One of the most memorable sports events in my lifetime occurred on this day 36 years ago.
I was not watching it, because it was on HBO. My family did not have cable, and it was a school night anyway. So I had gone to bed.
However, it is difficult to forget just how stunning it was to learn about how some unknown heavyweight boxer by the name of James "Buster" Douglas (Who?) had somehow knocked out the invincible "Iron" Mike Tyson.
My mom would watch ABC News for New York early in the morning. I remember hearing (had I heard right?) that Mike Tyson had gotten beaten. Had gotten knocked out. Sports reporter Scott Clark mentioned the protest by the Tyson camp. But then he said these stunning words while smiling:
"Mike Tyson just got beat up."
Wow.
To understand how shocking it was, you really have to have been there at that time. Younger people just cannot appreciate how intimidating and unbeatable Mike Tyson seemed at the time. He would dispatch with top ranked opponents in seconds, often as not before the bell ended the first round. Nobody could stand up to him.
Or so it seemed.
Even after Tyson lost, there was a sense that it must have been some kind of a fluke. Surely, Tyson and Douglas would have a rematch, and then Tyson would likely knock him out quickly and easily to restore order to the boxing world.
Only, there never actually was a rematch.
Which means that Tyson-Douglas was a one-time thing in every sense. Nobody gave Douglas a chance. There were 42-1 odds in Vegas. That was how few people thought Douglas could even be remotely competitive against Tyson.
It was historic, alright. Unforgettable, too.
Within a few weeks, or maybe months, they allowed regular television viewers without cable to see the whole fight. That was when I saw it for myself for the first time. It still felt surreal, like something which could not possibly have happened, yet did.
At the time, I was admittedly happy. I know a little bit better now, because Tyson was hardly the unfeeling machine or monster whom he seemed to be at the time. But back then, Tyson seemed machine-like in his efficiency, and how he dispatched so quickly and brutally and easily with his opponents, one after the other. It seemed like no one could touch him, let alone hurt him or challenge him for the title. He owned all of the belts and, being surrounded with people like Don King, seemed a part of the system, if you will. Inhuman, almost. Everything about him was designed to intimidate, and it was very effective. It was inconceivable that some unknown boxer could become a real life "Rocky" and pull off such an unbelievable upset.
Again, now I know better. He is just a man, capable of making mistakes. At the time, it seemed he would not, even could not make any mistakes in the ring. His career seemed like big business, and surely it would be run like a big business. Success felt inevitable. Then, he showed that he is only human by losing, mostly seemingly due to overconfidence. Tyson fell, both the man and the myth. In retrospect, it was inevitable. At the time, however, it seemed impossible when it actually happened.
A few months later, I actually saw Mike Tyson in person. Admittedly, he was not the one I was trying to see. The big fight happened on the same day that Nelson Mandela was released from prison. A few months later, in June, Mandela came to New York City. I went to see him, and only caught a glimpse of him. But I saw Winnie Mandela much more closely. And, to my surprise, I saw both Don King and Mike Tyson walking. At one point, Tyson was maybe five feet away from me.
I know, I know. If I don't have a picture as proof, it didn't happen.
But it did. I know it, remember it well. It felt so strange to see someone so famous not only in person, but so close. Wearing the business suit. I'll never forget it.
No bigger upset in major sports history had occurred before, and none has occurred since.
And that fight took place on this day back in 1990.
Buster Douglas says ‘belief’ led him to stunning upset of Mike Tyson by Rusty Miller, Originally published February 11, 2015:
22 am Former champion James “Buster” Douglas, who knocked out Mike Tyson 25 years ago, poses in Columbus, Ohio. (Paul Vernon/AP) Former champion James “Buster” Douglas, who knocked out Mike Tyson 25 years ago, poses in Columbus, Ohio. (Paul Vernon/AP) Former champion James “Buster” Douglas, who knocked out Mike Tyson 25 years ago, poses in Columbus, Ohio. (Paul Vernon/AP) On Feb. 11, 1990, heavyweight Buster Douglas pulled off one of the biggest upsets in sports when he knocked out Mike Tyson in Tokyo. Share story By RUSTY MILLER The Associated Press RUSTY MILLER
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/other-sports/buster-douglas-says-belief-led-him-to-stunning-upset-of-mike-tyson/
Buster Douglas says ‘belief’ led him to stunning upset of Mike Tyson | The Seattle Times
https://www.savannahnow.com/story/sports/2015/02/10/buster-douglas-recalls-stunning-upset-tyson/13597121007/
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