20 years ago today

• 2quik4u

  

  *sheads tear*
  
  Buster Douglas KO's Mike Tyson
  
  
  
  http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4903834
• darbypitcher22

  

  Shocked the World
• RedRider1

  

  Remember the WWF was advertising Tyson being the special guest ref like a week later for a televised event in Detroit? They ended up replacing him with Douglass because, in Douglas' words..."they advertised the World Heavyweight Champion...and that's me, not Mike Tyson."
  
  Wonder how much they had to pay Douglas at the last minute.
  
  Always remember that for some reason....
• Darkon

  

  Things went down hill for both after that fight.
• Al Capone

  Darkon wrote: Things went down hill for both after that fight.

  I agree. Boxing as a whole also went down hill.
• Fab1b

  

  James Buster Douglas = Greatest Heavyweight Champ of all time
• GoChiefs

  

  Damn..doesn't seem like it was quite that long ago! I feel old.
• Swamp Fox

  If Mike Tyson was ever the best thing for boxing, then boxing was in a lot more trouble than I imagined.
• Zoltan

  I have always thought Tyson was overrated and this fight was when everyone found out. Very easy to say in hindsight, but who did he ever beat that was good?
• 2quik4u

  

  Swamp Fox wrote: If Mike Tyson was ever the best thing for boxing, then boxing was in a lot more trouble than I imagined.

  You are looking at everything that Tyson did after he lost to Douglas. It was the best thing for boxing. He became a heavyweight champion at the age of 20!!!. Then he went on to become the undisputed heavyweight champ.
• Little Danny

  

  If you are under the age of 25, I can understand questioning how great Tyson once was. If you were to ever see his early fights, the man was a machine. They show them now and again on ESPN classic. Mike was so trim, so technically sound and had tremendous power. Prior to this fight most of America thought the man was unbeatable.
  
  I would say the events that turned the table for Mike was the death of his long-time mentor, Cus D'Amato and eventual firing of his trainer, Kevin Rooney. He was never the same after that, in and out of the ring.
• 2quik4u

  

  btw fuck Robin Givens, for making that shit up
• Darkon

  

  Little Danny wrote: If you are under the age of 25, I can understand questioning how great Tyson once was. If you were to ever see his early fights, the man was a machine. They show them now and again on ESPN classic. Mike was so trim, so technically sound and had tremendous power. Prior to this fight most of America thought the man was unbeatable.
  
  I would say the events that turned the table for Mike was the death of his long-time mentor, Cus D'Amato and eventual firing of his trainer, Kevin Rooney. He was never the same after that, in and out of the ring.

  Well put. I also think that Don King didn't help Tyson once he got involved.
• mallymal614

  614 stand up!
• Zoltan

  Little Danny wrote: If you are under the age of 25, I can understand questioning how great Tyson once was. If you were to ever see his early fights, the man was a machine. They show them now and again on ESPN classic. Mike was so trim, so technically sound and had tremendous power. Prior to this fight most of America thought the man was unbeatable.
  
  I would say the events that turned the table for Mike was the death of his long-time mentor, Cus D'Amato and eventual firing of his trainer, Kevin Rooney. He was never the same after that, in and out of the ring.

  I watch his old fights whenever I see them on and he certainly was powerful and fast. I still think he was always going to lose to a technical fighter with a longer reach. I think Lennox Lewis in his prime takes Tyson in his prime everytime. If he was fighting in a 205 pound division its a different story.
• Little Danny

  

  Zoltan wrote:

  Little Danny wrote: If you are under the age of 25, I can understand questioning how great Tyson once was. If you were to ever see his early fights, the man was a machine. They show them now and again on ESPN classic. Mike was so trim, so technically sound and had tremendous power. Prior to this fight most of America thought the man was unbeatable.
  
  I would say the events that turned the table for Mike was the death of his long-time mentor, Cus D'Amato and eventual firing of his trainer, Kevin Rooney. He was never the same after that, in and out of the ring.

  I watch his old fights whenever I see them on and he certainly was powerful and fast. I still think he was always going to lose to a technical fighter with a longer reach. I think Lennox Lewis in his prime takes Tyson in his prime everytime. If he was fighting in a 205 pound division its a different story.

  I agree with you about the taller boxer with technical skills, but am not certain Lewis takes Tyson in his prime everytime. Lewis certainly would/could beat Tyson in his prime; however, Lewis proved to have a weak chin. Tyson in his prime was much quicker, more elusive and would have put himself in better position to land the knock out blow.
  Keep in mind, Tyson did fight some tall fighters in his prime and was very successful (ie. Frank Bruno, Trevor Burbick).
  
  Now, I do think tall fighters like Mohammed Ali and George Foreman in their primes would have worked Tyson over.
• Zoltan

  Little Danny wrote:

  Zoltan wrote:

  Little Danny wrote: If you are under the age of 25, I can understand questioning how great Tyson once was. If you were to ever see his early fights, the man was a machine. They show them now and again on ESPN classic. Mike was so trim, so technically sound and had tremendous power. Prior to this fight most of America thought the man was unbeatable.
  
  I would say the events that turned the table for Mike was the death of his long-time mentor, Cus D'Amato and eventual firing of his trainer, Kevin Rooney. He was never the same after that, in and out of the ring.

  I watch his old fights whenever I see them on and he certainly was powerful and fast. I still think he was always going to lose to a technical fighter with a longer reach. I think Lennox Lewis in his prime takes Tyson in his prime everytime. If he was fighting in a 205 pound division its a different story.

  I agree with you about the taller boxer with technical skills, but am not certain Lewis takes Tyson in his prime everytime. Lewis certainly would/could beat Tyson in his prime; however, Lewis proved to have a weak chin. Tyson in his prime was much quicker, more elusive and would have put himself in better position to land the knock out blow.
  Keep in mind, Tyson did fight some tall fighters in his prime and was very successful (ie. Frank Bruno, Trevor Burbick).
  
  Now, I do think tall fighters like Mohammed Ali and George Foreman in their primes would have worked Tyson over.

  Agreed, I realized after I typed it I should not have said everytime. Tyson's knockout power always gives him a "punchers chance," and Lennox could have been caught for sure. I just think he generally faced weak competition, which is not his fault at all.
• Zoltan

  ccrunner609 wrote: Every single fighter he ever fouht had a longer reach them him........so much for that idea.

  But most of them sucked.
  
  That's why we said "technical" fighter with longer reach, such Ali, Foreman, Lennox Lewis. i think Holyfield would could have beaten him too. He knocked out alot of cans who were afraid of him.
• Darkon

  

  Holyfield would have been in the second row if he fought Tyson in is prime.
  Never considered Foreman a technical fighter. He used power.
  I believe Tyson knocks Lewis out with in 3 rounds.
  Ali would slip and duck Tyson and wear him out.
• Little Danny

  

  Watch this video. This is Mike Tyson v. WBC Heavyweight Champ Trevor Berbick. Berbick was 6'2 1/2 and weighed 218 pounds. Tyson destroys him
  
  
• Chesapeake

  

  Buster's manager at that time "Johnny Johnson" opened a pizza shop under our apartment in Huntington, WV back in 2000-2001 and had all kinds of stuff on the walls of the pizza shop including gold pants pendants or something the coaches got when Ohio State would beat Michigan back in the day. He was a graduate assistant under Woody Hayes.
• Gardens35

  Not quite 20 years ago...
  
  
  
  "I guess I'm gonna fade into Bolivian."
• wes_mantooth

  

  Great memories of this fight. This was the only fight that I could ever talk my parents into paying to watch. It really was a great effort by Buster.
• BRF

  

  I loved it when Buster beat him.
  
  I disagree about Tyson's greatness because he wasn't that big and I would love to see him be back in the Golden Days of boxing with Frazier, Ali, Foreman and even Norton to see how he would have fared.
• bcubed

  

  Little Danny wrote: If you are under the age of 25, I can understand questioning how great Tyson once was. If you were to ever see his early fights, the man was a machine. They show them now and again on ESPN classic. Mike was so trim, so technically sound and had tremendous power. Prior to this fight most of America thought the man was unbeatable.
  
  I would say the events that turned the table for Mike was the death of his long-time mentor, Cus D'Amato and eventual firing of his trainer, Kevin Rooney. He was never the same after that, in and out of the ring.

  Little Danny you are right about the early days of Tyson and about the start down the slope of his career! D'Amato's death and Rooney's firing changed the rest of this young man's life. Tyson has always had mental issues but D'Amato and Rooney treated him like a son and took care of him (making sure he took his medication and what not)!