Mike Tyson defeated James ‘Buster’ Douglas in Tokyo, only to get robbed of his undefeated record and formidable aura.
The controversial video proves Tyson defeated Douglas and never should have lost their historic 1990 ‘Upset of the Century.’
Mike Tyson KO’d Buster Douglas
Tyson lost for the first time in his career as his world imploded on itself through a wild, out-of-the-ring lifestyle. But what transpired on that fateful February 11 night has a startling significance.
‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ won the fight before Douglas could pummel Mike Tyson to the canvas.
Referee Octavio Meyran gives both the challenger Douglas and the undisputed king Tyson counts well over ten.
The occurrence of Tyson dropping Douglas with a vengeance first means the champion ultimately retained his title.
Despite being one of the most famous knockouts in the sport’s history, the footage displayed undeniably proves Tyson won via an eighth-round knockout.
Controversial
Douglas got up and continued. He then blasted out Mike as he ran out of steam late on. In the process, Tyson lost his status as the number one fighter due to the controversial tenth-round stoppage.
But Meyran should never have been allowed to oversee the second count. The fight would have been over if he had done his job, and Tyson could have been celebrating in the locker room.
Douglas spoke about his victory to The Undefeated a few years ago. He said: “I knew he was a talent. But I looked at the person.
“I looked beyond that figure in the ring and had to compare myself to the individual.
“So I wasn’t really impressed with all the success he was having. I knew he was a warrior in the ring, but I looked beyond that. That helped me a lot.
“I went into the fight with a lot of confidence. I wanted to express that. Everyone was expecting a quick, 90-second knockout. But I’m well-educated in this game.
“I knew what I was doing. I knew nobody gave me this opportunity, and I had earned it.”
Life-changing
The fight’s significance is clear, and why Meyran’s incompetence on the night cannot be underestimated. He robbed Tyson of that win, and it was a potentially life-changing decision.
Tyson’s life went even further downhill, and he served time in prison, losing a prime portion of his career.
A full thirteen seconds elapsed in both the eighth and tenth rounds as Meyran floundered, something which, with regretful hindsight, altered the course of history.
Others will argue that Tyson needed that reality check to become the man he has. But staunch Tyson campaigners have never been able to accept it.
On February 12, 1990, Mike Tyson had the right to wake up at 38-0 and still the world champion. Meyran and those who failed to act in retrospect had to deal with that until their lives ended.
Watch the counts for yourself. It’s not hard to determine what the outcome was.
Tyson, speaking on The Pivot Podcast this year, is philosophical about the outcome.
“It was a release. It happened. It’s over. Now we have to deal with this adversity,” Tyson said.
“I understand fighting. I don’t take it personally. But I was an even better fighter because I wasn’t afraid to lose. I did things I’d never done before; I was undefeated.
“Fighting Buster was one of the best things to ever happen to me. I got so stressed out being the champ.
“My hair was falling out and everything. I was playing it up like I was still a hard guy but was scared to death.
“It made me human. I wasn’t an animal or a savage,” he concluded.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
