One of the more unsettling things I’ve ever watched on television is a replay of the greatest upset in boxing history.
The 1990 fight between James “Buster” Douglas and “Iron” Mike Tyson was billed as “Tyson Is Back!” There was no need to give the opponent the dignity of actually contending with Tyson. In front of 40,000 people at the Tokyo Dome was the undefeated and undisputed world heavyweight champion, who held the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles with a 37–0 record, including 33 knockouts. Douglas was 29–4–1. He had lost his big up-and-coming fight, against Tony Tucker, in 1986. But he put together a string of impressive wins against Trevor Berbick and Oliver McCall. This earned him a shot as Tyson’s “tune-up” fight. The fight everyone was waiting for. Heavyweight legend Evander Holyfield was there, already under contract to face Tyson in a fight that would make both of them fabulously wealthy. The contract, however, stipulated that Tyson remain undefeated.
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