33 years ago today - exactly how good was Tokyo Douglas?

Tokyo Douglas was damn good. He had it all that night. Great jab, distance control, ring generalship, IQ, power, heart, aggression, conditioning. A bit of a shame he couldn't stay focused like that, as he was clearly an ATG level talent.

That said, having pulled off the greatest upset in all of boxing history and possibly all of sporting history, where was there for him to go? Let's say he managed to stay in that condition, beat Holyfield, beat Bowe or Lewis, maybe beat Tyson again, so what? He'd still be remembered for that night in Tokyo more than anything. He got his place in boxing history for that fight; got his financial security (and apparently has been smart with his money) from the Holyfield fight; what's left to do?

 

Douglas caught "lightning" in a bottle that night in Tokyo in Feb.1990....That's all...it's been done a million times throughout boxing's long history!

 

No it hasn't. Not like this.

 

Douglas did not always train hard. I knew a older guy around that time that watched a lot of boxing. He won a lot of money off that fight because he knew if Douglas was motivated he had a good chance to win.

 

Did they actually allow bets at the final odds of 42-1? I wonder what the largest unit amount bet was and the biggest return absolute. Imagine a 1k out lay getting you 42k back?

 

If only we had just a handful of successful defenses as Douglas he could have been rated so highly for the streak you described. He could've really cemented a legacy, by being a champion for awhile after his defeat of Tyson, I really believe if he had fought just a handful of solid contenders or a few future or past champions, and won, he would be held in much higher regard. It is a shame that Douglas didn't keep his momentum.

 

His initial plan was to defend against Holyfield, Foreman, then give Tyson a rematch and call it quits, that could have been an ATG worthy career although he'd be missing a few more notable contenders.

 

Not that good at all, he was 6`3 and had an 83 inch reach, Tyson was only 5`10 his head was in the exact right position for Douglas to easily tee off on all night long, Tyson would always look human at heavyweight due to his height, considering how fast he was at heavyweight think what his speed would have been like at 160, he would have been unbeatable, all Douglas had over Mike was size, many fighters Douglas`s size could have beaten Buster, he was nothing special.

 

Tyson was always 5'10 and his head was in the right place for multiple opponents Mark. I think i liked it better when you went the after Rooney route buddy.

 

Now that was a fight I was really looking forward to. Who wasn't?
Tyson meeting the only man, that looked like he stood a chance.

Then along came Buster..

 

It can be said that James Douglas ruined a good show in 1990 (Tyson vs Holyfield), or even better, that Tyson ruined a good show in 1990.

 

Yep.
If only Tyson had fought Holyfield first then the winner Douglas.

 

I don’t know, I was only 14 when they fought and only watched boxing occasionally because it was not on tv often. I did not see the Tyson fight live I watched it later on.

Everyone in school could not believe Tyson lost that’s how popular Tyson was and how overrated by casuals. I imagine a lot of people who studied the sport more closely made some money on that fight.

 

I never understood how Buster looked so good against Tyson but folded so dramatically against Holy. Was Buster just stressed out by all the Don King BS after his victory?

 

I was a HUGE Tyson fan growing up so ofc the fight made me butt hurt but after seeing it so many times, its a great fight. Everytime I was flipping channels I had to stop and see it. Still love it. Say what u want about either but its a great win by Douglas he "shook up the world" as Ali said prior to that.


Great video Rummy!