On February 19th,1990, the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson collides with the challenger James “Buster” Douglas at the Tokyo Dome. “Iron” Mike is undefeated with a 37-0 record and 33 knockouts and holds the IBF, WBC, WBA, as well as the Ring Heavyweight title. Meanwhile, the 42:1 underdog, Douglas, has a 28-4-1 record and looks to pull off the upset of the century.
The fight begins, and from the start, it is clear that Douglas isn’t afraid of Tyson. He efficiently uses his super-fast jab to stop Tyson from getting inside, where he is absolutely lethal. Whenever Tyson tries to get inside, Douglas either moves away from Mike or hits him with a flurry of quick punches.
Douglas was the better boxer throughout the whole fight, and Tyson’s left eye eventually swells up due to an endless number of jabs. Then, something unexpected happens. With only 10 seconds left in the 8th round, Tyson lands a ferocious right uppercut and sends Douglas to the canvas. Nevertheless, “Buster” Douglas gets up as the referee signals nine, with the bell ending the round. In the 9th round, despite being knocked down in the previous one, Douglas completely outboxes Tyson, who’s on the verge of getting knocked out.
In the 10th round, after “Buster” lands a couple of jabs, he throws a nasty uppercut that snaps Tyson’s head back. As Tyson tries to recover, Douglas doesn’t wait to punish him and lands four punches to Mike’s head, knocking him out and giving him the first loss of his career.
In the post-fight interview, Douglas was asked how he was able to beat Mike, and “Buster” said he won because of his mother, who died 20 days before the fight.
That day, “Buster” Douglas became the new heavyweight boxing champion of the world and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in boxing and sports history.
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