The two boxers have met each other only once since. Through a spokesman, Tyson declined to speak with The Associated Press about the fight. "This makes Cinderella look like a sad story, what Buster Douglas has done here tonight," HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant said after the fight. King, seeing a gigantic payday floating away, appealed the outcome but, days later, all of the major organizations recognized Douglas as the champion. "I finished him up with a combination," Douglas said. "I could have got up at six, but I had a couple of seconds and I took my time."Īfter the fighters returned to their corners, Douglas dominated the ninth. "I knew where I was the whole time," he said. But by the official's count, he was standing and in control of his faculties at the count of 8. King and Tyson would later claim that Douglas didn't get up in the mandatory 10 seconds as the round came to an end. When I got up off the ground, I knew I had to get back on focus, on point, with what I was doing." "He ended up catching me with a good shot. "I was kind of, like, admiring my work: Looking at him, taking my time to look at everything that was going on and paying more attention to how he was reacting to the punches instead of continuing to fight," Douglas recalled. Late in the eighth round, Douglas went down. He held his own in the early rounds, holding off the shorter Tyson's charge with his left jab. McCauley, his trainer and uncle, along with manager John Johnson in his corner, came out inspired. Just before the opening bell, someone in the crowd shouted to Douglas to win it for his mother. The customs officer asked Schuyler how long he would be working in Japan. Ed Schuyler, a boxing writer for The Associated Press, was stopped at customs on his way into Japan. Las Vegas oddsmakers made him a 42-1 favorite to do his wrecking-ball thing against Douglas. He was 37-0 with 33 knockouts heading into the fight. In the ring, he was a force of nature, always striding closer, always hurling punches, never yielding. He could be emotional when he spoke of his late mentor and friend, Cus D'Amato, or he could also be raw, brutal and crude. Tyson was boxing's hope and its bane, a street tough who stepped into the ring in simple black trunks, black shoes and a sheared-off T-shirt. Reminded this week that no one had thought he had a chance against Tyson, Douglas hesitated before saying: "Yeah, but she did." The son of club fighter Bill "Dynamite" Douglas, he had shown glimpses of promise but had also displayed a lack of heart and discipline at other times.īut roughly three weeks before the opening bell with Tyson, the person who believed in him the most, his mother, Lula Pearl, died. Douglas took note.ĭouglas was a terrific athlete - he played small-college basketball - but was considered less than committed to boxing despite a 29-4-1 record as a professional. In fact, the day before Tyson fought Douglas, promoter Don King called a news conference to discuss the dates and terms of that showdown. The bout was considered a tuneup for Tyson before an anticipated match with rising star Evander Holyfield. It was awesome."Ī promising if enigmatic fighter, Douglas was given almost no chance of hanging around long with the undefeated heavyweight champion in their title fight in Tokyo. "Being crowned champion was a dream for me," Douglas said of his Feb. And 25 years later, the brief heavyweight champion is still pleased his knockout of Mike Tyson ranks among the biggest upsets in sports. COLUMBUS, Ohio - An uppercut and three follow-up punches made James "Buster" Douglas a household name.
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