Buster Douglas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buster Douglas |
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Douglas in 2020
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| Statistics | |
| Real name | James Douglas |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 3+1/2 in |
| Reach | 83 in |
| Born | April 7, 1960 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) is an American former professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 1981 to 1999. He became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1990. This happened after he beat Mike Tyson in a fight that many call one of the biggest surprises in sports history.
Most people thought Douglas would lose to Tyson. Tyson was undefeated and seen as the best boxer in the world. But Douglas won the fight by knockout in the 10th round. He won the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles. He was the world heavyweight champion for eight months. Then, he lost his title to Evander Holyfield. Douglas stopped boxing after that loss. He returned to the sport in 1996 and retired for good in 1999.
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Buster Douglas's Early Life
James Douglas grew up in Columbus, Ohio. His father, William "Dynamite" Douglas, was also a professional boxer. His father ran a gym and introduced young James to boxing.
Douglas went to Linden McKinley High School. He was good at football and basketball there. In 1977, he helped his high school team win a state basketball championship. After high school, Douglas played college basketball. He played for Coffeyville Community College and Sinclair Community College. He also attended Mercyhurst University on a basketball scholarship. Later, he moved back to Columbus to focus on boxing.
Buster Douglas's Boxing Career
Douglas had his first professional fight on May 31, 1981. He won against Dan O'Malley. He won his first five fights. Then, he faced David Bey and lost by knockout in the second round. After winning six more fights, Douglas had a draw with Steffen Tangstad in 1982.
Douglas continued to fight and win against many boxers. In 1983, he was winning a fight against Mike White. But White knocked him out in the ninth round. On November 9, 1984, Douglas fought Randall "Tex" Cobb. He won by a majority decision. The next year, he fought Jesse Ferguson. In 1986, he beat former champion Greg Page. These wins led to a chance to fight for the International Boxing Federation championship. He fought Tony Tucker for the title. Douglas started well but got tired. He lost by technical knockout in the tenth round.
After losing to Tucker, James Douglas and his father had disagreements. James then chose a new team, including a new trainer. This helped him win his next four fights. In 1989, Douglas finally fought Trevor Berbick and won. He then beat Oliver McCall. This win earned him a shot at Mike Tyson for the undisputed heavyweight championship. Tyson was the champion after beating Michael Spinks in 1988.
Becoming Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
The fight against Mike Tyson was on February 11, 1990, in Tokyo. Almost everyone thought Tyson would win easily. No one had taken Tyson past the fifth round since 1987. Many saw this fight as a warm-up for Tyson. They thought he would fight Evander Holyfield next. Only one casino in Las Vegas even took bets on the fight. They made Douglas a huge underdog, with 42-to-1 odds against him.
Douglas's mother passed away 23 days before the fight. Douglas had promised her he would beat Tyson. Douglas trained very hard. He surprised everyone by controlling the fight from the start. He used his longer reach to hit Tyson with jabs and right hands. He also moved away from Tyson's punches. Tyson had not taken Douglas seriously. He expected an easy win. Tyson was slow and did not move his head as usual. He tried to knock Douglas out with one big punch.
By the fifth round, Tyson's left eye was swelling shut. This was from Douglas's many punches. Commentators said it was the most damage they had ever seen Tyson take. Tyson's corner team seemed unprepared. They did not have the right tools for his swollen eye. They had to use a latex glove filled with cold water.
In the eighth round, Tyson knocked Douglas down. The referee's count caused some debate. Douglas was on his feet when the referee reached nine. But the official timekeeper was two seconds ahead. Both fighters received long counts in the fight.
Tyson came out strong in the ninth round. He kept trying to end the fight with one big punch. Both boxers traded punches. Douglas landed a combination that made Tyson stumble. Douglas then attacked fiercely, but Tyson somehow survived the round.
In the tenth round, Douglas's punches finally wore Tyson down. Douglas hit Tyson with a big uppercut. Then, he landed a quick four-punch combination to Tyson's head. This knocked Tyson down for the first time in his career. Tyson struggled to his knees. He tried to put his mouthpiece back in his mouth. But he could not beat the referee's ten-count. Buster Douglas became the new world heavyweight champion.
Douglas later said, "I thought Tyson was getting up until I had seen him looking for that mouth piece and then I knew that he was really hurt." He added, "So anytime you know you only got ten seconds to get up so you aren’t going to worry about anything but just getting up first. So when I had seen him looking around for that mouth piece I knew he was really hurt.”
Douglas's happiness turned to confusion after the fight. Tyson and his promoter, Don King, protested the referee's count. Douglas later said this protest ruined what should have been the best time of his life.
Losing the Title
The IBF quickly recognized Douglas as champion. But the WBA and WBC at first did not, because of Tyson's protest. However, Tyson withdrew his protest a few days later. This was due to public demand and requests from boxing groups. Douglas was then officially recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Douglas was offered a lot of money for a rematch with Tyson. But he decided to fight Evander Holyfield instead. Holyfield was the top challenger. Douglas weighed 246 pounds for the fight on October 25, 1990. This was 15 pounds heavier than he was for the Tyson match.
Douglas started the fight slowly. Holyfield controlled the first two rounds. In the third round, Douglas tried to hit Holyfield with an uppercut. Holyfield avoided it and knocked Douglas down with a straight right punch. Douglas lay on his back, unable to get up. The referee, Mills Lane, stopped the fight. Douglas retired from boxing after this loss.
Later Career and Comeback
Douglas earned a lot of money from the Holyfield fight. For several years, he did not do much and gained a lot of weight. He reached almost 400 pounds. He nearly died from a diabetic coma. After this, he decided to try boxing again. He trained and made a comeback. He won six fights in a row.
In 1997, he had a strange fight with Louis Monaco. Monaco hit Douglas after the bell ending the first round. Douglas could not continue. He was given the win because Monaco's punch was illegal. Douglas had two more fights, winning both. He retired in 1999 with a record of 38 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw.
Buster Douglas in Media
Douglas appeared on the TV show Street Justice. He also acted in the science fiction comedy film Pluto's Plight.
A 1988 arcade game, Final Blow, was released as James 'Buster' Douglas Knockout Boxing in 1990. This game replaced one of the characters with Douglas. It was seen as a response to Nintendo's Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. Sega used Douglas in their "Genesis does what Nintendon't" ads.
In 1995, HBO aired Tyson, a TV movie about Mike Tyson's life. Actor Duane Davis played Douglas.
On February 23, 1990, Douglas was a special guest referee for a wrestling match. It was on WWF's The Main Event III. Hulk Hogan and "Macho King" Randy Savage were fighting. Mike Tyson was supposed to be the referee. But this changed after Douglas beat Tyson two weeks earlier.
The band The Killers wrote a song called "Tyson vs Douglas." It is on their album Wonderful Wonderful. The singer, Brandon Flowers, watched Tyson lose as a child. He used this memory for a song about his family.
Personal Life
Douglas married Bertha M. Paige on July 2, 1987. They filed for divorce in 1990 but later got back together. As of 2015, they were still married and raising four sons. They live about 25 miles from Columbus, Ohio. Douglas has helped his hometown. He donated money to the Police Athletic League. He also started his own charity. As of 2020, Douglas coaches youth boxing in Columbus. Douglas said in 2015 that he and Tyson have only met once since their fight. He said Tyson was "still kind of short (with me)."
Honors
Douglas has received special honors. Ohio State University honored him by letting him "dot the i" during their marching band's performance. Douglas was put into the Columbus Hall of Fame in 1991. He was also inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame in 2024.
Titles in Boxing
Major World Titles
- NBA (WBA) heavyweight champion
- WBC heavyweight champion
- IBF heavyweight champion
Undisputed Titles
- Undisputed heavyweight champion
See also
In Spanish: James Douglas (boxeador) para niños
- List of heavyweight boxing champions
- List of undisputed boxing champions
