And when his victory over Tyson came up, it was no longer called the biggest upset in boxing history. "I don't drink it anymore.". He takes them home "by the case," as he puts it, and stacks them on top of the television in the den.

For those who have forgotten, James Buster Douglas is the man who beat Mike Tyson in February 1990—the only person on this planet, in fact, ever to have beaten Tyson as a professional. "Listen, baby," he says. He is standing on the bridge of his boat, gazing out toward the sea.

Buster hadn't been able to get a haircut without the barber going on about what a great guy Tyson was and what a great tipper.

But a way out of what? ESPN plans to air the documentary and send some of its personalities to participate in a celebratory gala in February. That's a line from the movie Batman. He didn't want to raise his children in Vegas, so he and Bertha decided to give Florida a look. The Stacks is Deadspin's living archive of great journalism, curated by Bronx Banter's Alex Belth.

And then, almost as quickly as he'd been thrust upon the scene, Buster disappeared. Along with Batman, Buster likes to quote from Raging Bull, the film about boxer Jake La Motta.
"I want to be an act-tore!". In July that year, he defeated Mike Lear. But in Buster's case, none filled the void the way Bertha did. And they talked about the old days until yesterday started to feel like new again. His mother was a great lady, a real presence in the home. If they made a movie about Buster Douglas's life, you wouldn't see this part: our hero slamming the phone down, cursing under his breath. Buster thinks Bette Davis is in it as well and maybe George C. Scott. It catches his clothes and whips them tight against him, and he seems to remember something.

(AP Photo/John Minchillo), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. "I'd love to see ya, but I can't be with ya. My heart, it's so big, man, it wants to just come leaping right out of my chest.". he says, pointing to his head. Buster Douglas is a Aries and was born in The Year of the Rat Life. He lost the title to Evander Holyfield that October. Up at the front of the store someone has located a Bogart fight film, The Harder They Fall. The bell rang, though, and in that instant there were only two people left in the world. For the first time I feel like you can help me. "I really don't know what I weigh. From the outset Buster controlled the fight, keeping Tyson off balance with practically every piece of action he'd ever learned in the gym.

"I coulda been a contender," Buster says. If anything, he felt average. ", The movie goes for $9.99, and even a multimillionaire like Buster can't afford to pass up such a deal. The Porsche is black except for the places on the doors where Buster had this painted, in purple script: JOKER. It was a short reign, Buster's. She says it's better than The Godfather, but I don't know if I agree. It was too early to return to Columbus and all the well-meaning friends certain to offer their condolences and to make him feel even worse, so he flew to Los Angeles with Larry Nallie and Rodney Rogers. Another was the five-acre tract of land in Columbus where Buster hopes to establish a multiuse community center for inner-city youth. He'd long dreamed about the kind of life he'd give Lula Pearl once he became champ. James “Buster” Douglas, a Columbus native, met Tyson, the reigning undisputed world heavyweight champion, in the ring in Tokyo on Feb. 11, 1990.
Frankie and Johnny, good. "A mannequin," he called one woman he had dated in the interim. The wind blows and blows. John Ed Bradley played college football for the LSU Tigers in the 1970's before becoming a reporter and novelist. Much of Las Vegas had turned its back on the bout, the odds against an upset being so high. Officials said Wednesday they hope to serve an additional 400 students with life skills coaching and mentoring services. ", Not long after he says this, the telephone rings, and Bertha calls him inside. "Buster Douglas was knocked out," King said to the group, "and the referee did not do his job and panicked. "Wait'll they get a load of me," he says again, whipping the car into traffic, laughing with his head rocked back. The young women in the business office stand up and watch him on his way. All the fishing gear is there ready to go; if the outriggers could talk, they'd tell you they're anxious to pull up a record catch.

Riddick Bowe appears on the screen, looking nifty in a double-breasted suit. 25 years ago today, Buster Douglas shocked the world and knocked out Mike Tyson, becoming the heavyweight champion of the world. King later said he simply was trying to set the stage for a rematch—a claim he made, curiously enough, in a New York City courtroom some five months into Buster's reign. It’s among several official actions that governments are taking to mark the anniversary. He flew around in a private jet. It began in Tokyo, if you have to know, before the sweat on Buster's back even had time to dry. he says to Bertha. He could hear what people were saying at ringside—he could actually hear their conversations.

"The one I want has a star-studded cast," he says. And there's one in particular, a boxing story with Humphrey Bogart, that Buster's been anxious to see for a long time. He continued to the 10th, when he himself unloaded on Tyson and knocked him flat on his back. Why hadn't anyone told him that nightmares sometimes came disguised as dreams? It has been reprinted here with the author's permission. Little Man Tate was good, and so was Mississippi Masala. "You okay, baby?" He'll get Nallie to call their contacts out there and see what he can line up.

Warm days and nights. As he was getting ready to leave, someone called his attention to a Porsche convertible.

They're the same lines Buster once gave an acquaintance who was asking too many personal questions. He drove from Ohio to Virginia, glancing back only to check for traffic in his rearview mirror. But invariably, Bertha comes in to check on him, pushing a crack in the bedroom door: "You okay, baby?" In Vegas, he stayed in a penthouse at the Mirage and watched incredulously as a man-made volcano erupted every 15 minutes or so just outside his window. Buster is starting to worry about the weather. James "Buster" Douglas attends a news conference during the Ohio Statehouse to announce the "42 to 1" initiative, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. Buster's been in that situation himself, having a woman in his room before a big light and wanting to be with her, as they say. In the weeks before he fought Tyson, Buster had been able to endure the pain of Lula's death by force of will alone, but now it struck him just how final the loss was.

“I went into the fight only to win,” Douglas said Wednesday, “never knowing it would come out to be something as spectacular as it has been over the years.”. Buster's fishing trip is in jeopardy. A hurricane right out there in the-Nevada desert would've suited Buster just fine. "But he sure never tried. Their professional relationship dated back to April 7, 1984, Buster's 24th birthday. Tyson's personal problems had beaten him, not Buster Douglas. Where are you?". Larry Nallie: the only accountant in America who drives cross-country to give out advice.". To begin, Buster now was forced to deal with the death of his mother, the person he'd cherished most in this world. The man was unhappy that Nallie was showing off somebody else's belt.

Just another... corpse! Although this fishing trip will be one of mindless recreation, it's not unusual for Nallie to get in his car and drive all the way down from Columbus to discuss financial matters with Buster. Or so people said when they could remember his name. "I want to sell you this car really bad," the salesman said. "Kind of moldy," he confessed when asked about the pricey French champagne. Yet another fine yellow noon on Marco Island, Fla., and, miracle of miracles, Buster Douglas is already out of bed. A few days after the fight Buster was only too glad to leave Las Vegas. Being born on 7 April 1960, Buster Douglas is 60 years old as of today’s date 12th October 2020. "Critics Question Champion's Desire," read a New York Times headline. The farther south they went, the warmer it got, and this suited Buster fine. He traces a finger over the list of players, disheartened to find that Bette Davis and George C. Scott aren't among them. He had the Joker's laugh down pat, and now he had the look. He can picture schools of big ones swimming in the ocean now—fish that weigh as much as he does, fish that can give him the most gratifying fight of his life. The news report is about lawyer Alan Dershowitz and his appeal to obtain a new trial for Tyson.

One afternoon he and his pals were driving through Beverly Hills and passed an exotic-car dealership.

By the time October rolled around, people outside his camp were starting to see Buster Douglas's future as well, and it wasn't as king of the heavyweight division.