Back in February of 1990, Buster Douglas did something that NO ONE on planet earth thought could be done...beat Mike Tyson. Buster was only a 40-1 (42-1 in some circles) underdog that night & probably the only man alive confident he could do it. He had some special motivation leading up to the fight. 3 weeks prior, his beloved Mom past away from cancer. This might have crushed some competitors, but conversely, it provided the inspiration Douglas needed to pull off the greatest upset ever in the history of boxing. While Buster was busy flying under the radar, whipping himself into the best shape of his life, Tyson on the other hand was busy screwing every Japanese hooker he could get his hands on. Being that Tyson definitely was not in top condition, the casual observer will say this is the reason Tyson lost. But it wouldn't have made much difference if he was in top shape. Buster Douglas was a man on a mission that night, & was determined to do something no other man ever did. It was a great fight. From the 1st round, I knew he had a chance. He came out displaying a beautiful 1-2, peppering Mike like he was a speed bag. After he survived the 1st round, which was an accomplishment in itself, his confidence only grew. He was winning most of the rounds, until the momentum swung when Tyson landed a brutal right uppercut that floored Douglas in the 8th round. As he lay on the canvas, which he hit with his fist in disgust for the mistake he just made, a remarkable thing happened. He got up. Something Tyson opponents were unable to do after tasting Mikes power. Luckily, the KD came seconds from the end of the round or Tyson might have finished him right there. In the 9th, Buster came out firing on all cylinders again, which had to be very demoralizing to Mike. One more round of punishment & the end of Tyson's invincibilty came in the 10th, after a wicked 4 punch combo sent Tyson crashing in a heap. He was so beaten, he couldn't get up, even though he tried to put his mouthpiece back in to show the ref he wanted to continue. Not that night. Mike was in a place he never visited before & had no idea how to escape. That night in Tokyo, Douglas mustered up everything a fighter needs to dominate. That night, for one night, he was the complete fighter, the total package. He put on a performace that would have created problems for the best HW's in history. Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Marcino, Louis, even Dempsey might have met their match against a Buster Douglas that for one night, was the greatest HW that ever lived.
A minor technicality. You know what I meant. What did you think of my composition? I'm no Hemingway, but I do like to write about something that has special meaning to me.
Joe Louis versus Max Schmeling II. That was the single greatest performance by a heavyweight champion in the most anticipated fight ever.
Yes it was. But it wasn't as great of an upset as Busters win over Mike. Louis losing to Schmeling was shocking, but everyone (I think) expected Joe to take his title back, & he did in very convincing fashion.
