As the Truth sees it…

James Buster Douglas looks down on Mike Tyson after knocking him down Feb. 11, 1990.

Twenty years ago this week, the impossible happened. The world of sports changed forever and I have never been able to look at them the same since.
On Feb. 11, 1990, journeyman James “Buster” Douglas knocked out the undefeated “Iron” Mike Tyson in Tokyo. To this day it still ranks as the greatest upset in sports history. It’s second in American history only to the Colonies beating back the British and just ahead of Barack Obama winning the Democratic Nomination. That is how huge it was at the time.
People see Tyson today and they forget how great of a boxer he was. Up to that point he had knocked out almost every fighter he had gone against. Many in the first round. Tyson  was considered the most intimidating person on the face of the earth.
Then came Douglas, who was considered an after thought. Just another fighter in the bum of the month club. He was supposed to just be target practice for Tyson in-between his late nights out on the town in Tokyo.
But the unthinkable happened. In the 10th round of a fight that was not supposed to last two, Douglas put Tyson on the canvas and he was counted out.
From that point on, sports was different. No longer was anything guaranteed. Despite the odds, an athlete or team could point out that if the Tyson results as proof anything is possible.
Douglas’ victory was the first in a long line of sports upset— Patriots over Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, Giants over Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, Red Sox comeback from 3-0 to beat Yankees, Appalachian State defeats Michigan in football in 2007. Even historical sporting events such as the Miracle on Ice and Joe Namath’s Super Bowl guarantee have nothing on Tyson losing.
Since losing to Douglas, Tyson has turned into a tragic figure. A stint in prison, bankruptcy, bizarre behavior, degrading of talent and the accidental death of his daughter have highlighted his life since the fight. And also started with the 10-count on that night in Tokyo.
The truly amazing part is that the fight took place on the same day Nelson Mandela was released from prison after serving 26 years for fighting apartheid in South Africa. But while I remember Mandela, for some reason, the Tyson knockout stands out in my mind more.
Who knows where he would be have the fight turned out differently. But I know the sports world would not be the same.
Michael Kinney

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 10:19 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.