If Douglas dedicated himself to boxing would we be talking about him today as an ATG instead of the biggest underdog to pull off the upset in boxing (if not all of sports) history? Thoughts?
Could've been, should've been.. but didn't have what it takes to be a great which is longetivity. Fighters and champions are made in the gym.
end of thread :good Douglas didn't have the will or motivation to do jack **** before or after tyson. Without that fight, he wouldn't have been remembered at all. As it is, he fought one of the greatest fights ever. But careers and legacies aren't just one fight. They're earned with years of dedication
Let me rephrase as I think the original question is being lost here: Buster Douglas is dedicated to the sport like Holyfield (as an example). If he did this, would we be talking about an ATG right now instead of a flash in the pan?
With a bit of consistenty, yes. The potential and quality was all for there to see back in 1990, he just never seemed to maintain that level of performance. His jab is one of the most under-rated in HW history IMO.
The is easy to understand and your using Holyfield is also easy to picture. He had all the tools, but no heart. He had Tucker beat and then it looked like he just gave up. Yes, if he would have used that brain to motivate himself, he would have been a Champion prior to beating Tyson. Well, maybe not great, but he would have been a champion with a few defenses.
Yeah, I think so. At his peak he had great skills. He just had no spine. The Tyson performance was driven by fear, and not ambition or will.
He definitely had the tools but didn't have the dedication/desire, that's what seperates great fighters from ordinary ones.
The only opinion that counts to me is that of Mike Tyson and in a recent documentary he said that the previous 3 fighters he fought were better than Buster so from that I conclude No.
Correct that statement ... He did not beat a Prime Tyson -- He beat a Tyson that was mentally unstable, had a wife that was driving him totally nuts and forgot to train for the fight. Douglas was in the right place at the right time to get the win. That's why Buster never gave Tyson a rematch .... then he would have faced the real deal.
you gotta admit that Douglas looked great in that fight. Tyson won 1~2 rounds. plus, that KO combination was damn pretty.
On yeah!!! Buster was on point for the first time ever in his career --- Like I said he was at the right place at the right time and he was ready.