a bum.
During that time  
Giants : 2/11/2019 12:23 pm : link
I was playing basketball with Mike. Take my word for it Mike was good in the ring but horrible at basketball.We were talking about a month before the fight. I said to him you have a good chance to destroy Marciano record.He said that is his record. Later talking to my friend I said you might think I'm crazy but I don't think Mike is into this fight.He said are you going to bet against him.I said no but I'm not touching this fight. Oh well I should have. Somehow when he gave that answer I said to myself this doesn't sound like the Mike I know. Before anyone thinks we were actually friends we were not.I just knew him from the gym we got along in the gym.He was always nice to me.
That was the first time I got to see Tyson fight...  
bradshaw44 : 2/11/2019 12:25 pm : link
I was so excited to finally see him live on TV. We had just gotten HBO at my house. I was only 9 so I didn't know much about premium TV, and I asked my dad if I could have a Pepsi and he said sure, he would get it at the commercial break. My parents and older siblings laughed but I didn't know there were no commercial breaks. Either way, I was devastated seeing him lose and on top of that never got my Pepsi.
RE: Saw the Fight on TV  
Johnny5 : 2/11/2019 12:28 pm : link
In comment 14293271 Samiam said:
Quote:
Once Douglas got through the first 2 rounds, it was clear that Douglas had a good chance of winning if he didn't get stupid. As the fight went on, and Tyson got tired, the crowd was cheering for Douglas. The shame with Douglas was that he had all the ability in the world to be very good but for whatever reason, discipline, coaching, outside influence, he never became what he could have been. It wasn't like Tyson got beat by a bum.

Yeah Douglas was a good fighter no question. There were big time questions about his commitment but the guy had skills. It was the right fight at the right time. Douglas fought the fight of his life and Tyson was the one whose commitment and skills deteriorated. After Cus died and Tyson jettisoned Rooney as his trainer, he was done... completely abandoning the style that made him what he was. Douglas absolutely deserved to win that fight, it's just a shame that he flamed out afterwards.

I remember watching that in the apartments at SUNY Delhi... it was mayhem in the complex after that fight ended, people walking around in disbelief... lol.
I can sort..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 2/11/2019 12:30 pm : link
of echo Giants's post.

My fraternity brother was pretty plugged into the boxing scene. His Dad was a lawyer who drew up a lot of contracts for different sporting events. He told me a couple weeks before the fight that Tyson was asked to keep some of these fights going longer, especially for the Japanese audience.

I believe the way it was told to him was that he should use the time to work on his boxing skills that he'll need later in his career, when his pure power would fade. I didn't really think too much more about it until fight night.

We were watching it on the frat house TV and my brother says again - Tyson's not going for the early KO, so watch to see if the other guy gets lucky early. After the fight, I felt like the kid that was in the know!!
I'll actually never forget that night.  
j_rud : 2/11/2019 12:33 pm : link
My dad was never a huge sports fan but he grew up boxing and practiced BJJ back in the seventies before it was a big thing. So watching fights with him was something I did for as long as I can remember, and he was a huge Tyson fan. I remember him saying early on, maybe 3rd or 4th round, but he was starting to think he was going to lose. My dad is very old school and doesn't wet too much get to him, he difibitrlt doesnt sweat the small stuff. But he was completely demoralized for days after that fight lol.
Tyson benefitted from fighting at a time when the Heavywight class  
PatersonPlank : 2/11/2019 12:34 pm : link
was weak. I am in the camp, and yes its my opinion and easily argued against, that he was overrated due to this. I would take the Ali/Fraz/Forman/etc guys over him, even Holmes
I remember complaining when my dad put the fight on  
Greg from LI : 2/11/2019 12:36 pm : link
"Cmon, dad, what's the point? Who cares about Tyson beating up another nobody?" He replies "Hey, you never know."

I got "I told you so!" for weeks after that.
It's funny, the Tyson discussions...  
Johnny5 : 2/11/2019 12:40 pm : link
... have cropped up on here through the years. It actually reminds me of a lot of the current Eli discussions.... lol

Many people consider him a propped up champ that was a one punch knockout artist, but that is what he became after D'amata died, and could not be further from what he actually was, in truth, at his peak. A lot of people don't realize how skilled Tyson was on his way up through the ranks, also what a great chin he had. D'Amato and Rooney (and Teddy Atlas) crafted a style for Tyson that really made him unbeatable. He had so much speed and power, with a sharp punch. That style was perfectly married to his physical attributes and was designed to take out taller fighters, with peek-a-boo defense and 3 and 4 shot combinations to the body and setting up the knockout blow up top. His body shots sounded like cannons going off. You literally got the feeling somebody was going to die in the ring with him. It really is sad what happened to him after Cus died. He is an all time great but he really could have been considered in the discussion with Ali as greatest of all time if Cus had lived.
Johny5  
Samiam : 2/11/2019 1:03 pm : link
I agree with you 100%. Tyson started as a brawler but D'Amato was teaching him how to box. You learned how to cut the ring which, with his power, made him unbelievably good. I don't remember the exact circumstances that led to his getting rid of his managers. I remember D'Amato passed away and Tyson eventually got rid of Rooney. And, Tyson took on managers who were clearly not at D'Amatos level or couldn't communicate with Tyson that way D'Amato could given their relationship.

I also agree could have become of the greatest heavyweights of all time except for his self destructive behavior. He fought one of the Spinks; dont remember if it was Leon or Michael but Tyson knocked him out in 1 round and it looked to me that Spinks was relieved that he lost so quickly because he feared for his life fighting Tyson.
RE: That was the first time I got to see Tyson fight...  
BlackLight : 2/11/2019 1:19 pm : link
In comment 14293282 bradshaw44 said:
Quote:
I was so excited to finally see him live on TV. We had just gotten HBO at my house. I was only 9 so I didn't know much about premium TV, and I asked my dad if I could have a Pepsi and he said sure, he would get it at the commercial break. My parents and older siblings laughed but I didn't know there were no commercial breaks. Either way, I was devastated seeing him lose and on top of that never got my Pepsi.


Are you sure we're not the same person? I have more or less the same story. I came home from school the previous October and suddenly we had cable TV. I was also 9 years old. I had a VHS copy of Mike Tyson's Greatest Hits, and I just wore that tape out over the next few months. When I heard Tyson was fighting, I was so psyched to finally see him live.

Then the fight started and all I remember was having my face buried in the couch cushions, mortified at what I was seeing.
Me and my buddies had one of those illegal de-scrambler boxes  
giant24 : 2/11/2019 1:41 pm : link
and watched every Tyson fight up to that point and were waiting for another first or second round knockout. We were all in shock as the fight wore on. Douglas had one of the best jabs that night kept Tyson off him all night.
Was this the fight  
kes722 : 2/11/2019 1:47 pm : link
Were one of them went down for longer then the 10 count but the ref waited to long to statt counting....or am I thinking of a different fight?
RE: RE: That was the first time I got to see Tyson fight...  
bradshaw44 : 2/11/2019 1:57 pm : link
In comment 14293362 BlackLight said:
Quote:
In comment 14293282 bradshaw44 said:


Quote:


I was so excited to finally see him live on TV. We had just gotten HBO at my house. I was only 9 so I didn't know much about premium TV, and I asked my dad if I could have a Pepsi and he said sure, he would get it at the commercial break. My parents and older siblings laughed but I didn't know there were no commercial breaks. Either way, I was devastated seeing him lose and on top of that never got my Pepsi.



Are you sure we're not the same person? I have more or less the same story. I came home from school the previous October and suddenly we had cable TV. I was also 9 years old. I had a VHS copy of Mike Tyson's Greatest Hits, and I just wore that tape out over the next few months. When I heard Tyson was fighting, I was so psyched to finally see him live.

Then the fight started and all I remember was having my face buried in the couch cushions, mortified at what I was seeing.

Well I’m sure there is a pretty strong demographic of us represented on this site. There must have been a promotion running on hbo at that time that got our parents to subscribe ha ha.
RE: Was this the fight  
bradshaw44 : 2/11/2019 1:58 pm : link
In comment 14293398 kes722 said:
Quote:
Were one of them went down for longer then the 10 count but the ref waited to long to statt counting....or am I thinking of a different fight?


I believe Tysons knocked Douglas down in round 8 and the count did seem long. He did almost beat Douglas.
RE: Johny5  
KingBlue : 2/11/2019 2:09 pm : link
In comment 14293335 Samiam said:
Quote:
I agree with you 100%. Tyson started as a brawler but D'Amato was teaching him how to box. You learned how to cut the ring which, with his power, made him unbelievably good. I don't remember the exact circumstances that led to his getting rid of his managers. I remember D'Amato passed away and Tyson eventually got rid of Rooney. And, Tyson took on managers who were clearly not at D'Amatos level or couldn't communicate with Tyson that way D'Amato could given their relationship.

I also agree could have become of the greatest heavyweights of all time except for his self destructive behavior. He fought one of the Spinks; dont remember if it was Leon or Michael but Tyson knocked him out in 1 round and it looked to me that Spinks was relieved that he lost so quickly because he feared for his life fighting Tyson.


Tyson was a good, not great fighter. Early in his career, with Cus, Rooney and Atlas and a strong management team he was a rising star with punching power... very intimidating. He was must see TV.

Fell apart when he aligned with Don King. You guys do realize that with the exception of the Michael Spinks fight... Tyson never won any of the blockbuster fights in his career. Labeling Tyson as one of the greatest fighters of all time is ridiculous. Styles make fights as we all know... Tyson had trouble with taller fighters... his Blockbuster fights were Holyfield 1 & 2, Lennox Lewis and Buster Douglas... Tyson was 0-4, losing all by knockout or DQ.
RE: RE: Johny5  
Johnny5 : 2/11/2019 2:59 pm : link
In comment 14293433 KingBlue said:
Quote:
In comment 14293335 Samiam said:


Quote:


I agree with you 100%. Tyson started as a brawler but D'Amato was teaching him how to box. You learned how to cut the ring which, with his power, made him unbelievably good. I don't remember the exact circumstances that led to his getting rid of his managers. I remember D'Amato passed away and Tyson eventually got rid of Rooney. And, Tyson took on managers who were clearly not at D'Amatos level or couldn't communicate with Tyson that way D'Amato could given their relationship.

I also agree could have become of the greatest heavyweights of all time except for his self destructive behavior. He fought one of the Spinks; dont remember if it was Leon or Michael but Tyson knocked him out in 1 round and it looked to me that Spinks was relieved that he lost so quickly because he feared for his life fighting Tyson.



Tyson was a good, not great fighter. Early in his career, with Cus, Rooney and Atlas and a strong management team he was a rising star with punching power... very intimidating. He was must see TV.

Fell apart when he aligned with Don King. You guys do realize that with the exception of the Michael Spinks fight... Tyson never won any of the blockbuster fights in his career. Labeling Tyson as one of the greatest fighters of all time is ridiculous. Styles make fights as we all know... Tyson had trouble with taller fighters... his Blockbuster fights were Holyfield 1 & 2, Lennox Lewis and Buster Douglas... Tyson was 0-4, losing all by knockout or DQ.

OK, I knew the debate would come, as it always does. You didn't read my post, or you chose to ignore what I wrote. I actually am a big (or was) a big student of the sweet science lol. Also I watched Tyson fight in the Empire State games while wrestling there myself. He knocked someone out of the ring. I turned on the TV coincidentally for his 2nd or 3rd pro fight and consequently I followed him like a Hawk after that. His style was designed and he was tailor made to defeat taller fighters. That's not according to me, those are the words of Cus D'Amato. He did not utilize that same style after D'Amato died and he booted Rooney. THAT is when he changed from an actual skilled fighter with insane punching power to a puncher looking for a one punch knockout. It's also well documented how he self destructed before the Douglas fight.... see Robin Givens/Don King/Etc.

There are accounts of celebrities watching him out partying until the wee hours of the morning before the Douglas fight and not training seriously for the fight. And he ran into the perfect storm (and still almost knocked him out).

There is no way Douglas wins that fight against the Tyson that fought Berbick/Spinks/Holmes. Two different fighters. And he never regained the form that got him the titles.
Tyson may not have been the same fighter when he fought buster  
djm : 2/11/2019 3:07 pm : link
He wasn’t, but buster still did what he did. It’s still the greatest upset in boxing history and buster still got up after getting knocked down....


On the count of 11, but who’s really counting anyway.
RE: Tyson may not have been the same fighter when he fought buster  
Johnny5 : 2/11/2019 3:11 pm : link
In comment 14293533 djm said:
Quote:
He wasn’t, but buster still did what he did. It’s still the greatest upset in boxing history and buster still got up after getting knocked down....


On the count of 11, but who’s really counting anyway.

Agreed and as I said Douglas deserved to win that fight, it was the right fight at the right time and he fought the fight of his life.
RE: RE: RE: Johny5  
KingBlue : 2/11/2019 3:13 pm : link
In comment 14293522 Johnny5 said:
Quote:
In comment 14293433 KingBlue said:


Quote:


In comment 14293335 Samiam said:


Quote:


I agree with you 100%. Tyson started as a brawler but D'Amato was teaching him how to box. You learned how to cut the ring which, with his power, made him unbelievably good. I don't remember the exact circumstances that led to his getting rid of his managers. I remember D'Amato passed away and Tyson eventually got rid of Rooney. And, Tyson took on managers who were clearly not at D'Amatos level or couldn't communicate with Tyson that way D'Amato could given their relationship.

I also agree could have become of the greatest heavyweights of all time except for his self destructive behavior. He fought one of the Spinks; dont remember if it was Leon or Michael but Tyson knocked him out in 1 round and it looked to me that Spinks was relieved that he lost so quickly because he feared for his life fighting Tyson.



Tyson was a good, not great fighter. Early in his career, with Cus, Rooney and Atlas and a strong management team he was a rising star with punching power... very intimidating. He was must see TV.

Fell apart when he aligned with Don King. You guys do realize that with the exception of the Michael Spinks fight... Tyson never won any of the blockbuster fights in his career. Labeling Tyson as one of the greatest fighters of all time is ridiculous. Styles make fights as we all know... Tyson had trouble with taller fighters... his Blockbuster fights were Holyfield 1 & 2, Lennox Lewis and Buster Douglas... Tyson was 0-4, losing all by knockout or DQ.


OK, I knew the debate would come, as it always does. You didn't read my post, or you chose to ignore what I wrote. I actually am a big (or was) a big student of the sweet science lol. Also I watched Tyson fight in the Empire State games while wrestling there myself. He knocked someone out of the ring. I turned on the TV coincidentally for his 2nd or 3rd pro fight and consequently I followed him like a Hawk after that. His style was designed and he was tailor made to defeat taller fighters. That's not according to me, those are the words of Cus D'Amato. He did not utilize that same style after D'Amato died and he booted Rooney. THAT is when he changed from an actual skilled fighter with insane punching power to a puncher looking for a one punch knockout. It's also well documented how he self destructed before the Douglas fight.... see Robin Givens/Don King/Etc.

There are accounts of celebrities watching him out partying until the wee hours of the morning before the Douglas fight and not training seriously for the fight. And he ran into the perfect storm (and still almost knocked him out).

There is no way Douglas wins that fight against the Tyson that fought Berbick/Spinks/Holmes. Two different fighters. And he never regained the form that got him the titles.


Johny5, I did read your post, and for the most part don't disagree with anything you wrote. I realize Douglas was an unbelievable upset and that Tyson was falling apart at the time. Still, Tyson's history is what it is. You cannot make the leap that things would have been different if this or if that... If's don't matter.
RE: RE: RE: RE: Johny5  
Johnny5 : 2/11/2019 3:26 pm : link
In comment 14293543 KingBlue said:
Quote:


Johny5, I did read your post, and for the most part don't disagree with anything you wrote. I realize Douglas was an unbelievable upset and that Tyson was falling apart at the time. Still, Tyson's history is what it is. You cannot make the leap that things would have been different if this or if that... If's don't matter.

Yep that is true. Woulda coulda shoulda... didn't... lol

Anyway it is just my opinion. I did see him live as well as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. If you ask people that saw him live coming up, it was just... different than watching any other fighter. There was an electricity that was indescribable and honestly I have never in my life heard a body punch that sounded the way that Tyson's did. It was literally the sound of a cannon or gigantic firework... lol. Those combinations and defense are what made him what he was. The body shot combos leading to the uppercuts were the ax that chopped down the taller tree so to speak. Those were gone once Cus died and he booted Rooney. It's really disappointing that he self destructed (well with help from King etc.) the way he did. So much additional promise and potential thrown away.
Vince  
BIG FRED 1973 : 2/11/2019 3:26 pm : link
McMahon was supposed to have Tyson ref the match between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage on Saturday nights main event a few weeks later but once Tyson lost he had to get Buster Douglas to ref the match ,I think Tyson was more pissed about losing to Douglass because he could not ref that match as he is a huge wrestling fan which lead to him getting involved with the WWF in 1998 but had he beat Douglass he would have been involved much sooner
fightttttttt  
jurban : 2/11/2019 4:56 pm : link
I had bet douglas just to make it interesting..i think I was getting like20 to 1...had 20 bucks on it..cant believe 29 yrs. ago ....I was 43....damm
odds  
jurban : 2/11/2019 5:07 pm : link
I think they were higher...maybe like 40 to 1??
Douglas whipped his ass  
KWALL2 : 2/11/2019 5:25 pm : link
From the start. Dominated Tyson. He was so much bigger and skilled than Tyson.

This was a shocker for sure. One of the great sports moments.
RE: Douglas whipped his ass  
Johnny5 : 2/11/2019 5:31 pm : link
In comment 14293684 KWALL2 said:
Quote:
From the start. Dominated Tyson. He was so much bigger and skilled than Tyson.

This was a shocker for sure. One of the great sports moments.

No way he wins that fight against a prime Tyson. Absolutely no way. A prime Tyson completely destroys Buster Douglas. His loss to Tony Tucker is what gave Tucker the fight against Tyson.

But again, that was Douglas' night. He beat Tyson every round and no one can ever take that away from him.
RE: I saw the 30 for 30 on it a few months back  
mitch300 : 2/11/2019 5:36 pm : link
In comment 14293253 figgy2989 said:
Quote:
You just can't believe how much of an underdog Douglas was. It was funny that they showed how the different sports books wouldn't even take bets on the fight.


What was really cool, is after the 30 for 30 they showed the fight.
RE: Tyson may not have been the same fighter when he fought buster  
bw in dc : 2/11/2019 5:47 pm : link
In comment 14293533 djm said:
Quote:
He wasn’t, but buster still did what he did. It’s still the greatest upset in boxing history and buster still got up after getting knocked down....


On the count of 11, but who’s really counting anyway.


Right. I remember the post-match press conference and King and Tyson showing that replay and doing the actual count.

God, King was such a despicable phony...
Drugs ruined Tyson.  
Giant John : 2/11/2019 6:30 pm : link
He wasn’t in any kind of shape for this fight. Should have been in rehab instead of that ring.
Great fighter for awhile  
Bill2 : 2/11/2019 6:51 pm : link
Not a great champion.

Here is why I say that:

All the great champions endured, won past their peaks, won against styles that were tough for them, won for years and most of all, won from within, were mentally tough, were losing early and came back, lost and won the rematch, met all kinds of vultures and grime yet resisted the temptations from affecting them in the ring for prolonged periods of time.

The very best champions won against other great fighters and great champions ...but not Tyson.

Sorry, mental toughness is a characteristic of great champions. i honestly thought Tyson often and eventually became a nicer human than most great champions...and after all, thats what really counts.


Tyson psychologically resembles Liston. Feared and a great puncher, but not in the upper echelons. freaked when he could not win as a bully.


Also, its great to see the great Johnny5. Hope you are well my friend

RE: Great fighter for awhile  
Johnny5 : 2/11/2019 7:17 pm : link
In comment 14293743 Bill2 said:
Quote:
Not a great champion.

Here is why I say that:

All the great champions endured, won past their peaks, won against styles that were tough for them, won for years and most of all, won from within, were mentally tough, were losing early and came back, lost and won the rematch, met all kinds of vultures and grime yet resisted the temptations from affecting them in the ring for prolonged periods of time.

The very best champions won against other great fighters and great champions ...but not Tyson.

Sorry, mental toughness is a characteristic of great champions. i honestly thought Tyson often and eventually became a nicer human than most great champions...and after all, thats what really counts.


Tyson psychologically resembles Liston. Feared and a great puncher, but not in the upper echelons. freaked when he could not win as a bully.


Also, its great to see the great Johnny5. Hope you are well my friend

You as well Bill!
A friend of mine won the WBC Continental Americas  
Beezer : 2/11/2019 9:34 pm : link
title (junior welter). Beat Leonardo Manzillas. Anyhow we’re all hanging out after the fight in these big tents by the rivers in Pittsburgh and here comes a gigantic man with a bigger entourage. It was Buster Douglas. June 1994.

He’d gained a lot of weight from the comfortable Holyfield payday. Could not have been a nice man. My friend had just won s belt if his own, and we were all kinda star struck. Asked Douglas for his autograph. He tells my friend “only if I can get yours, champ.” Class act. Made it about my friend. Was his night and Douglas was great.
Damn. June 1993. Not 94.  
Beezer : 2/11/2019 9:38 pm : link
And Leobarso Mancillas. Buttered his name with spellcheck.
Bill2  
djm : 2/11/2019 10:13 pm : link
That’s a great point. If ever there was a great line to describe Tyson it’s great fighter, not a great champion. But man, for 5 years or so, coming up the ranks... the man was a force of nature. I’m so glad one of my friends was a fanatic boxing fan because he was all over Tyson’s career from very early on. I just assumed that boxing, especially the heavyweight division would be this awesome spectacle for as long as I lived. So much juice back then...
I will never forget that night.........  
Dry Lightning : 2/11/2019 10:52 pm : link
One of the most exciting sports events ever. Tyson was seen as absolutely invincible, and Douglas was seen as a journeyman. He was given ZERO chance of winning. Tyson has fought and destroyed so many fighters that no one could imagine anyone even being in a competitive fight with him. Just like with Foreman in the 70's though, it was a mirage. It is true that Tyson had fired his trainers and had stopped fighting in the classic Cus D'amato style, so he wasn't at his peak. What really led to the loss though, was a fighter of VASTLY better physical skills, who had lost his mother (and all fear along with her) hell bent to win. Tyson was the ultimate bully. On that night, someone physically capable of standing up to him did- and he was never the same.
RE: I will never forget that night.........  
Matt M. : 2/12/2019 1:05 am : link
In comment 14293968 Dry Lightning said:
Quote:
One of the most exciting sports events ever. Tyson was seen as absolutely invincible, and Douglas was seen as a journeyman. He was given ZERO chance of winning. Tyson has fought and destroyed so many fighters that no one could imagine anyone even being in a competitive fight with him. Just like with Foreman in the 70's though, it was a mirage. It is true that Tyson had fired his trainers and had stopped fighting in the classic Cus D'amato style, so he wasn't at his peak. What really led to the loss though, was a fighter of VASTLY better physical skills, who had lost his mother (and all fear along with her) hell bent to win. Tyson was the ultimate bully. On that night, someone physically capable of standing up to him did- and he was never the same.
This is really not true. Douglas didn't have superior skills. Tyson just neglected to train and had ignored his skills after Cus died and he fired Rooney. He didn't replace them with proper trainers and managers. He replaced them with buddies who knew nothing of boxing and just were yes men. It's still on Tyson to be a better fighter, though.

When he was properly trained, he was far more skilled a boxer than most give him credit for. He didn't go for the one punch knockout. He was just so devastating that it seemed that way. But, he had a peek-a-boo style allowing him to get inside against bigger fighters without getting hit. He had deceptively fast feet and a faster head. Then, he had great combinations, with the 2 killers the punch to the body immediately into an uppercut and the body blow to a right hook (although some say the hook was followed by the elbow).
I will add that I was a huge Tyson fan  
Matt M. : 2/12/2019 1:08 am : link
and was still just young enough where this fight devastated me. I was pissed at the ref for not counting out Douglas when he should have. But, overall, Douglas was the better fighter that night. I think for me, what was the worst part is this fight never drove Tyson to re-dedicate himself to boxing.

As for comparisons, as much as I loved Tyson and thought he was amazingly skilled in his prime, I would not take him, or anyone else, over Ali.
The 2007 Giants = Buster, The 18-0 Patriots = Tyson  
SHO'NUFF : 2/12/2019 4:43 am : link
The refs not calling Eli in the grasp and blowing the play dead before the Tyree helmet catch = The long "11" count to Buster Douglas.
I watched all the fights of the 70s  
Dave on the UWS : 2/12/2019 8:30 am : link
with my father in closed circuit broadcast (he ran the projection at the old Armory in Albany, this was the last fight we saw together before he died. He said, and I’ll never forget this “if you punch a bully in the mouth he’ll back down”. He thought if Douglas popped Tyson early and survived the first two rounds he could win. He was right on point.
The Douglas..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 2/12/2019 8:32 am : link
fight was a cumulation of things starting to take Tyson down.

After Cus died, Tyson started listening to the wrong people. Don King became too involved. He was always a partier, but now he didn't have Cus to answer to anymore.

It will be hard to convince me that Tyson wasn't told to extend that fight as my fraternity brother told me well prior to it taking place. The last couple of top fights in Japan had been first round KO's and people forget that he had some lengthy contractual battles between his manager Bill Cayton and Don King. Boxing which was an outlet for him from his troubled youth, was starting to feel to him like he was just a pawn.

Whether or not Tyson actually tried to have the fight go longer than it should have to fulfill King's wishes, I don't know. He could just have slacked off on training as a big eff you to everyone. All we know is that the first two rounds were not following the usual Tyson script. He was not attacking and everytime Douglas jabbed him, he'd step back.

We probably will never know if the Douglas fight exposed him as a paper champ, if his demons took him down, or if he simply was a monster vs. tomato cans and overmatched against tall boxers with long reaches.
I watched that fight with my dad  
Model4001 : 2/12/2019 11:46 am : link
And my little sister, of all people. Pretty sure it was HBO, we didn't have Showtime.
RE: The Douglas..  
Bobby Humphrey's Earpad : 2/12/2019 12:15 pm : link
In comment 14294146 FatMan in Charlotte said:
Quote:
We probably will never know if the Douglas fight exposed him as a paper champ, if his demons took him down, or if he simply was a monster vs. tomato cans and overmatched against tall boxers with long reaches.


To me it's always demons. Young Tyson was a pretty good technical fighter with supreme power. Even after Douglas, Mike took huge shots from Razor Ruddock and kept coming.
RE: I watched that fight with my dad  
bradshaw44 : 2/12/2019 12:33 pm : link
In comment 14294464 Model4001 said:
Quote:
And my little sister, of all people. Pretty sure it was HBO, we didn't have Showtime.


Showtime didn't have boxing back then. It was 100% HBO.

Also, I listened to an interview with Tyson a few weeks back on 106.7 in DC with the Sports Junkies. They asked about that fight and he said the biggest problem that night was sex legs. They asked him what that was and he said that he was cooped up in his hotel for so long he was just pacing in the hallways. He said the Japanese women working there didn't know exactly who he was, only that he was famous. So he ended up banging a bunch of them over and over. He said that contributed to his lacking skills that night because fighters normally stay celibate leading up to fights.

I'm sure that story is some sort of half truth, but I found it funny and interesting because I had never hear it.
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