Buster Douglas on VLADTV: The REAL Reason Tyson Rematch Never Happened

[Combat Talk Radio]

Highlights:

• In those days if you were a HW, you had no choice but to sign with Don King if you wanted a title shot (that's straight gangsta)
  
• Contract was supposed to be for that one fight, Buster wasn't supposed to win and him winning derailed plans
  
• Big money contract for a title fight, none of them expected to win, just take the money and go away. Brings into huge question many of the fighters that lost to Tyson. Did some of them just take the money, make it look good, but ultimately dive/leave themselves open for a loss?
  
• Don King sued afterwards - makes you wonder if he was claiming a higher contract over the title itself - took him for $4 million.
  
• Being stuck in lawsuit hell basically prevented him from fighting or even training

So you wonder, you get some fighter who wants to be the champ, then they get locked into a bad contract, vs. all the others that just take the payday and move on.


Ironically, Macho Camacho (who also had an extensive win record) was once promoted by King, too. Hmmmm

[Rick Taylor]

Highlights:

• In those days if you were a HW, you had no choice but to sign with Don King if you wanted a title shot (that's straight gangsta)
  
• Contract was supposed to be for that one fight, Buster wasn't supposed to win and him winning derailed plans
  
• Big money contract for a title fight, none of them expected to win, just take the money and go away. Brings into huge question many of the fighters that lost to Tyson. Did some of them just take the money, make it look good, but ultimately dive/leave themselves open for a loss?
  
• Don King sued afterwards - makes you wonder if he was claiming a higher contract over the title itself - took him for $4 million.
  
• Being stuck in lawsuit hell basically prevented him from fighting or even training

So you wonder, you get some fighter who wants to be the champ, then they get locked into a bad contract, vs. all the others that just take the payday and move on.


Ironically, Macho Camacho (who also had an extensive win record) was once promoted by King, too. Hmmmm

tyson would have to afraid to rematch buster tbh

[Monzon99]

King screwed up by not making rematch and letting Duvas get Holyfield first shot vs Buster. Can't remember if Holyfield was the mandatory and that's why he got the shot. King ended up making Buster's life miserable, as revealed in the King book by Jack Newfield, and it caused Buster to not train and lose easily to Holyfield.

Why Tyson vs Douglas 2 was not immediately signed is a good question.

[Combat Talk Radio]

King screwed up by not making rematch and letting Duvas get Holyfield first shot vs Buster. Can't remember if Holyfield was the mandatory and that's why he got the shot. King ended up making Buster's life miserable, as revealed in the King book by Jack Newfield, and it caused Buster to not train and lose easily to Holyfield.

Why Tyson vs Douglas 2 was not immediately signed is a good question.

Because Don King still saw money in Tyson and Douglas wasn't supposed to win that, he was supposed to make it look good and then dive. But his mom dying fired him up and he made a decision that would basically ruin him forever.

Peter McNeeley was likely trying to do the same thing before his trainer got involved - he just wouldn't stop fighting Tyson and it was bizarre to see the trainer basically stop his guy when he was still fighting back.

[Mooshashi]

So it's Don King's fault that Buster ate the equivalent of two James Toneys before the Holyfield fight?

Riiiiiiiiight.

[Combat Talk Radio]

So it's Don King's fault that Buster ate the equivalent of two James Toneys before the Holyfield fight?

Riiiiiiiiight.

The MF'er couldn't train. He was absolutely on lock in legal issues. Then Duva swooped in for a soft touch for Holyfield.

Remember how long Mikey was on the sidelines with the same ish?

If Douglas hadn't gotten sued and stayed at peak, he would have at least had Holyfield working for that win.

[Monzon99]

Because Don King still saw money in Tyson and Douglas wasn't supposed to win that, he was supposed to make it look good and then dive. But his mom dying fired him up and he made a decision that would basically ruin him forever.

Peter McNeeley was likely trying to do the same thing before his trainer got involved - he just wouldn't stop fighting Tyson and it was bizarre to see the trainer basically stop his guy when he was still fighting back.

If Douglas agreed to dive and then renegged on that deal then he's lucky he did not get murdered. Or forced at gunpoint to do the rematch.

McNeeley was a hired patsy dive for Tyson by King. All the money was behind Tyson - King, MGM Grand, WBC. McNeeley and all the rest until Holyfield, were hired to dive. Are you saying Peter McNeeley had a chance to beat Mike? lol

[Combat Talk Radio]

If Douglas agreed to dive and then renegged on that deal then he's lucky he did not get murdered. Or forced at gunpoint to do the rematch.

McNeeley was a hired patsy dive for Tyson by King. All the money was behind Tyson - King, MGM Grand, WBC. McNeeley and all the rest until Holyfield, were hired to dive. Are you saying Peter McNeeley had a chance to beat Mike? lol

A chance? Yes. How much of a chance? Unknown, all I can say is that in 36 fights, McNeeley had gone the distance 6 times and only lost twice. He was a tough competitor that was just overwhelmed. Even after Tyson blitzed him, he got right up and kept throwing. That has to be respected. We don't know if McNeeley might have clipped Tyson with something he didn't see. Nobody can know.

Remember, McNeeley was the one promoting that fight and Tyson was coming off a 4-year layoff and possible mental changes. Nobody knew how prison might have affected him.

Think about it - why would McNeeley throw for the fences if he was supposed to dive? I think he was TOLD to dive, but decided to make a name for himself - and his trainer (who knew what would happen if he even came close to hurting Tyson) got in the ring to protect his fighter; not from Tyson, not from Mills Lane, but from Don King.

That's what I firmly believe to this day because it was bizarre at the time. A trainer sees his fighter is fighting hard, but gets in to trigger a stoppage.

“My thinking was, ‘Mike has been out almost four years so I’m gonna jump on him and try and take advantage of that’. I said to myself, ‘I’m only getting this shot once. I’m making the best of it’.”

That he did. McNeeley’s interviews became must-watch TV as the fascination around Tyson — like today — grew ahead of his return.

Ex-heavyweight champ ‘Iron Mike’ was 41-1 at the time, 29 years old, but four years out of the ring. In prison he had become an avid reader, devouring Tolstoy, Voltaire and Machiavelli.

Sports fans wanted brutality and McNeeley promised it, vowing to wrap Tyson up ‘in a cocoon of horror’.

[Monzon99]

A chance? Yes. How much of a chance? Unknown, all I can say is that in 36 fights, McNeeley had gone the distance 6 times and only lost twice. He was a tough competitor that was just overwhelmed. Even after Tyson blitzed him, he got right up and kept throwing. That has to be respected. We don't know if McNeeley might have clipped Tyson with something he didn't see. Nobody can know.

Remember, McNeeley was the one promoting that fight and Tyson was coming off a 4-year layoff and possible mental changes. Nobody knew how prison might have affected him.

Think about it - why would McNeeley throw for the fences if he was supposed to dive? I think he was TOLD to dive, but decided to make a name for himself - and his trainer (who knew what would happen if he even came close to hurting Tyson) got in the ring to protect his fighter; not from Tyson, not from Mills Lane, but from Don King.

That's what I firmly believe to this day because it was bizarre at the time. A trainer sees his fighter is fighting hard, but gets in to trigger a stoppage.

Logical analysis. I'm sure McNeeley was ordered to lose and agreed to. All the money was behind the Tyson franchise, we're talking hundreds of millions. McNeeley was not a world class hwt, did nothing post Tyson, he had no chance to hurt Mike who was in very good shape physically. Total mismatch. I will watch it again though, strange ending with the trainer.