In the world of sports, everyone loves an underdog story. While there are many such stories available to one’s disposal, not many match the historic moment when Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson. A massive underdog, Douglas did not only defeat Tyson, but he also put an end to one of the most terrifying winning streaks in boxing.
The bout between Tyson and Douglas took place at the Tokyo Dome on 11th February, 1990. Undefeated going into the fight, ‘Iron Mike’ was defending his WBA, WBC, and IBF titles against Douglas. Despite suffering through multiple controversies during this period, Tyson managed to keep winning. On the other hand, this was Douglas’s second opportunity at winning a title, since he lost the first one to Tony Tucker in 1987.
Just like how many people undermined Andy Ruiz’s chances vs Anthony Joshua the first time they fought, not many gave a chance to Douglas back then. Majority of the boxing fanbase expected to see a ’90 second’ annihilation by Tyson.
Ed Schuyler, a correspondent of the Associated Press was in Japan to cover the event. When customs officials asked Schuyler how long did he expect to work in Japan, the correspondent famously answered, “Oh, about 90 seconds.’ Such were the heights to which Douglas was underestimated ahead of his bout with Tyson. However, the boxer from Columbus, Ohio shocked the whole world.
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The Fight between Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas
As the fight started, it was evident that Douglas was not afraid of Mike. The challenger did well to land jabs and prevent Tyson from fighting on the inside. While Tyson did land punches to the body along with signature uppercuts, the Brooklyn-born boxer did not look like his usual self. In fact, in the fifth round of the fight, Tyson was wobbled by a right hand from ‘Buster.’
However, the tide seemed to change in Tyson’s favor as he knocked down Douglas towards the end of round eight. While Buster did survive, banking on this success, Mike Tyson started round nine aggressively, but Buster Douglas was able to fight off what Tyson threw at him. Not only did Douglas deal well with adversity, but he also triumphed over it in round ten.
In the tenth round, with swelling in his eyes, it felt as if the damage Tyson took started to get to him. But still, ‘Iron Mike’ kept moving forward until Douglas measured him with jabs and landed an uppercut that stopped Tyson in his tracks. As the champion moved back, Douglas landed four punches to the head of Tyson, which knocked him down for the first time in his career.
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After getting knocked down, Tyson fumbled to put his mouthpiece on as he tried to make his way up. Despite his attempts, referee Octavio Meyran counted the champion out, and Buster Douglas became the heavyweight champion of the world. During the post-fight interview, Douglas became emotional and tears rolled down his eyes. What do you think of this epic bout between Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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