Why doesn’t Buster Douglas get a pass for the Holyfield loss?

Pizza in a sauna? Say it ain't so.

 

Yes, Tokyo Douglas is a tough fight for a good number of other great fighters and I agree, that version could well have decisioned Evander - but being better informed by and since their actual fight, I think Holy would always make it that much tougher a fight than Buster had against Tyson, but I would still favour Douglas - just imo.

 

I actually disagree with both of you Douglas had it pretty much his own way vs Tyson except for the knockdown that came out of nowhere. Holyfield would be in better form than Tyson was vs Douglas, and force him to fight more and drown him in deep waters late like Tucker did to him.

We've had this conversation before but I believe Douglas was the same fighter for a 4 year period before Tyson fight vs Williams, Tucker, Berbick, McCall, it's just people like to focus on Tyson fight.

But even though Douglas was in good form vs Tyson, I still think if Douglas was pressured more and forced into a battle his suspect temperament would come into play again.

The difference between Bowe and Douglas is that even though both wern't the most dedicated fighters, Bowe had more heart than Douglas and took alot of punishment in fights without ever looking for an easy way out like Douglas did a few times in his career.

 

I like this answer and hits the nail on the head.

 

Though Douglas had a good and perhaps under appreciated run into the Tyson fight, Tokyo still represented his pinnacle performance by a notable margin, imo.

The KD suffered against Mike was an absolute gut check that the “old” Buster wouldn’t have passed - and we in fact saw the “old” Buster return in his very next fight against Holyfield - one proof being that he chose not to arise (even though he could have) from the early round KD by Evander.

Buster clearly gassed in the Tucker fight and basically dropped tools due to fatigue - not a lot to do with what Tucker was putting to him.

A far better conditioned Buster was no where near gassing at the same stage in the Tyson fight. Looking to take advantage after the KD, Mike actually got to Buster a several more times in round 9 but Buster fought back with unprecedented grit and determination.

But I obviously agree that Evander would make for a somewhat tougher fight against Tokyo Douglas - but I believe the combination of Tokyo Douglas’ boxing skills, exceptional conditioning (for him), steeled focus and absolute will to win would’ve been enough to get over Holyfield -

 

Douglas had it all his own way vs Tyson though apart from the knockdown. A bolt out of the blue knockdown is a totally different proposition to a grueling tough fight over the distance vs Holyfield.

I don't think Douglas has what it takes to beat a prime Holyfield in tough grueling fight, and I don't think surviving a knockdown in a fight you dominated really tells us anything about surviving a 12 round war which Douglas has no evidence of doing in his career.

 

No but he survived a 12 round war vs a huge puncher in Razor Ruddock, Douglas never won a tough grueling fight over the distance.

 

Because he showed up at 245 lbs just for the 24 million paycheck and barely went through the motions. He cashed out and retired.

So we all know he wasn't at his best. But we're not giving him a pass because he showed no heart or motivation in the Holyfield fight. He took a semi dive and walked away with a ton of money.

I can't really credit Holyfield too much either because he didn't have to do much. Buster would have lost to anyone in the top 10 that night.

At the same time I think Douglas is given credit for the Tyson upset, even though we all know Tyson was not at his best either. That Douglas was in fine physical and mental shape and fought the best fight of his career.

 

Look at what Duran did after that loss at higher weights in his 30`s, what was Douglas`s exuse for losing to Tucker who himself lost to Tyson?

 

Holy was a great fighter and Douglas wasn`t, Holy would have beat Tucker.

 

People take that win seriously? Douglas ballooned in weight, was having mental issues, and an extremely stressful legal battles thank to the son of a w***e Don King—that included ostracizing by his own father if I remember correctly.

The man ate himself into diabetic coma afterwards. I mean, Jesus.

 

Douglas doesn't need to explain shite. He was ahead on the scorecards prior to the stoppage, against a fighter who took Tyson the distance in a decent fight whilst fighting with a shattered right hand.