By CompuBox, celebrating 25-Years of Punch Stats and still counting.

February 11, 1990 – Douglas KO 10 Tyson – The Silence Was Deafening

When the fight between undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and James “Buster” Douglas was announced, the sports world reacted with a yawn.

“Just another beatdown for ‘Iron Mike,’” we all said. “Can’t anyone give this guy a competitive fight? There’s no way that Douglas is ‘the guy,’ and we can think of much better ways to spend a Saturday night than watching another Godzilla movie.”

Douglas was considered a 42-to-1 underdog, at least according to the sportsbooks that were taking action on the fight – and most of them weren’t. “We’re flying all the way to Japan for what, two or three rounds?” we thought to ourselves. “Douglas is sure to wilt under Tyson’s pressure a lot sooner than he did against Tony Tucker three years earlier.”

We had reason to think that. Fighting for the IBF title stripped from Michael Spinks, in a fight that was dead even on the judges’ cards through nine rounds, Douglas quit on his feet after getting stung by Tucker along the ropes in the 10th. What few people knew was that a far different Douglas was making the trip to Japan. He was a man on a mission, for he dedicated his fight to his recently deceased mother. He vowed to bring the heavyweight title home to Columbus, Ohio. When Tyson heard of Douglas’ promise, Tyson replied with a classic line.

“Everyone has a game plan,” he said. “Until they get hit.”

Douglas had the physical tools to trouble Tyson. At 6-3 ½ he towered over the 5-11 Tyson and his 83-inch reach was a full foot longer. He fought in the classic boxer-puncher style in that he worked behind the jab, had a better-than-average right hand and moved effectively around the ring. For Douglas, the question was whether he would apply those tools, or rather, would Tyson allow him to do so?

To the world’s shock, Douglas brought his “A-game” to the Land of the Rising Sun as he peppered Tyson from the opening bell. He landed 22 punches in round one, including 12 of 31 jabs. To bring that figure into perspective, the typical heavyweight lands 6 of his 19 jabs each round. The beat – and the beating – went on in rounds two and three as Douglas out-landed Tyson 51-20 and out-threw him 73-28, averaging 51 punches per round to just 24 for Tyson, who could not get past Douglas’ thudding jab.

Speaking of Douglas’ jab, we at ringside could hear that distinct sound ever so clearly, even though we were wearing headsets that allowed us to relay stats to the HBO production truck. The setting at The Tokyo Dome was surreal. First of all, the fight started at 12 noon in Japan and we were inside the arena as early as 8 a.m. Secondly, Japanese fight fans are a courteous bunch. They do not react to the action while it’s happening; rather, they wait until the round has concluded to politely applaud. It was eerie: Douglas was on his way to scoring one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports was being greeted with a stony silence broken only by the sound of Douglas’ punches booming off Tyson’s swelling head.

“Is this really happening?” I remembered asking myself. Evander Holyfield, who was sitting next to me and was scheduled to challenge Tyson in June and who stood to make at least $12 million, was probably asking the same question.

Through six rounds, Douglas landed 23 of 45 punches per round (51 percent) to Tyson’s 9 of 22 (41 percent). Douglas was having his way due to the fact he was landing 13 of 26 jabs per round (50 percent) – landing as many punches per round as Tyson was throwing.

The next drama was whether Douglas would be able to continue his incredible effort or whether he would melt under the pressure. The Japanese fans were waiting for this human Godzilla to mow his challenger down. They nearly got that ending in the final six seconds of round eight when Tyson landed a right uppercut that dropped Buster on his back. Douglas beat referee Octavio Meyran’s slowly rendered count, which was all he was required to do, but many felt that the round-ending bell would only delay Douglas’ ultimate destruction.

Tyson started the ninth as if he were a hunter stalking his prey, but instead of bulldozing Buster into oblivion, Tyson was met with a series of searing combinations that had him reeling. Douglas, showing previously untapped resolve, reached down and delivered his best statistical round of the fight by landing 37 of 58 total punches (64 percent) to just 12 of 24 for Tyson, who seemed totally deflated as he slowly made his way back to the corner.

The fight – and incredibly Tyson’s reign as world heavyweight champion – was essentially over.

Douglas continued to batter Tyson in the 10th, and a five-punch combination highlighted by a neck-crunching right uppercut dumped Tyson on his back. The vision of Tyson scrambling to locate his mouthpiece, finding it and stuffing it backward into his mouth stays with me to this day. Douglas had done the impossible as the 40,000 people inside the Tokyo Dome watched in virtual silence.

Overall, Douglas landed 230 of 441 (52 percent) to Tyson’s 101 of 214 (47 percent). While Tyson landed what he threw, he just couldn’t solve Douglas’ double jab, right hand and lateral movement. The key punch for Douglas was his ramrod jab, which he landed 128 of 243 times. The jab – which connected at a 53 percent rate while averaging 13 connects and 24 attempts – allowed Douglas to land 102 of 198 power shots (52 percent).

Incredibly, the fight was even on the judges’ scorecards. Douglas led 88-82 on Larry Rozadilla’s card – one that mirrored the action in the ring – but Ken Morita and Masakazu Uchida had it 87-86 Tyson and 86-86 respectively. Perhaps the two Japanese jurists were like the rest of us; they couldn’t believe what they were seeing either.

In later years Tyson said that the Douglas defeat marked the virtual end of his career and in many respects he was correct. Over the next 15 years Tyson would go just 13-5 with two no-contests, served more than three years for a rape conviction and showed only flashes of the skills that made him one of heavyweight history’s most formidable forces.

As for Douglas, Cinderella turned into a pumpkin courtesy of a Holyfield right cross and he remained out of the ring for six long years. Douglas blew up to more than 400 pounds and fell into a diabetic coma, after which he returned to the gym to shed the excess weight. As he did so, his hunger for boxing returned and at age 36 he launched an improbable comeback, winning six consecutive fights and sweating down to within a pound-and-a-half of his weight against Tyson. Douglas’ hopes for a second title shot evaporated when Lou Savarese blasted out the 38-year-old ex-champ with three knockdowns in one round. Douglas did end his career on a high note by scoring a pair of one-round knockouts over Warren Williams and Andre Crowder before retiring for good in February 1999.

No matter what else happens in Douglas’ life, he will be remembered fondly for what he did the night he caught lightning in a bottle and produced one of the most jolting results ever achieved in sports.