The best "15 minutes of fame": Douglas, Rahman or Ruiz

[NaijaD]

Douglas made $24 million for the Holyfield fight... in 1990. What's the equivalent to that in today's dollars.

I think Buster's the ultimate.

He made an absolute fortune, he wasn't given a hope such was Tyson's reputation, and you couldn't possibly put it down to one punch. He was just exceptional that night.

And his eating was on a par with Andy's.

You beat me to it...... Douglas made a killing in the Holyfield fight so even in financial terms he was the biggest winner of the 3 and that’s before you get to the money he made outside of the ring after that win.

His upset achievement was better than Ruiz and Rahman because Tyson actually had that aura of invincibility, Lewis and AJ while on top always had that hint of vulnerability about them.

Of the 3 Buster was definitely the most talented fighter and he actually could have been so much more if he was dedicated.

[CubanGuyNYC]

Haha yeah that was pushed back to the cobwebbed corner of my brain but yeah Buster even got a f#cking video game off of that W which sounds crazy now but that's just how huge that was in that day that beating Mike was so nuts they were like "f#ck it let's make Buster Boxing".

Lol Thanks for posting that image. Buster’s moment was very short-lived, but it was intense. I recall there was this belief that, if he beat the man everyone considered invincible, then Douglas himself must’ve been special. It wouldn’t be long before people understood that Tyson wasn’t himself that night, and that Douglas fought the fight of his life.

Ruiz may have made more money off of his moment (of course he did, this is decades later), but he didn’t beat anyone considered unbeatable. Same goes for Rahman. The Tyson era was a special time in boxing. The same can’t be said for Lewis or Joshua.

[New England]

rahman had other good wins and performances.

douglas had a much more historically and contemporarily significant win. AJ had a global presence, mike tyson was the most recognizable athlete in the world and far and away its most famous. AJ was nowhere near there. AJ was also, you know, nowhere near as good as tyson. but AJ alwasy trained hard and tyson didn't. the writing was on the wall with tyson, you just dind't have social media, HD cameras in everyone's pockets, and a 24 hour, global news cycle. back then a story had to get to the ears of a journalist, he had to confirm it with sources, go through an editor, write the story, have it printed, and then the papers would need to circulate.


hats off to ruiz for winning the biggest upset of the year. shame on him for wasting his opportunity.

[Combat Talk Radio]

But he was the #1 ranked P4P fighter in the world and a 3-1 betting favorite who lost to a guy coming off a one fight in about 3 years layoff AND one who had never fought at the weight.

By your logic, simply losing under those circumstances, while being ‘embarrassred’ by being shoe shined, bolo punched and ‘styled on’ by the smaller fighter (and then subsequently ‘tucking tail’) makes him the bigger ‘hero to zero’.

"hero to zero" is a guy who is going full speed in their career and hit a brick wall, suddenly and unexpectedly, and in such dominant and embarrassing fashion that they disappear.

Michael Spinks and to a lesser degree Freddie Norwood are the only two that fit that.

Hagler lost RAZOR close to a top tier opponent and disappeared because he was angry with the decision and never getting his full credit. Not because he was embarrassed. He even considered accepting the rematch at a point (and he should have because I felt he won that). I'm acquainted with Robbie Sims, I know that whole situation.

It's not even anywhere near the same.

[M Bison]

Douglas made $24 million for the Holyfield fight... in 1990. What's the equivalent to that in today's dollars.

I think Buster's the ultimate.

He made an absolute fortune, he wasn't given a hope such was Tyson's reputation, and you couldn't possibly put it down to one punch. He was just exceptional that night.

And his eating was on a par with Andy's.

Never did a rematch at the same sort of level, I think Ruiz got paid like £20+ million to just step in at short notice. Then the rematch coming to Saudi Arabia it was reported AJ got £60+ million, you tally both fights together those 15 minutes of fame probably nearly brought Ruiz close to 50 million or maybe more when you deduct the fees he's had to pay. Well... come to think of it Ruiz said he trained himself so perhaps he didn't have much fees to pay at all lol.

[GhostofDempsey]

Douglas...he beat the boogeyman. Even though Tyson was a shell of his former self by that time, at least mentally.

[Toffee]

Never did a rematch at the same sort of level, I think Ruiz got paid like £20+ million to just step in at short notice. Then the rematch coming to Saudi Arabia it was reported AJ got £60+ million, you tally both fights together those 15 minutes of fame probably nearly brought Ruiz close to 50 million or maybe more when you deduct the fees he's had to pay. Well... come to think of it Ruiz said he trained himself so perhaps he didn't have much fees to pay at all lol.

Think it was pretty well known that he got a flat $7m for the first fight and $10m for the second.

[RoyJonesJrp4pno1]

Rahman is the goat imo.

He beat the best fighter out of Lewis, Joshua and Tyson.

He was extremely entertaining after he beat Lewis and hyping up the rematch.

[HitmanTommy]

Lol. At the time, Douglas could get back into shape and still be a threat.

Ruiz couldn't even if he did get into shape, because he's always been a limited fighter.

Dude just sucks as a fighter.

[soul_survivor]

Douglas busted up and beat a true, certified great....the most feared man ever in the division.