James Douglas - Evander Holyfield: Twenty-eight years have passed. James "Buster" Douglas: Holyfield-Foreman-Tyson win streak was my plan There was such a boxer James Buster Douglas

James "Buster" Douglas will forever be remembered by boxing fans for his flamboyant upset when he was able to knock out the seemingly invulnerable Mike Tyson in Tokyo on February 11, 1990.

Douglas' victory in the tenth round simply shocked the world, and this result was forever imprinted in the history of boxing. But Douglas, who ended his career in 1999 with a record of 38-6-1 (25), had many more interesting fights in his career, albeit not always victorious ones. James recalls his career in an interview with boxingnewsonline.net:

- If possible, I will touch on the fight with Tyson a little later. As such a talented and gifted guy, how could you lose to David Bay (TKO 2) and draw with Steffen Tangstead early in your career?

Well, the fight with Bey was my first big fight. He was strong, well, this fight was a valuable experience for me. The Tangstead fight was good. I hit him with what I thought was a good hit, but they said the hit came after the referee's order and they deducted a point from me. This led to a draw. In any case, all these fights brought with them a learning experience. They were, as I then called them, "childhood diseases." I left amateur boxing at 15, turned pro at 21 and had to learn a lot of new things.

- And in 1987 there was a fight with Tony Tucker for the IBF title. You were winning but were stopped in the tenth round. What's happened? I know the critics gave you a thrashing after this defeat.

- The fight with Tucker was quite difficult. While preparing for the fight in the camp, I was not mentally focused as I should have been. You know, before the big fight you have to do everything right, and I couldn't. Again, as I said, these were "childhood illnesses." Tucker was a good fighter and again, I learned a lot from that. From every failure along the way, I could learn something.

- Even despite the defeat of Tony, did you still believe that one day you could become a world champion?

- Oh yeah! These lessons that I spoke about, they made me resolute. I knew that I could compete with the best, defeats told me that I still have something to offer boxing.

- Another fight that is often forgotten was your confrontation with Randall Cobb, when you defeated him on points. Was it a tough fight?

Yes, and Randall was a good boxer. In fact, he was a great fighter, he reminded me of my father, former middleweight Billy Douglas, nicknamed Dynamite, whom I sparred with as a teenager. The tension was just crazy, as soon as you hit him, he immediately responded. My jab was often underestimated. When I hit with my trademark jab, many fighters didn’t even understand what it was - a right hand or a jab. However, Cobb kept pushing, but that didn't break me. So, yes, even before Tyson, I met some good boxers and established myself.

- So much has already been written about the fight with Tyson, you have probably already been asked about everything that was possible. Still, I'll try. How shocked were you in the eighth round when he knocked you down?

“I wasn’t shocked at all, rather, I lost my balance. He hit me, I tried to resist, but it didn't work. However, I was focused on the fight and understood everything. I saw Tyson's eyes - he was all shaken up and ready to win. Therefore, I knew that he would need to respond.

- As far as I remember, you went up to the count of nine. Ever thought about what it would be like if the referee took the count a little faster and gave the go-ahead?

“I could get up faster. I just gave myself those eight seconds to assess my condition. I could get up anytime. If he counted faster, then I would get up from the canvas earlier.

- During the fight, did you think that you would knock out Tyson, or simply, using your skills, defeat him on points?

“All I knew was that I fought with all my might. I was in great shape.

- So you can’t say that it was 25 years ago ...

- Yes, the anniversary is coming soon, it's wonderful.

- After you knocked out Tyson in a fight that no one will forget, was it mentally and physically difficult to prepare for the next fight, with Holyfield?

“I've been through a lot, a lot of shit. We had to go to court because Tyson's promoter, Don King, wanted to appeal the result of the fight, stating that the countdown in the eighth round was too long. It was exhausting, like all I did was fight after I had already won the title. By the time I started camping, I was already exhausted. It's entirely my fault, I shouldn't have let this happen. There was so much pressure. What was my childhood dream turned into a nightmare. Even today I am angry about all this. However, I know that I had a great career. I achieved what I set out to achieve, I became a world champion.

- People are still discussing what would happen if you met Tyson in a rematch. Have you thought about it?

- Certainly. In a rematch, I would have beaten him even harder.

— James, are you a promoter now?

— No, I work with amateur boxers. I have a wonderful group of kids from eight years old to twenty-one and up. We had our debut show last weekend and it went great.

- Another fighter you could face in 1990 or 1991 as a champion was George Foreman. What do you think if you met him instead of Holyfield, what would change?

Hmm, well, my plan was to beat Holyfield and then defend the title against Foreman, and then give Tyson a rematch. Unfortunately, this didn't work. But I am still happy and satisfied with what I have achieved and today I have no regrets.

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, Ohio , USA

early years

Son of professional boxer Billy Douglas. The eldest of four sons in the family. James attended Linden McKinley High School, graduating in 1977. During his high school years, James was a good football and basketball player, and in his senior year he even helped lead his school's team to victory in the AAA State Basketball Championship in 1977. After graduating from high school, James continued his education at Coffeyville Community College, where he soon began playing for the college's men's basketball team in 1977-1978, in the summer of 1979 he transferred to Sinclair Community College, where he immediately got into the main basketball team, for which performed successfully from 1979 to 1980. In 1980, James continued his studies at Mercyhurst University on a basketball scholarship, but left after the first semester and returned to his native Columbus to become a professional boxer. First boxing gloves Douglas donned at the age of 10, his first boxing lessons were taught by his father, who also became his children's trainer.

He began his professional career in 1981 and almost immediately after the first fights he gained a reputation as an ordinary fighter, with outstanding data, but with a lack of strong-willed qualities and the necessary cruelty in his character. In training, James did not give all the best and did not favor general physical training, which is why he lacked the stamina to perform at a decent level. In addition, he had problems with overweight.

Professional career

Douglas' first professional fight took place on May 31, 1981, Buster's opponent was Dan Omolli, who already had 6 fights on his account, which he all won, however, Douglas knocked him out in the 3rd round.

1981-1984

After gaining 2 more victories, Douglas entered the ring in October of the same year against the undefeated Abdul Mukhaymin. In this fight, James cut both his opponent's eyes and after the 5th round the doctor stopped the fight.

Fight with David Bay

A month later, Douglas fought with debutant David Bay. Bay surprisingly knocked out Buster in the 2nd round. Douglas suffered the first defeat of his career.

Fight with Mel Daniels

On April 24, 1982, Douglas knocked out novice boxer Mel Daniels. 18 days later, on May 12, 1982, Douglas' 17-year-old brother Arthur died. James took the death of his younger brother hard and fell into depression. He will not enter the ring for 6 months.

Fight with Steffen Tangstad

In October 1982, Douglas faced the undefeated Steffen Tangstad. Douglas went into battle with him with a clear advantage and with fat folds on his back. In the fight, Douglas was penalized 2 points. In an 8 round fight, all three judges awarded a draw.

Fights with Jesse Clark

After that, Douglas' managers considered it good to put him on the so-called "pouch diet" for two whole years, that is, putting frankly weak boxers against him. Jesse Clark stood out among them, a boxer with a unique track record - having spent 30 professional fights, he lost all 30 and 27 of them by knockout. Douglas fought against him three times in his career. In 1983, Douglas faced him twice within one month, knocking him out in the first round both times.

Fight with Dave Johnson

In July 1983, Buster met with the unremarkable Dave Johnson, Johnson by that time already had 13 defeats in his asset, and he lost the last 10 fights in a row. Nevertheless, he imposed a difficult oncoming battle on Douglas. The fight lasted all the allotted 10 rounds and Johnson was close to victory, but at the end of the fight, Douglas was awarded the victory by a decision of the majority of the judges.

Fight with Mike White

In December 1983, Douglas met with the little-known Mike White. Douglas dominated the whole fight, but by the end of the fight he was visibly tired, in the 9th, carried away by the attack, he ran into an oncoming hook and suddenly dropped his hands, which White took advantage of with lightning speed and knocked out Buster. After such an offensive defeat, Douglas fell into a slight depression, he did not enter the ring for more than six months.

1984-1987

In July 1984, against the weak boxer David Starkey. The fight went with a scandal. Already in the middle of the 1st round, Starkey went on the defensive and began to clinch, at the end of the 1st round, he grabbed Douglas and threw him onto the canvas, preventing him from getting up, after which representatives of both boxers jumped into the ring and a fight began between them . Subsequently, the fight was declared invalid.

Fight with Randall Cobb

In November 1984, Douglas faced Randall “Tex” Cobb, who was reputed to be a pretty decent fighter and had a decent defeat from Larry Holmes, losing to him in 1982 on points. The Douglas-Cobb fight lasted all 10 rounds and ended with the victory of Douglas. The victory over Cobb raised Buster quite high in the ratings.

ESPN Tournament

In 1985, Douglas took part in the tournament of the American sports channel ESPN. On March 27, 1985, he entered the fight in the semi-finals of the tournament against the unbeaten Dion Simpson. In the first round, with one punch, a right cross, Buster knocked out Simpson. After that, Simpson “broke down”, after the defeat from Buster, he would have three more fights and in November 1985 he would retire from boxing. On May 9, 1985, the final of the tournament took place, in the final of which Buster met future title contender Jesse Fergusson. The fight was equal, but according to the results of 10 rounds, Ferguson won by a majority vote.

Fight with Greg Page

In January 1986 he met with former champion the world by Greg Page. Douglas won by unanimous decision.

Fight with David Jacko

In April 1986 he met with David Jacko. Douglas dominated the entire fight, in the 5th round Jacko was knocked down twice, but in the end he managed to survive. Douglas won by unanimous decision.

Championship fight with Tony Tucker

On May 30, 1987, he fought against Tony Tucker for the vacant IBF (IBF) title. Douglas constantly went forward, throwing a large number of punches, Tucker acted as number 2, throwing direct from afar and uppercuts close. Douglas had a slight advantage early in the fight. Just before the end of round 2, he knocked Tucker down, but the gong rang and he was not counted. Douglas also managed to shake Tucker in rounds 3, 5, 6, but Tucker kept his feet. In the 7th round, Tucker increased the pressure on his opponent and the situation changed: Douglas began to miss a lot and lose stamina. Tucker continued to do so in subsequent rounds and it brought him success. In the middle of the 10th round, Tucker shocked Douglas, after which he pressed him to the ropes and began to beat him methodically. The referee, seeing that James was not answering, stopped the fight, after which James wandered in confusion to his corner. After the loss to Tucker, Douglas was firmly written off.

1988-1990

Fight with Trevor Berbick

On February 25, 1989, he met with former world champion Trevor Berbick. Douglas dominated the entire fight and won with a crushing score.

Fight with Oliver McCall

On July 21, 1989, he met with the already future champion Oliver McCall; Douglas dominated the entire fight and confidently won on points by unanimous decision.

Winning the title of absolute world champion

With a track record of 29 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw and a reputation as a boxer who can "break", Buster went into battle in 1990 for the title of undisputed champion against Mike Tyson. The odds were 40 to 1 in favor of Tyson. Tyson did not see the threat in his opponent at all and subsequently claimed that he had hardly prepared for the fight. Douglas, on the contrary, was in excellent shape and with the best mental attitude in his career. The champion in this fight was slow, didn't move his head much and dodge (his usual effective strategy), and instead of short and numerous substeps, there were big falls with attempts to punch Douglas with single punches. At the end of the 8th round, Tyson delivered a right uppercut to the jaw, knocking Douglas down. He was on the floor for more than 10 seconds, the referee did not immediately start the count, and at the count of 7 he stopped counting, turned around and continued again. At 10, Douglas was still on the floor, but the referee allowed him to continue the fight. The usual count would be 16 seconds. In the 9th round, Mike's severe fatigue became noticeable. In the middle of the 10th round, Douglas landed a right uppercut to the jaw, and then a combination - a left cross, a right cross and a left cross again. Tyson fell. His cap flew off. Tyson got up almost immediately, but the referee counted to nine and stopped the fight, seeing that Tyson was unsteady on his feet. At the time the fight was stopped, the score of the judges was a draw: Larry Rosadilla (82-88 Douglas), Ken Morita (87-86 Tyson), Masakazu Uchida (86-86). After the fight, Tyson's promoter Don King stated that the referee considered the knockdown for Douglas too long, and in fact there was a knockout. The fight received the status of "Apset of the Year" according to the magazine "The Ring)" and became the greatest sensation in the history of boxing. After the fight, Tyson underwent treatment for alcoholism. Among the reasons for such an unexpected result of Tyson's defeat are the circumstances of the life of both boxers at that time: Tyson's unsuccessful marriage, the death of Cus   D'Amato, Tyson's departure from his coach Kevin Rooney and his team, etc. Tyson was noticeably inferior to himself as a model 1986 and was just in a disgusting mental state. Buster Douglas, on the other hand, went to the fight with an unprecedented emotional mood, and unprecedented psychological motivation - 23 days before the fight, his mother, whom he idolized, died, at the most crucial moment of his life, Buster was left without the support of a loved one, in addition, a few days before the fight with a serious his wife was hospitalized with a kidney disease and the doctors did not hide from Buster that everything could end in her case lethal outcome, therefore, as Douglas later recalled: “I felt that getting hit in the face from Tyson is not the worst thing that can happen in life, and I entered the ring with absolute calm and composure, I just received a blow that was stronger than anything that Iron Mike could give me, and then maybe another blow, so in the ring I perceived him as an ordinary person, a guy from the crowd. Tyson himself before this fight showed indiscipline in training, abused alcohol, he later commented: "I did not train at all."

Fight with Evander Holyfield

After the fight, everything in Buster's life fell into place for a while. His wife recovered, he gained wild popularity and began to appear at various public events, he again had problems with being overweight, by the summer of 1990 his weight was already 130 kilograms.

His next fight was against Evander Holyfield in the fall of 1990, and in early June, one of his trainers, John Russell, sounded the alarm and forced James to lose weight, but as James would later recall, after the fight with Tyson, “I felt like a deflated balloon ”, so there was neither the strength nor the special motivation to keep fit.

At the pre-match weigh-in, the swollen Douglas pulled as much as 111.5 kilograms, he was simply not ready for such a fight. On October 25, 1990, in the third round, Evander Holyfield knocked out Douglas with one blow, thereby taking away the title of absolute champion. After the fight, in an interview, Holyfield said that he broke it in the locker room and that Douglas was a coward who did not deserve to be a world champion. For this fight, Douglas received $ 24 million, 18 times more than for the victory over Tyson. After the loss due to health problems, Buster retired from boxing for six years.

1990-1996

After the defeat from Holyfield, Douglas began to lead an unhealthy lifestyle. Money and depression from the loss of the title and fame forced the boxer to embark on a path of self-destruction. For 3 years, he abused alcohol and junk food, he had problems with being overweight and with ill-wishers, alcohol addiction developed. He was mocked about his weight and contemptuously called "one-time champion", repeatedly provoked into a fight. In 1992, a similar skirmish almost ended in shooting when his bodyguard William McCauley began brandishing a pistol to protect the boxer. Eventually, his blood sugar levels rose dangerously, leading him into a diabetic coma from which he nearly died in 1994. After coming out of a coma, thanks to the support of his wife Berta and friends, James managed to end an unhealthy lifestyle, began to lose weight and in 1996 decided to return to boxing.

Return

In 1996, James Douglas returned to the ring, but it did not bring him any more fame or money.

Fight with Tony LaRosa

In June 1996, Douglas met with Tony Larosa. It was the first since his return to the ring. After the 3rd round, Larosa refused to continue the fight due to a cut.

Fight with Dickie Ryan

In February 1997, he met with Dickey Ryan. Douglas dominated the entire fight and won via unanimous decision.

Fight with Luis Monaco

In May 1997, Douglas met with Luis Monaco. In the first round, Monaco delivered a powerful cross after the gong, which knocked out Douglas. Douglas could not recover even after five minutes of rest and was awarded the victory by disqualification of Monaco.

Possible fight with Roy Jones

In late 1998, Roy Jones decided to face former undisputed heavyweight champion James Douglas, but later pulled out of the fight after his father advised him not to fight heavyweights.

Fight with Lou Savariz

In June 1998, he met with Lou Savariz. Douglas entered the fight with a clear advantage. In the middle of the 1st round, Savariz sent the opponent to the floor with a right hook to the head. Douglas got up at the expense of 4. Savariz could not immediately build on the success. A minute later, with a right hook, he again sent the enemy down. Douglas went up to the score of 5. Savariz rushed to finish him off with several blows to the head. He fell again. Rising, Douglas knelt, but fell on his back. He did not have time to stand at the expense of 10. The referee recorded a knockout.

After the fight with Savariz, Douglas had another fight with a more or less decent boxer Warren Williams, but the "crown" of Douglas' career was a meeting with a frankly weak boxer Andre Crowder, who had a unique achievement list- 8 wins, 48 ​​losses, 4 draws. Buster Douglas knocked him out in the first round and left the ring without even waiting for the official announcement of the result of the fight. After that, he retired from boxing completely.

James "Buster" Douglas - a hero for one great fight On this day, fifty-six years ago (04/07/1960), James Douglas was born in Columbus, who was destined to go down in history as the first fighter to defeat the great and terrible Mike Tyson. It may seem strange that we are talking about a man who won the title of world underdog, but the fact is that Buster's entire biography is dedicated to one of his great fights. And the fact that the battle was great is beyond doubt. It is not clear where the rest of his career is? How could a man show such amazing talent for just one night and be underdogs in most other fights? When you look at Buster's career, it's hard not to be surprised. Buster started his career like most famous boxers, having won with ease against several journamens. However, he then met with David Bay, a tough boxer who later had many fights on high level. It was Bey's professional debut and he knocked out Douglas in the second round. Douglas fell back to the bottom positions, and won the next 14 fights against more than average opponents. Then he was defeated by Mike White, a tall boxer who had bright moments, but who lost every time he met with a strong opponent. He stopped Buster in the 9th round of a very boring fight. The next 14 fights Buster won against relatively famous rivals, for example, Oliver McCall, Greg Page and Trevor - on points. However, during the same period, he lost to Tony Tucker and Jesse Ferguson. He also fought travellers, David Jacot, Di Collier and Jerry Halsted. He won against everyone, but he did not look very convincing at the same time. Buster won most of his victories on points and did not look like a boxer with serious knockout power. We saw fights with McCall, Tucker, Rage and Burbick and while we thought Buster looked good in those fights, we didn't think he was capable of becoming a champion. And when we found out that he was going to fight Tyson, we said: "Well, here's another lamb for Tyson to eat." How wrong we were! This fight has been written about so many times that there is no point in repeating it. We all know that Tyson neglected training, he had problems at home, and he underestimated his opponent. But you can not detract from the merits of Buster in this fight. It was a great fight. Those who watched this fight live remember when Buster took off his robe and began to warm up, there was something in his eyes and in every movement that made you think. He looked focused, fearless, and next to Tyson he seemed simply huge, although in fact it was only an appearance created by his attitude. It was amazing and no wonder Tyson and his team were shocked. However, Tyson is Tyson - he came to his senses and began to actively resist. He caught Buster with crazy punches, but Buster hardly reacted and again seized the initiative with amazing technique. He was far ahead on points when Tyson hit him with a powerful uppercut in the 8th round and sent him to the canvas. The referee considered for a long time, and Tyson's further actions were interrupted by a gong. But Douglas' gaze was conscious, and as the 9th round began, Douglas continued to attack Tyson with powerful jabs and right punches. Soon it was all over. The greatest shock in boxing history. Tyson had nothing to oppose a series of accurate strikes, and even such strong boxer like he couldn't stand it for long. Buster became world champion in heavyweight- well deserved. It seemed like a new era had begun. It was one of the best boxing matches that left us with our mouths open in admiration. It seemed that Douglas found himself, and will win for a long time. But we were wrong again. Whatever spirit had entered Buster that evening, it vanished as quickly as it appeared. In his first title defense against the fearless Evander Holyfield, he looked pathetic. Body movements can tell a lot: when Buster entered the ring, he already looked like a loser. He seemed lethargic, unfocused, nervous, his face seemed to say: "I don't want to stay here." Holyfield won effortlessly. So what happened? Does Buster himself know the answer? Whatever the reasons, Douglas lost his composure. He did nothing for the next 6 years, gained weight up to 180 kg. He returned to boxing, but narrowly beat travellers, Dicky Ryan, Louis Monaco, and Rocky Ashes. During the fight with Monaco, he was barely on his feet, and barely survived after a right hand in the first round. He was then hit by Monaco after the gong and was disqualified. But this blow nearly rendered Douglas unconscious; he could not get up from his chair for 5 minutes, and it was hard to believe that this man could withstand Tyson's blows. The end of his career came in 1998 when he was knocked out in the first round by Louis Savarese, a decent but limited young boxer. Buster scored a couple more victories over weak opponents and left their sport. This is one of the biggest mysteries in boxing history. How could the average boxer Buster Douglas put on such a performance against Tyson - such strength, power and technique, stamina and will? If he could keep this form, his story would be very different. Obviously, he had it all, but for some unknown reason, he showed it only once.

The thirty-eighth fight in Mike Tyson's career took place on February 11, 1990 at the Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan. His opponent was 29-year-old James "Buster" Douglas from Columbus, Ohio. Before the fight, Douglas weighed 105 kg with a height of 195 cm. Before the fight with Tyson, he had 33 fights, won 29, 19 of them ahead of schedule, with one draw.

Mike Tyson showed 100 kg on the scales.

Referees: Larry Rosadilla, Ken Morita, Masakazu Ushida.

James Douglas, son professional boxer William Douglas played basketball and American football at school. IN professional boxing he came in the early eighties. Among his most significant early fights were victories over Randall Kob, former champion Greg Page and David Bay. In 1987 he had a chance to win the vacant IBF title against the undefeated Tony Tucker. Despite the fact that Douglas led during the fight, in the later rounds he was noticeably tired and lost technical knockout. After this defeat, James managed to win six fights in a row, including against Oliver McCall, Trevor Berbick and a knockout from Mike Williams in the undercard of the Tyson-Spinks fight.

Thus, he gets a second chance to become a champion in a fight against the undefeated Mike Tyson.

Almost everyone before the fight thought that it would end with another knockout of "Iron" Mike. In Las Vegas, only one bookmaker accepted bets. This fight was supposed to be just a warm-up for Tyson before a mega fight against undefeated champion in Curuzers by Evander Holyfield.

23 days before the fight, the mother of James Douglas, who was a very close person for him, dies. After this loss, few believed that Douglas' morale would allow him to enter the ring at all. Nevertheless, the fight not only took place, but also entered the history of boxing forever.

Boxers start the first round with a jab in the middle of the ring. Douglas moves well on his feet and manages to avoid Tyson's attacks. Mike pins the opponent to the ropes and lands two powerful right defenses. Douglas immediately develops a counterattack, but without much success. Tyson closes again because of the jab, but James Douglas holds a deuce to the head and stops Mike. Referee Octavio Meyran reprimands both boxers for having their heads down. After a warning, Tyson manages to deliver a good right hand to the opponent's head. Boxers clinch. The referee tries to separate them, but Douglas continues to strike, despite the commands. Meyran makes another warning. Tyson works well with a jab, but unexpectedly stumbles upon an oncoming right opponent. And again the referee has to break the clinch. After the clinch, Tyson activates and tries to hold the series, but Douglas not only defends effectively, but also actively counterattacks. Landing a couple of good right to the head, he emerges victorious from this episode. Taking a short pause, Mike Tyson delivers a good jab and adds a powerful left hook to the head. Douglas is cornered. After the clinch, James fires a powerful right to the head towards Tyson. Mike does not have time to completely dodge, but responds with powerful side to the head. The gong sounds, but the boxers stand still for a while, determined to continue.

For the second round, Mike Tyson literally runs out of his corner, but as soon as he manages to get on close range, he gets bogged down in the arms of an opponent. One of these attempts, which began with a very sluggish jab, ends with James Douglas literally unleashing a series of eight punches on Tyson. Mike froze on his feet for a moment, but continuing to move forward, he stumbles upon another powerful right straight to the head. After several clinches, Mike again goes forward without punches and misses a right straight to the head. Tyson tried to answer, but not a single blow from his series hit the target. In the next episode, Mike manages to inflict a powerful left side to the head, but Douglas again extinguished the development of the attack with a clinch. After the clinch, Tyson starts work on the lower level and makes a good right hook on the body. However, this blow did not embarrass Douglas at all and he spends ten unanswered blows to the head. This time, Mike Tyson himself is forced to save himself in the clinch. He was clearly tired and greatly puzzled by the course of the battle. After the next clinch, the gong sounds, and the opponents go to the corners.

The third round, Mike Tyson starts with a jab, after which he tries to land a right straight to the head. Douglas clings to the ropes and evades punches in the clinch. After the clinch, James misses with a right straight to the head and Mike counterattacks with a left hook to the liver. However, he fails to develop the initiative. Douglas fires back with a jab and again holds a right straight forward. Mike responds in kind, but his punch is not as accurate. Meanwhile, James continues to throw more punches and land more. Tyson, on the contrary, is not accurate and gets bogged down in long arms opponent. The referee makes a remark to Douglas about the hold, but he does not pay any attention to them and conducts an exact deuce to Tyson's head.

Mike Tyson tries on an opponent for a long time, until he still manages to hit a good right to the body. Again, a long aiming follows and Mike punches a powerful left hook in the head. Douglas responds with a straight right and a casual right uppercut. Having missed another strong jab, Tyson strikes a right straight to the opponent's head. After the gong, the opponents are again in no hurry to disperse in the corners and continue to remain in the stance.

The fourth round, James Douglas starts with a great jab in the middle of the ring. Tyson misses, but continues to go forward. Mike manages to land a right cross to the head, but Douglas leaves none of his punches unanswered. After a long and low-scoring fuss, Douglas delivers a powerful right straight straight to Tyson's jaw. Mike freezes in place in the middle of the ring. Having come to his senses, Mike Tyson continues to attack, but again runs into a right straight to the head. The only thing he could answer was a right to the body in the clinch. Ten seconds before the end of the round, James Douglas delivers a powerful left side to the jaw and literally in a moment Tyson answers him with the same. Mike's punch is much harder and James's legs buckle noticeably. However, he finds the strength to lead a good series to Tyson's head at the end of the round.

The fifth round, James Douglas literally starts with the shooting of Tyson at a distance. Moreover, not only the jab is used, but also blows from the right. Mike is confused. He goes forward by inertia, but practically does not strike. Single jabs occasionally reach the opponent's head, but this is clearly not enough to turn the tide of the fight. Douglas, on the contrary, in almost every episode is head and shoulders above his opponent. A powerful right straight to the head again makes Tyson freeze in place in bewilderment.

As soon as Mike starts moving forward, Douglas meets him with a deuce to the head, and then ties him up in the clinch.

In the middle of the round, Mike Tyson misses the most powerful right to the head and another series of accurate blows from the opponent. He does not respond to blows and seems seriously shaken. After the clinch, Tyson tried to rehabilitate himself with a left hook to the head, but the blow fell in a slip. Another left side after the clinch and Mike stops again. He absolutely does not shoot combinations and stagnates in one place for a long time. A hematoma begins to grow over Mike's left eye from missed punches. For the first time in his entire career, viewers see him so helpless and broken. A couple of seconds before the end of the round, Douglas delivers another powerful blow to Tyson's head and continues to attack after the gong.

Boxers start the sixth round with a mutual jab in the middle of the ring, followed by a clinch. Tyson tries to break free and strikes an elbow to the opponent's head. The referee does not react to this offense in any way.

After several attempts by Tyson to enter close range, he still manages to land a good uppercut to the head. A few seconds later, Mike repeats the same combo, but James Douglas doesn't look shocked.

In the middle of the round, Mike Tyson seemed to take aim and more often began to get the opponent with a jab. But Douglas does not even think of losing ground, he also continues to use the jab and meets Mike with a powerful uppercut at the end of the second minute of the round. Tyson ends the round with a powerful left side shot to the head, but misses and goes to his corner.

The seventh round Mike Tyson starts with a left to the body, but the punch gets stuck in defense. After the clinch, Tyson hits the left to the head, this time more successfully, but again gets stuck in the clinch. Douglas responds with a right straight to the head, after which he adds a left from the side. Tyson continues to move forward, but again and again he runs into oncoming blows. Only by the end of the second minute of the round does he still manage to make a good right to the body. Mike continues to attack the body and he manages to land a powerful right hand, but Douglas immediately responds with an oncoming right straight to the head. In just a few seconds, he carries out exactly the same blow towards, but also connects his left hand to it. Tyson responds with a right to the body and a left, side to the head. These blows clearly seemed to Buster Douglas sensitive. In one of the clinches that followed, Mike landed a low blow and was reprimanded by the referee. Douglas responds with a right straight to the head.

Ten seconds before the end of the round, Mike Tyson delivers a powerful blow to the body on the right and a left side to the head, but again the gong does not give him the opportunity to develop success.

The boxers start the eighth round with an exchange in the middle of the ring, after which Tyson manages to deliver a good left uppercut to the head. Apparently, James Douglas is starting to get tired and notably less likely to strike. Tyson, on the contrary, has become more active and holds another good left side to the head. After the clinch, Mike closes again and strikes a right straight to the head. Douglas was not at all embarrassed by this temporary success of Tyson, and he again begins to actively throw out the jab. Tyson desperately tries to deliver a decisive blow in close combat, but misses. Douglas, on the contrary, counterattacks and forces Mike to retreat to the ropes after several accurate blows to the head. James continues to attack and Tyson is forced to literally survive, pressing his back against the ropes. But here is what the fans have been waiting for throughout the fight. Mike Tyson, barely on his feet, goes to the left after hitting Douglas and fires a powerful right uppercut right into the opponent's jaw. James "Buster" Douglas falls on his back. The hall explodes with delight. Tyson showed that, despite the number of missed punches and incredible fatigue, he remains a dangerous puncher at any time of the fight.

Douglas struggles to get up at the count of nine. Octavio Meyran gives permission to continue the fight. However, Tyson does not even have time to launch an attack. The gong sounds, and the boxers go to the corners. The replay shows that the referee considered much slower than the timekeeper showed him. Their time diverged at least two seconds already at the expense of "six". After Douglas got up, the referee did not ask him if he was ready to continue the fight, nor did he ask him to raise his gloves, as required by the rules. As it turned out later, it cost Mike Tyson the victory in this fight.

Mike Tyson starts the tenth round with a desperate attempt to end the fight with a knockout. He throws powerful punches with both hands, but none of them reach the target. After a clinch in which Douglas nearly hit the referee with a right hook, Mike Tyson landed a left hook to the head and a moment later a left uppercut. Douglas not only did not lose his head, but immediately fired a counterattack. He delivers six unanswered blows to the head with both hands. Tyson responds with a powerful right cross to the head. Douglas was shaken a little again.

In the middle of the round, Mai hits Tyson with another powerful left to the head. Douglas answers him the same. Mike staggered to his feet and leaned against the ropes. James delivers four hits to the defense and again runs into Tyson's right uppercut, after which he falls on the opponent with his whole body. After recovering, he continues his series. Mike's head begins to thrash from side to side and the referee is watching the developments closely. Again, Tyson manages to get Douglas with an accurate uppercut on the right, but he, apparently, does not pay attention to them and throws all his strength into finishing off the opponent. Both boxers struggle to stay on their feet, leaning on the ropes. After the command, referee Mike Tyson moves closer, but again stumbles upon the opponent's oncoming blows, which force him to retreat to the ropes. Douglas ends the round with a deuce of hooks to Tyson's head. Mike walks to the corner unsteadily, his eye almost completely covered by a hematoma. It seems that he himself was knocked down in the eighth round.

Mike Tyson starts the tenth round with a powerful right straight to the head. Douglas responds with two right hooks to the head. Mike Tyson stops throwing punches and just walks forward with gloves on his head. James "Buster" Douglas delivers a powerful uppercut to the exact jaw. Tyson freezes in place and immediately misses four unanswered blows to the head with both hands, after which he falls in the corner. The referee opens the score. Mike Tyson fumbles around the floor looking for a mouthguard. Inserts it on the count of "seven" and tries to lean on the referee to stand up. Like "Buster" Douglas two rounds earlier, he gets up on the count of "nine", his hands are also lowered and he is also staggering. But in the case of Tyson, it is quite obvious that he cannot continue further, and there is still a minute and a half before the end of the round. The referee stops the fight. The hall roared with delight. What seemed impossible just half an hour ago has happened. Mike Tyson lost by knockout to a boxer who, according to bookmakers, was considered an outsider with a score of 42 to 1. And at the beginning of accepting bets up to 49 to 1!

After the fight, Don King stated that in reality there were two knockouts that evening, but one cancels the second. Since the referee counted slowly when James Douglas was on the floor, Mike Tyson should remain the champion. The IBF and WBA were not convinced by this line of reasoning and recognized "Buster" Douglas as the champion. WBC resisted the longest. But after the main US boxing commissions announced that they would break off relations with this organization if it did not recognize Douglas as a champion, the WBC leadership had no choice but to back down. James "Buster" Douglas - absolute champion. The boxing world was in shock. Ring magazine named this fight "Disappointment of the Year". But to tell the truth, it was the biggest disappointment in the history of boxing.

This was the first defeat of Mike Tyson in his entire professional career.

Samoylik

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