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It's 26-years since "Boxing's Biggest Upset"

After 37 wins (33 inside the distance), "Iron" Mike Tyson finally lost a fight on February 11th, ...



It's 26-years since "B...
Golf

It's 26-years since "Boxing's Biggest Upset"

After 37 wins (33 inside the distance), "Iron" Mike Tyson finally lost a fight on February 11th, 1990.

In what remains one of the biggest upsets in the history of boxing, Tyson lost in the tenth round to the unheralded James "Buster" Douglas. Such was the supposed inevitability of the fight, it did not even take place in Las Vegas or New York but in the unfashionable surrounds of Tokyo, Japan.

Douglas was the 42/1 outsider ahead of the fight and Tyson was at unbackable odds. Tyson's previous six wins happened in a combined 19 rounds.

Last year, Off the Ball spoke to Ron Borges from the Boston Globe about the fight. Borges was only six American journalists travelled to Japan to cover the expected one-sided contest. 

"No one thought there was really much of a chance that Buster Douglas was going to win the fight," said Borges."No one expected what was going to happen, probably not even Buster Douglas."  

Borges added that he despite what Tyson claims about preparation, he was physically ready to defend his World titles. "Clearly, mentally he was wasn't there and he was without his trainer Kevin Rooney. They had split and he had very inexperienced people in his corner and basically doing what he wanted, when he wanted - training enough to be fit but not training enough to be under assault, which was what happened that night".

It's 26-years since "Boxing's Biggest Upset"

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