Heavyweight Fight of the Week #2: Buster Douglas v. Mike Tyson

Such incredible boxing skill and footwork from Douglas that night. He kept perfect range from Tyson almost the entire fight. And his willingness to engage with Tyson and match him punch for punch was as awesome as it was surprising. A brilliant performance on so many levels.

 

Fantastic head movement from Tyson in round 1.
That round was close.

 

Note the introductory comments.

This is one of my favorite fights incidentally!

 

I scored the first 7 rounds for JBD, then MT had the two point round with the knockdown in round 8, then I scored the 9th for JBD. I had JBD leading 88-82 after 9 rounds. MT looked lethargic, he lacked defensive movement and offensive aggression, JBD looked lively, but relaxed and confident. Except for the knockdown, IMO JBD won the whole fight.

MT didn't have "it" that night. MT might have been underprepared, he might have been medicated, or JBD took him out of his game, but for whatever reason he had a night like most athletes have when "it" just wasn't there. He showed flashes of his previous form, but only for seconds at a time. JBD had looked good fighting Mike Williams and MT and his advisors should have known that JBD had the physical gifts and the skills to trouble MT or anybody else if he was motivated. If MT slacked off in training, fighting a big, athletic guy like JBD was a bad time to get lazy. It was a good, action fight, not close but everyone knew that MT had the power to turn things around...

 

I always attributed the outcome of this fight a bit more to Tyson than to Douglas.

He just wasn't his usual self in the early rounds, and once Douglas had lost his fear of him, he could not be put back in the box!

 

I don’t think Buster had a bit of fear in him from the opening bell. And Mike wasn’t able to do anything early to instill fear in him .... couldn’t negotiate himself past that jab.

 

I disagree, at the very least on the second point.

This was not a guy being held at bay with a jab.

Douglas held Tyson off, because he had answers inside, outside, and at mid range.

 

Tyson had phenomenal head movement against Peter McNeeley for a whole minute too...