Could Buster Douglas Have Been Great?

No. He could have been very good, won a few title fights, but not an ATG at all by any standards

 

No

 

I agree, Tyson was in decline at the time, even though he demolished Spinks, he didnt have the same desire and dedication like he had initially...death of his trainer and mentor had destructive effect on the boy

 

well, yes definitely. several factors made the upset possible. one, possibly the greatest, was buster was a man hellbent on winning with the recent passing of his mother, there is no greater motivation than that. second, tyson was not the same fighter as well that night, he did not have the man that molded him into the bobbing and weaving, deadly combination puncher that he was. cus d'amato had also recently died and tyson noticeably threw his underrated defense to the dogs and relied only on mostly one punch ko's. douglas, like michael moorer, back then were known to have very high skills and also alot of potential, but would undertrain, and because of that, would lose fights he was supposed to win prior fighting tyson. but the talent he did have for sure. with the motivation he could of been a solid champion with a solid jab and combination punching

 

Yes.
He had all the tools but didnt have the motivation.

 

a lazy slob, for the most part. he did have tysons number though.

 

Could have been? He's got better scalps than Vitali and Wlad combined.

 

Yes, he had the tools to have a good reign as HW champion, but things happen and his weight did too.

 

Douglas fought hot and cold, the night he beat Tyson was his best, but he went down hill right after that fight once again. He is a diabetic, so I think that had something to do with it.

 

I don't think so. Buster Douglas had a quitters mentality. He almost quit with Mike. He quit with Tony Tucker and quit with Evander. I know it is unfair to say he quit with Evander, but he was looking at his gloves to see if he was ok. He is a nice guy, but that type of thinking is good for a non fighter but not for a guy who wants to be a legend in boxing.

 

Would it be accurate to say Buster Douglas was a lesser version of Riddick Bowe?

 

Buster caught lightning in a bottle that night. Simple as that!

 

Absolutely agreed. Buster could've been better, but he wouldn't have been ATG.

I'd pick that version of Douglas to beat Bowe. Not any other version, but Tokyo Douglas definitely.