32 Years After the Buster Douglas Fight, Mike Tyson Makes a Confession

The entire sporting community became numb after Mike Tyson suffered his maiden professional defeat against James ‘Buster’ Douglas in 1990. It was hard to digest for many people that Douglas had actually knocked out Tyson in what became one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing’s history.

Putting a quell on Tyson’s dominant run, Douglas became a world champion. However, he felt Tyson’s power in the fight and was planted clean on the canvas. While Douglas could make the rise and KO Tyson, ‘Iron Mike’ has previously complained about Douglas getting a long count.

32-years after the fight, Mike Tyson connected with The Club Shay Shay and gave his true opinion on the Douglas defeat.

He said, “He [James Douglas] was the better fighter that night. I can’t take nothing from him. I trained hard really, I could have trained harder. But he really fought a hell of a fight.”

“He catapulted me to this even mythological level. I became a bigger figure after he beat me.”

Tyson had entered the ring with an unbeaten 37-0 record. Douglas was clearly the underdog, with a couple of defeats on his record. However, the stacked Tokyo Dome stadium remained in awe, as Douglas arguably earned the biggest victory of his professional career.

Well, Douglas later lost his belts to Evander Holyfield, who later became another arch-nemesis in Tyson’s pro-boxing ride. While Tyson boasts 6 losses in his career, the one against Douglas seemingly remains the most unexpected one.

Mike Tyson after the Buster Douglas loss

After the loss against Buster Douglas, Tyson reclaimed his invincible aura. He remained unbeaten for the next few years but lost to Evander Holyfield in a mega-clash in 1996. The rematch between Tyson and Holyfield became even bigger.

However, in 1997, Tyson was disqualified after he bit off a piece of Holyfield’s ear. Tyson lost his undefeated charm by the end of his career and fell prey in-ring several times. But Douglas could vanquish a prime Mike Tyson, and that is something worth relishing.

Do you think Buster Douglas was lucky or did he rightly earn the win? Let us know in the comments below.

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