How Donald Trump Found Inspiration From the Most Iconic Mike Tyson Fight

Former President of the United States of America Donald Trump once saw a boxing match in Tokyo back in 1990. Reportedly, he picked up something from the fight that became the slogan for his campaign, which resonated with the masses and won him the elections.

Apparently, Donald Trump was sitting beside promoter Don King, witnessing the historic boxing fight between Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas in 1990. The fight took place in the capital of Japan, Tokyo. Notably, Buster Douglas’ red hat at the time gained much fame following his victory over Tyson. The red cap had five words, ‘ONLY MY BEST JAMES DOUGLAS’ written on it.

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Surprisingly, during Trump’s presidential campaign, hats with the same color and same font, had the words ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’ written on it. According to Darren Rovell, it is quite possible that the former president got the idea of the hat from the 1990 bout. 

Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas: The biggest upset in boxing history 

Mike Tyson single-handedly reigned the boxing world in the 1990s. The Baddest Man on the Planet was known for his rageful attitude and brutal knockouts. He was the undisputed heavyweight at the time and held the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles. Although he was a controversial figure, his boxing prowess made him the best and the most popular boxer of that era. 

Before his fight with Buster Douglas on February 11th, 1990, Iron Mike had a spectacular, unbeatable record of 37-0. And Tyson had floored Carl Williams in the previous fight through a 93-second knockout. Although Douglas was considerably taller than the champ, Tyson had already proved that he could knockout tall opponents with utter ease. 

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Hence, Tyson was the favorite going into the fight, and nobody had expected that he would lose the bout. However, after a flurry of punches, Douglas knocked down the superstar in the 10th round. Tyson gathered himself to get up and put his mouthpiece in place. He tried to come back to his feet, but to no avail. Eventually, the referee counted him out, announcing Douglas as the winner. 

To date, it is considered the biggest upset of that era as fans witnessed the downfall of the then-deemed unbeatable Tyson.