He never retired, he simply stopped fighting. He was easy pickings for Evander Holyfield, who today reigns as world champion.ĭouglas didn't compete for six years after the loss to Holyfield in Las Vegas. He weighed 231 that night, and was a sharp, devastating fighter for 10 rounds against Tyson, who entered the fight unbeaten and a 42-to-1 favorite to keep his title.Įight months later, Douglas weighed 246. Still, you can't blame Douglas for wanting to reunite with the man who was his opponent the night that put him in the history books. He could be freed after six months for good behavior, but a Tyson-Douglas fight? It was talked about before Tyson's incarceration, but now it seems more like Buster‘s fantasy. Tyson was sent to jail for a year this month for his assault of two motorists. 'Yeah, but they're talking about releasing him in a couple months, maybe, and allowing him to fight again,” Douglas replied. You do know Tyson is back in jail, don't you? It would draw some attention and catapult me to bigger and better things like a world title shot.” 'I think that would be an attractive fight. 'At this point, the only thing left for me is a fight with Tyson,” Douglas said. He turns 39 in April, and here he was fighting in Burlington. For the 258-pound Douglas, the effort was a baby step toward what he hopes is a return to fame and riches. Unperturbed, Douglas put on his ruby-red robe, left the debris behind, and returned to his cubbyhole of a dressing room in one of Memorial Auditorium's catacombs.įor Crowder, the first-round KO loss matched his performances over the years against Andrew Golota, Tyrell Biggs and James 'Bonecrusher” Smith. Another spectator threw in a box of popcorn. Someone in the balcony lobbed a cup full of beer into the ring, and the horizontal Crowder got wet. The fans, who wanted to see a former world champ work for at least a few rounds, jeered. Douglas nailed Crowder with a left hook that broke his nose, and the bout was stopped 61 seconds after it started. If you weren't present, you didn't see it. It wasn't on pay-per-view or HBO or ESPN. Add your contacts.īURLINGTON - On a February night in 1990, journeyman James 'Buster” Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson in Tokyo to become boxing's world heavyweight champion.įriday night in a humble arena on the west bank of the Mississippi River, Douglas knocked out a tomato can named Andre Crowder in front of a sellout crowd of 1,500. But this was a fun and engaging documentary about a situation I didn't know much about.You will begin to receive our Daily Sports updates. Not necessarily the man himself, but perhaps people involved in training him, to hear if they were taking it for granted as much as the implication was. It would, perhaps, have been nice to hear a little more from Tyson's side. Then the highlights of the fight including the controversial 8th round knockdown that might, in other circumstances have given a win to Tyson there - but inspired by the recent passing of his mother, Douglas rallied and knocked Tyson down in the final round. News footage from the time shows how little the world thought of Douglas' chances in the ring, with many figuring the fight would not last beyond the first round. It talked long about his life prior to this particular bout, including his dad, who was also a prizefighter and his earlier career in which his heart for life in the ring was questioned. This was a pretty solid documentary, with plenty of interviews from Douglas and his family. Holyfield the fight, which took place in the Tokyo Dome, Japan is one of sports biggest ever upsets. Seen as little more than a speedbump on the route to Tyson vs. In February of 1990, the boxer James 'Buster' Douglas upset dramatic odds, as high as 42 to 1, to defeat the undisputed and then undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, 'Iron' Mike Tyson. Over on Disney Plus, this episode of 30 for 30 appears as a stand-alone documentary, one that I watched given that it's near the top alphabetically, as the new "Star" channel has added so much new content.
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