James ‘Buster’ Douglas will forever be known as the first person to give Mike Tyson’s near-perfect report card red as a professional boxer.
INDOSPORT.COM – James ‘Buster’ Douglas will forever be recognized as the first person to give Mike Tyson’s near-perfect report card red as a professional boxer.
It is impossible for boxing lovers not to know the legendary figure from the United States, Mike Tyson. Those who don’t even really admire boxing fights must have heard the name of the heavyweight champion.
The greatness and power of Mike Tyson while on his own ring is no longer in question. Already many big names he overthrew through his ‘dead’ blow.
Since making his professional debut with a victory over Hector Mercedes on March 6, 1985, Mike Tyson has recorded a total of 56 matches.
Of the total, 50 victories have been won by the boxer who was born on June 30, 1966. Remarkably, 44 of the 50 victories he won by knocked out his opponent.
For 20 years as a boxer, various championship belts have graced the waist of the man who was married three times and has seven children. Call it like the WBA, WBC, and IBF versions of the heavyweight champion belt.
With these classy and statistical barrage, it’s no wonder Mike Tyson has the nickname The Baddest Man on The Planet. In Indonesia alone, the man who has become a Muslim has the nickname Concrete Neck because of his strength.
Despite all that, Mike Tyson is still human. In his career as a boxer, he has also experienced defeat. In total there were six times Mike Tyson had to admit his opponent’s victory.
James Douglas, Tokyo Dome, and Tyson’s Misfortune
Among the opponents who have ‘tainted’ the statistics of his match results during his time as a boxer, the name James ‘Buster’ Douglas will probably never be forgotten by Mike Tyson.
Not without reason, considering James Douglas was the first person to make Mike Tyson lose and what surprised him even more was through the KO way.
The fight between James Douglas against Mike Tyson itself occurred on February 11, 1990 ago. Many stories are like an introduction to the fight.
About a month before the fight, James Douglas had to go through one of the saddest days of his life. Her beloved mother breathed her last on January 18, 1990 after battling a stroke BoxRec.
With these conditions, James is certainly too favored to win. Moreover, his opponent was Mike Tyson, who at that time had a record of 37 consecutive wins and had not lost since his debut.
That difference made many bet that the match would not last long because Mike Tyson was originally scheduled to face Evander Holyfield on June 18, 1990 (canceled), so he could save his energy.
However, who would have thought that the battle that took place at the Tokyo Dome, Japan, the place that had witnessed Mike Tyson’s victory over Tony Tubbs turned into a surprise stage for the defeat of the Concrete Neck.
When the bells for the match started, James Douglas already appeared to dominate by making aggressive attacks towards Mike Tyson’s body and head. As a result, when he entered the fifth round, Tyson’s left eye began to swell and made it difficult to see.
Even so, Mike Tyson had shown his strength through the right uppercut which caused James Douglas to fall. Unfortunately for Tyson, his opponent was able to stand on his two feet when the referee counted just nine.
Realizing that he had lost points because he had fallen, James Douglas added to the aggressiveness of his attacks. In the final seconds of the tenth round, the world was shocked after Douglas’s fist made Tyson sleep on the canvas ring for the first time.
As the referee did the count, Mike Tyson tried to gather consciousness and pick up his fallen tooth guard. When he was about to stand up, it was clear that Mike Tyson’s legs were limp and shaking like rubber.
Seeing these conditions, referee Octavio Meyran hugged Mike Tyson who almost fell again and decided the match was over for James Douglas’s victory. Mike Tyson felt the bitterness of defeat for the first time in his professional career.
After the match against Mike Tyson, James Douglas still played a number of matches. He even immediately faced Mike Tyson’s eternal rival, Evander Holyfield eight months later, even though it ended in defeat.
Before deciding to retire in 1999, James Douglas recorded 45 matches, with 37 wins, one draw and only six defeats.
Now that he is no longer active as a fighter, James Douglas is still undergoing a career not far from the world of boxing that has made his name. James Douglas is currently one of the boxing teachers at the Thompson Community Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States.
“My current condition is good and will continue to improve in the future,” Douglas said in an interview quoted from AP News.
Although now suffering from diabetes, Douglas who is now 60 years old is still active in various social activities. Not surprisingly, with these activities, Douglas is a ‘hero’ for the community where he lives.
It is not uncommon for many students and neighbors to call James Douglas a boxer who will always be better than Mike Tyson.
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