Big Interview with James Buster Douglas, from "On the Ropes": http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=27715&more=1 Parts about This content is protected , parts about This content is protected . On training young heavyweight John L. Smith Junior: His name is John L. Smith Junior. Im pretty excited about it. Hes a heavyweight and I think hes got a bright future ahead of him. He works hard and hes got a lot of talent and hes eager to fight. On making the transition from boxer to trainer: There hasnt really been that much of a transition. Ive always been working with kids in the gym when I go to the gym, so this has just been more intense, of course. Its been a nice ride so far. His views on whether he can train someone to a world championship: Thats my goal to help him become a world champion. Im giving him advice and stuff and helping along the way. Regarding how he first got involved with the sport of boxing: Well I was introduced to the sport of boxing through my father. He was a National Amateur Champion and a light middleweight and a light heavyweight contender, so that was kind of what brought me to it. On what made him decide that he wanted to be a professional boxer: I decided after my junior year in college to give it a shot. I really felt that I had the desire to go professional and see where it would take me and it led me to the heavyweight championship. Whether he had added pressure on him given his fathers prior involvement in the sport: Well a little bit, because my father fought with a little different style than I did and everybody was expecting me to emulate him I guess. Once I kind of established myself as a fighter/boxer more so than a banger it kind of let itself be known I guess. On taking a fight on three days notice to replace Trevor Berbick against Randall Tex Cobb and what that victory did for his career: That was a big win because Cobb was a contender. So with the opportunity, John called me and he asked me, What do you think about Tex Cobb? and I said He can be beat. The experience of his first title shot against Tony Tucker: Yeah that was a pretty tough time for me. We were still really, John and I, and J.D, and my dad were still kind of gelling and coming together. There were a lot of problems that we were having in the camp leading up to that fight and I think it just spilled over into the fight. It kind of came out in the fight because we had a lot of problems. Thats why I think that fight didnt really go like we planned, but then we just had to go back to the drawing board and we restructured our camp. We started fight again until we got another opportunity. His views on the current state of the heavyweight division: Well you know its just kind of different now because you dont have very many or any American champions now in the division. When I was coming up the top ten was dominated by Americans and today there are a lot of different contenders out there and as far as the world champions theyre all foreigners. Its different and I look at it as an opportunity and I always tell Junior that. Its an opportunity for a good American heavyweight to go in there and really do well. On why he believes we have not had a good American heavyweight to seize the opportunity and fill that void: I think that sometimes you got to really test a kid along the way as he comes up through the division and I think a lot of these heavyweights now are really being tested as they progress into becoming contenders and getting lined up for an opportunity to fight. What I mean is put him in with a good opponent coming up where you can see how his progress is. Im not saying overmatch him, but there is just a way about doing things and when they finally get a chance for a title shot theyre a lot more prepared and they feel more confident going into the fight. His views on the Klitschko brothers as champions in todays heavyweight division: Well I think theyre good fighters and youre going to have to definitely go in there and know what youre doing when you get in there because of their experience. Theyre in great shape and they come to fight in each and every fight. I think there is an opportunity for a good American heavyweight to go in there and really put up a good challenge against them. To me it just looks like an opportunity but you got to be ready when you go in there because those guys, when they come in each and every night theyre ready to fight. His views on how the Klitschko brothers would have fared in his era of the heavyweight division: I think they would have done well, because theyre good fighters. Like I said youd have to come to fight. Theyre good fighters and theyre being brought up right. Each and every night the Klitschkos are ready to fight so you got to be on your A-game when you go in there. On whether he believes Junior has a chance to become the next great American heavyweight: I really do. I really do! I think that hes hungry, hes eager and hes got the size, and hes got a lot of ability. Once he gets in really great shape I think hes going to be someone to be reckoned with. His views on the greatest strength that Junior brings into the ring with him: Its his overall desire. He has the desire to want to do this and I think thats a great big part as well as his ability. Hes a big man that can really do a lot of things that a big man is not accustomed to doing. He can move, and hes got good hand speed, and he carries a good punch. So he has all the tools to accomplish and become the heavyweight champion if he really applies himself. Like I said, Im just looking forward to this ride. On building his way back to contender status after his loss to Tony Tucker: Well you know by then with the loss, everyone was willing to fight me and we had no problems with having the opportunity of getting people back in there to catapult my career back to contendership. It was up to me to get in great shape and to be ready to fight anybody that would get in there to get back into title contention. So it was a long road back but I was willing to and my group was willing to put forth the effort to get another opportunity to get another shot for the title. Regarding his victory over a young Oliver McCall in July 1989 prior to fighting Mike Tyson: Yeah, it was a tough fight. Oliver came to fight. He was kind of an awkward fighter. Hed throw punches from every different angle, unusual angles. The game plan was to just put pressure on him and keep him backing up. We didnt think he could really fight on his heels backing up so that was the game plan. It was just to keep pressuring him and keep the hands up and it worked out for us. This content is protected This content is protected
This content is protected Regarding which fighters today he most enjoys watching and has the most respect for: “I really like that Manny Pacquiao. I think he’s a great fighter and I really enjoy watching him work. He really has it all together, and again I’m just excited about the heavyweight that we have now, as far as American fighters, John L. Smith Junior. I’m really excited about this kid because he’s a determined kid. I really like him. He listens and he’s just an overall great kid. He’s excited about this opportunity to be a professional fighter.” His views on the upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley, and what he thinks of the fact that many observers are counting Mosley out the way he was counted out against Mike Tyson: “Yeah, you can’t do that though. Mosley is a crafty veteran and he is going to come to fight and I look for that to be an exciting fight. I think it’s going to go deep into the rounds, too. If it’s a stoppage it’s going to be like in the eleventh or twelfth round, but it’s going to be a great fight because Mosley is going to bring it! He’s up for the challenge I know. Just from watching his past experience he can put up some great fights. So he’s going to be ready to fight. Don’t sleep on Mosley!” Regarding the most important thing he emphasizes to his fighters as a boxing trainer: “Running! Running, hitting that road and doing that road work. You have to run, because if you got the steam to do whatever you need to do then you’re fine. You have the ability but you just have to have the gas in the tank to perform up the best of your ability.” This content is protected Regarding his decision to comeback to boxing almost six years after the loss to Evander Holyfield: “It was just a fact of getting back into life, and that was the way that I felt I could get back into life and get some more normalcy about myself. So I got the weight off and gave it another shot and just continued to be positive from that point on. I have been and it’s been working out great for me.” This content is protected This content is protected His views on the fight that almost happened between him and Roy Jones Junior: “Yeah, yeah! I was ready to take that with open arms, but I think they decided to go another route. Yeah, it was offered to us but then it didn’t last. It was on the table for a short period of time. We accepted it, but it never came about.” Regarding his decision to retire from professional boxing: “Well that was it. I just felt like it ran its course and I just stayed positive and got involved with other things. That was it.” *** What are your thoughts classic? *** Some powerful photos of that deeply shocking night in Tokyo: This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected
Buster has a good boxing background. If he can get a young fighter to fight in his style I think he could be a good trainer. Buster was a good boxer puncher type fighter and he threw combinations which you dont see too many heavyweights doing.
Douglas 100% was going to get a Tyson rematch if he beat Savarese. Finkel is the one who was in charge of Tyson career at that time not King.
Agreed, i wish Buster & the guy he is training luck. It would be nice for him to be a success story. I think this is him: http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=565118&cat=boxer Kind of a shame he is already 28 years old, i was hoping for younger. Indeed, it annoys me that they named King in the question, despite his irrelevance. I'm still disappointed Buster didn't get pasted Savarese, a rematch even at that point would've been nice. Alas, Comeback Douglas had shot punch-resistance from his obesity-linked Diabetic coma, so he did well to win several fights.
I didnt want Douglas to fight Tyson. After seeing him perform against Monaco I knew it would have been a blood bath. He got let off the hook easily against Savarese who stopped him in the first round, but didnt really hurt him. Monaco knocked Douglas out cold at the end of the round and the Dq'd him for hitting at the bell, but it was a sign Douglas really had no punch resistance, and his legs were never really fully there either. He looked very impressive against Navarre, but Navarre wasnt even on the level of Savarese.
I think he boxed a beautiful fight that night in Tokyo. He had a great style. And if/when he had his act together he could be a tough customer for anyone in history. Its a shame he made his name beating my favourite fighter
I keep forgetting about the Monaco fight. atsch I respect his comeback anyway, Buster was brave to return to the ring after spending 4 years in a coma.
Yes he was. I remember this fight it was on PPV and I bought it. Buster never recovered from a short righthand that really wasnt all that powerful. He really couldnt take a punch at all during his comeback. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeRA7RH72-A&feature=related[/ame]
I think it would have been a nice fight if Douglas had beat Savarese. Ok it was no multi million dollar event, but it had a bit of history to it and Tyson could have rested some demons if he KHTFO. If Douglas had beaten Tucker he would have fought Tyson in 1987
Full Douglas-Tyson fight, in high quality, including post-fight interview with Buster at 44:20. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l7HciwnY3E[/ame]
Cheers mate. :thumbsup Here is the quality interview with Jimmy Vaccaro from The Mirage, about the legendary betting odds for the fight & the Buster-Holy fight too: http://www.gamblingonlinemagazine.com/general-interest.php?articleID=323
