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In boxing, one man’s demise usually catapults his conqueror to the upper echelon of the sport. Years of toiling on undercards with little or no media exposure can come to an abrupt end with one shocking upset. Newly crowned light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver is living proof of what happens when you do the unthinkable. Tarver won the biggest fight of his career in the role of the hunter. What will happen now that he is the hunted?
Throughout the course of history, fighters hungry for an opportunity to start their own legacy have dethroned icons of the sport. The old adage made popular by Ric Flair holds true “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” However after “beating the man,” some of these fighters couldn’t handle being the man, when they moved from challenger to the role of champion.
James “Buster” Douglas was an obscure fringe contender unknown to casual boxing fans when he pulled off the one of the greatest upsets by defeating the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson. Douglas was fueled by the recent death of his mother, inspired by his role as an underdog, and motivated to prove the doubters wrong. Douglas’ knockout victory pushed him to the forefront, but his reign would not last long. He would lose the title in his first defense to Evander Holyfield and the fall from grace would see Douglas balloon to nearly 400 pounds and come close to death. Although he would stage a comeback and win seven out of his eight bouts, he would never again approach his once lofty status.
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Throughout the course of history, fighters hungry for an opportunity to start their own legacy have dethroned icons of the sport. The old adage made popular by Ric Flair holds true “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” However after “beating the man,” some of these fighters couldn’t handle being the man, when they moved from challenger to the role of champion.
James “Buster” Douglas was an obscure fringe contender unknown to casual boxing fans when he pulled off the one of the greatest upsets by defeating the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson. Douglas was fueled by the recent death of his mother, inspired by his role as an underdog, and motivated to prove the doubters wrong. Douglas’ knockout victory pushed him to the forefront, but his reign would not last long. He would lose the title in his first defense to Evander Holyfield and the fall from grace would see Douglas balloon to nearly 400 pounds and come close to death. Although he would stage a comeback and win seven out of his eight bouts, he would never again approach his once lofty status.
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