Merchant: Tyson-Douglas, One of The Most Dramatic

By Francisco Salazar

February 11, 1990 is very meaningful to a number of people in the boxing world.

For James "Buster" Douglas, it was the day David slayed Goliath.

Douglas was David and he used more than a slingshot and a rock to defeat Mike Tyson. Douglas used an effective game plan and a vicious right uppercut to knock out the "baddest man on the planet" in the 10th round. He did so after having been dropped in the eighth round.

For me, this fight made become the hardcore boxing fan I am today. And I almost did not watch the fight.

Like any Mexican family, my parents worked hard to provide for me and my older sisters. My Dad worked in the agricultural fields of the Oxnard (Calif.) Plain while my Mom cleaned houses in the area. My family had enough disposable income to pay for cable, but I was able to do enough odd jobs in the neighborhood (mow lawns, work with my Dad) to make getting HBO happen.

I, along with one of my sisters, convinced my parents to get HBO a month before the fight. I had never seen a Mike Tyson fight live (I had only seen photo stills and news highlights), so I was very excited.

The 30,000 or so fight fans inside the Tokyo Dome in Japan's largest city saw the fight live on February 11 (a Sunday), while fight fans in the United States saw the fight on February 10 (a Saturday night).

I had gone to work with my Dad in the fields that Saturday and the only thing on my mind while I helped my Dad dig ditches or turn on and shut off water mains was the fight. At around 4:30 p.m., I reminded my Dad about the fight and it was something we should miss. He agreed we would be on our way home within the hour.

Did I give Douglas a shot? No. He was a legit contender with a few good wins (Trevor Berbick and Oliver McCall) on his resume. But I was watching Mike Tyson. 'Iron' Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson was to fight fans in the late 1980's what Gennady Golovkin is now.

Like most fight fans, I could not believe my eyes when I saw Douglas land repeated hard and meaningful power punches and combinations early on and into the middle rounds. My Dad kept saying Tyson was tiring, but he hit pay dirt when he landed that uppercut in the eighth round. Luckily, the bell sounded to end the round, saving Douglas from a Tyson onslaught.

Two rounds later came the unthinkable. The 42 to 1 underdog Douglas hurt Tyson with that vicious uppercut, following up with three more punches before Tyson was dropped to the canvas. The shock of seeing Tyson off his feet and struggling to get up turned into disbelief when I saw referee Octavio Meyran count Tyson out and grab onto him.

After Tyson had mowed defeated 37 opponents, it was surreal to see Tyson become mortal after having tasted defeat.

"Ahora fue el dia que le toco a Tyson de perder (Today was the day it was Tyson's turn to lose)," was what my Dad said as he went to his bedroom to get out of his work clothes to eventually take a shower.

While my Dad said that, I could not help but think about what Larry Merchant had said before and after the fight. Before the fight, Merchant quoted Douglas saying that he was going to shock the world and defeat Tyson. Could Merchant have foreshadowed what transpired that evening?

After the fight, Merchant gave his famous take. "This makes Cinderella look like a sad story."

Even 25 years later, Merchant recalls what happened that night as if it happened yesterday.

"I assumed Tyson was going to win," Merchant told BoxingScene.com over the phone on Monday evening. "Tyson had fought there two years prior against Tony Tubbs. The fight against Douglas was supposed to be a tune-up before Tyson was to fight Evander Holyfield in the fall."

"Tyson had always prided himself by saying 'Everyone has a plan until they get hit.' Nobody thought about Douglas, but he executed his plan perfectively. He gave a once in a lifetime performance that was galvanized and spurred by the loss of his mother about three before the fight."

Those words are simple, but had a powerful impact. Douglas' mother had passed three weeks before the fight, his wife had left him, and the mother of his child was diagnosed with leukemia.

Douglas had every reason to not give Tyson his full attention. But on that night, Douglas fought the fight of his life and wound up victorious. That night was also memorable for Merchant, as he also celebrated his birthday.

Merchant turns 84 today (February 11).

"I have seen a lot of great fights. I have been lucky to have seen some of the best fights. But the Tyson-Douglas bout, along with the second Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston fight, are two of the most dramatic fights I've ever seen. The Tyson-Douglas fight though is the most memorable birthday."

While February 11 is memorable for Merchant in more ways than one, the Tyson-Douglas meant everything to me. As a 13-year-old kid, the fight made me a diehard boxing fan. As I am now in my 15th year of covering boxing, I can trace back to that night when I saw history being made.

Will boxing fans see something that could emulate or surpass what happened on February 11? I don't know. But I sure can't wait to find out.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Salazar also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing