James Douglas (boxer)

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Buster Douglas

Statistics
Real name James Douglas
Nickname(s) Buster
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m)
Nationality American
Birth date April 7, 1960 (1960-04-07) (age 48)
Birth place Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 46
Wins 38
Wins by KO 25
Losses 6
Draws 1
No contests 1

James "Buster" Douglas (born April 7, 1960 in Columbus, Ohio) is a former undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion who scored one of the most shocking upsets in sports history when he knocked out undefeated champion Mike Tyson on February 11, 1990 in Tokyo, Japan. At the time, Tyson was considered to be the best boxer in the world and arguably one of the most feared heavyweight champions in history due to his utter domination of the division. The Mirage Casino in Las Vegas had Tyson listed as a 42 to 1 favorite.

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[edit] Growing Up

Douglas grew up in Columbus, Ohio in the predominantly black Linden-area neighborhood, Windsor Terrace. He attended Linden McKinley High School were he played football and basketball, even leading Linden to a Class AAA state basketball championship in 1977.

[edit] Boxing career

Douglas had been fighting since the late 1970s, possessing the physical qualities needed to become a champion but lacking the motivation and determination necessary to achieve that goal. He fought the undefeated Tony Tucker in 1987 for the vacant IBF Heavyweight Championship. Douglas was leading on the scorecards until he appeared to grow tired in the later rounds before being stopped by a TKO. Many ringside observers thought Douglas had simply given up when he grew tired and the defeat damaged his reputation.

[edit] Championship fight

Almost everyone assumed that Douglas' fight versus Mike Tyson was going to be another quick knockout for the champion. Only one betting parlor in Las Vegas would hold odds for the bout, and many thought it was just an easy tune-up for Tyson before a future mega-fight with undefeated Cruiserweight Champion Evander Holyfield (who was ringside for the event).

Douglas' mother, Lula Pearl, died 23 days before the title bout.[1] Douglas surprised the world by dominating the fight from the beginning, utilizing his 12-inch reach advantage to perfection, seemingly hitting Tyson at will with powerful jabs and right hands and skillfully dancing out of range of Tyson's own punches. The champion was sluggish, refusing to move his head and slip his way in — his usual strategy — but rather setting his feet and throwing big, lunging punches. By the fifth round, Tyson's left eye was swelling shut from Douglas' many right hands, and ringside HBO announcers proclaimed it was the most punishment they had ever seen the champion absorb.

Tyson's cornermen appeared to be unprepared for the suddenly dramatic situation. They had not brought an endswell to the fight, so they were forced to put ice water into a latex glove to hold over Tyson's swelling eye. By the end of the fight, Tyson's eye had swollen almost completely shut and the cornermen would receive universal criticism. Reportedly, Tyson told his corner that he would knockout Douglas in the 8th round. On the ropes and on the verge of being knocked out himself, Tyson delivered a right uppercut, knocking Douglas down. This is when the referee held a long count. Observers have stated that Douglas was on the canvas for 14 seconds, but because the referee started the count late without checking with the ringside referee, Douglas was able to get up and eventually score the monumental upset. Energized by the knockdown, Tyson came out aggressively in the 9th round and attempted to end the fight with one big punch. Douglas continued to utilize his strategy and held Tyson at bay with his jab. As the dramatic round progressed, Tyson faded and Douglas came close to scoring a knockdown of his own before the bell sounded. In the 10th round, boxing history was made as Douglas dominated from the outset, scoring a huge uppercut, followed by a rapid combination, and knocking Tyson down for the first time in his career. Tyson struggled to his knees and picked up his mouthpiece lying on the mat next to him. He awkwardly attempted to place it place back into his mouth. The image of Tyson with the mouthpiece hanging crookedly from his lips would become an enduring image from the fight. He was unable to beat the referee's count, and Douglas was the new heavyweight champion of the world.

[edit] After the upset

Douglas would have only one title defense. On October 25, 1990 an overweight and underprepared Douglas was knocked out in the 3rd round by Evander Holyfield and decided to retire from boxing following his defeat. He did little for the next several years, living off his wealth (he received a reported $24.6 million for the Holyfield fight) and gaining weight to nearly 400 pounds. It was only after Douglas nearly died during a diabetic coma that he decided to attempt a return to the sport. He went back into training and made a comeback. He was successful at first, but he looked shaky and his comeback almost came to a screeching halt in a 1997 DQ win over journeyman Louis Monaco. In a bizarre ending, Monaco landed a right hand just after the bell to end round one that knocked Douglas to the canvas. Douglas was unable to continue after a five-minute rest period and was consequently awarded the win by disqualification (on account of Monaco's illegal punch) in a fight that was aired on USA-TV's Tuesday Night Fights program. The next year his comeback hit a wall when unheralded Lou Savarese knocked him out in the first round, and he hung up his gloves again. Six months later he came back and knocked out his next two opponents in the first round. However, he has not fought professionally since 1999.

[edit] Recent events and current status

On August 8, 2006, Douglas pleaded not guilty to a charge of allowing his brother to use his identity to apply for a motorcycle license. Douglas was formally charged with a misdemeanor count of complicity in June as the result of William Douglas III's, his 36-year-old brother, attempt to use his name and identity to obtain the license for him. William Douglas III pleaded not guilty to a falsification charge on August 8, 2006. Each charge carries a maximum of six months in jail upon conviction.

Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles investigators said on June 8 that Buster Douglas waited in a car outside a BMV office in Columbus while his brother got a license for him. A clerk challenged William Douglas' identity, BMV spokesman Fred Stratmann said after the charges were filed.[2]

According to public court filings, Douglas currently resides near the city of Johnstown in McKean Township twenty miles east of Columbus.

[edit] Film and Game

Douglas made his feature film acting debut in the Artie Knapp science fiction comedy film Pluto's Plight.

Douglas was the star of the video game James 'Buster' Douglas Knockout Boxing for the Sega Master System and Sega Genesis. (In reality, Sega took a pre-existing game, Final Blow, changed the name, and changed one of the character's names to Douglas'). This game is considered as a response to Nintendo's Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, especially since Tyson lost to Douglas, which Sega took advantage in order to promote their early Genesis does what Nintendon't advertisements.

Xela Entertainment's, Alex Moore, has gained the depiction release from James "Buster" Douglas, and will shoot a feature film of his story. Produced by Jenapher Forline with David Forline as the Co-Producer. Film to be released in 2010.

[edit] Honors

Douglas is one of the few non-students to be honored by The Ohio State University with the opportunity to dot the "i" during the performance of the Script Ohio by the The Ohio State University Marching Band.[3]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Timeline James "Buster" Douglas", The Columbus Dispatch, 2007-06-08. Retrieved on 2008-05-30. 
  2. ^ Associated Press, Douglas pleads not guilty to complicity charge, ESPN, August 1, 2006.
  3. ^ The "i"-Dot Tradition, OSU Marching and Athletic Bands Online

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Mike Tyson		 Undisputed Heavyweight Boxing Champion (WBA, WBC, IBF)
11 Feb 1990 – 25 Oct 1990		 Succeeded by
Evander Holyfield