I think there was some talk of a Dokes bout. Dokes lost by TKO to Holyfield in 1989 (tenth round), but won his next three fights. Could Dokes at that point have beaten Tyson or would he have lost to that terrible version of Tyson?
Tyson wins. Dokes was too easy to hit, and Tyson's reach is more pronounced in this fight. Plus, Dokes was not emotionally stable at this point. Still talented, but he was a little ****ed up in the head. He wouldn't be as focused as Douglas was.
I dont believe that was a "terrible version of Tyson". Buster Douglas had the right style and refused to be intimidated. He came to fight. Believe it or not, people, TYSON WAS NEVER INVINCIBLE, no man is invincible. That was all hype. As for Michael Dokes, it's hard to say how he would have done versus a prime Tyson. Tyson didn't beat many guys as tough as Dokes, but he beat a few, and he was a heck of a puncher, so I'd favour Tyson. But then I'd have picked Tyson over Douglas in a fantasy match if they had never fought.
Douglas put in one of the all-time great performances. He woulda beaten many a great heavyweight that single night.
Dokes would have probably lost. Douglas was just destined to be the man who beat Tyson. He had an unforgettable performance against an unprepared (but not totally rubbish) Tyson, and Douglas never ever looked as good before or since. I honestly believe it was just "meant to be."
Joe Frazier would have KO'd him by round 11. Marciano would have KO'd him. Muhammad Ali would have decisioned him. Joe Louis would have gotten the KO within 8 rounds (unless he had a really off day like against Billy Conn). Floyd Patterson would have probably won by KO too. Larry Holmes would have edged out a decision. I wonder though, how Foreman, Liston, Lennox Lewis, and Riddick Bowe would have done. It is a styles thing. They would have struggled against Tokyo Douglas.
I feel the latter stated champs fare better than Frazier, Marciano or Patterson against Douglas that night. Douglas fought superbly with a great jab and combination punching. His uppercut in Tokyo on the back of the jab would have caused major style issues for the shorter inside fighters. The taller guys may have been able to fight on more even terms
I strongly disagree. People like to square everything neatly in categories, make things "make sense", and since they already have Tyson as far greater than Douglas, they cannot accept the fact that he could have been anywhere near his best when Douglas punched the **** out of him. People find it hard to accept the reality because the reality is : 1. Tyson was never as good as people thought, he was never invincible. 2. Douglas was often a lazy and unspectacular fighter but he was capable enough and had the style to beat a prime Tyson. Simply put, you put two heavyweights in there who can fight, and who aren't afraid of the other one, and regardless of their reputation and of the opinions of others we simply dont know who beats who until the fight takes place. That's the beauty of boxing.
I have to say that looking at Tyson in the early rounds against Douglas he was not displaying his usual agression. You could argue that he had twelve rounds to turn the situation around. You are right about one thing though. Every all time great has had nights like Tyson had in Tokyo against guys of a similar calibre to Douglas. What set's the Louis's and Ali's of this world apart from the pack is that they always found away to snatch the title back from Douglas within the length of the fight.
It's hard to display your usual aggression when you are getting the **** punched out of you, and getting your socks boxed off. That's a fact. Guys like Pinklon Thomas, Tyrell Biggs, Tony Tubbs, Trevor Berbick never got to show their full repetoires against Tyson, because Tyson did his thing. I could argue that those guys didn't turn up, but that's robbing Tyson of his due credit. But I'm even-handed in acknowledging that Douglas did to Tyson what Tyson was expected to do to him. That's boxing. You aint gonna look at your best when the other guy is beating the crap out of you. That's life. To be fair to Tyson, Joe Louis got beat up and KO'd by Max Schmeling, who was also a massive underdog.
