The Biggest Upset in Boxing History and the Lesson Learned out of It

The recent fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul received a mixed reception, with some claiming that it was rigged. Mike was obviously old and past his prime. But back when boxing was a mean sport where clashes between heavyweight titans drew enormous revenue, when it didn't have to rely on social media 'influencers' to milk money, Tyson was ruthless.

It wasn't like the world of boxing hadn't seen legends before him. The likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman had already cemented their legacy in the sport. Mike just carried it forward, and with unmatched intensity. The death stare before a fight, the mentality to punch 'through' the opponent rather than at him, the impressive record, and the fact that no one had stood back up after being knocked down by him made him the most intimidating man in that brief period. He was stated to be unbeatable, so much so that it affected the betting industry.

Until one ordinary day, when he was scheduled to fight a seemingly ordinary opponent. "Tyson looks bored," said the commentator before the fight even began. In the 8th round, Tyson knocked out the man representing the other corner. Most people thought that was it—the end of the unanticipated fight. But that day, one man's sheer willpower defied history. For the first time, a man stood back up after being knocked out by Iron Mike Tyson. The world was in awe, and now there was some amount of anticipation as to how the fight would proceed. People still didn't expect Mike to lose, but they were willing to watch how far this odd specimen could go, whether he could last two more rounds against the unbeaten Tyson.

Then came the 10th round, and the world was not prepared for what it was about to see. The man started fighting back, throwing a combination of punches that included a devastating uppercut, in desperation to protect what he stood for. Tyson took those hits directly, some of them to the head, and fell back in dramatic fashion. No, he didn't slip off his feet. He was thrown backward by the sheer impact of the punches, and for a few moments lay lifeless as he struggled to establish coordination between his mind and body. The referee started counting, and Mike gave his best effort to get back to his feet. He could barely hold the tooth guard in his mouth, and in a helpless state, collapsed on the referee before he could successfully take his guard. For a moment, the entire world froze. 'Iron Mike Tyson' had, for the first time, been knocked out.

The man to raise his arms in the air to celebrate victory was James Buster Douglas. The irony is, not many people aside from the boxing fanbase may have heard his name, whereas Mike Tyson is a household name even today. But there's a deeper point that's being addressed. Mike was known to intimidate his opponents with a fixated stare, and those who didn't gaze back were believed to have already lost the psychological battle before the bout. But Buster Douglas didn't lock eyes with Tyson—not because he was frightened by the fiery look, but because he was too unbothered to acknowledge it. There was something else running in his mind, and it reflected in the restlessness in his behavior that was on display.

A few days before the fight, Buster Douglas had lost his mother. But before his mother passed away, she'd promised that her son would beat Mike Tyson, a man with 0 losses and 37 wins, 33 of which were by KO. She may have not understood a whole lot about boxing, but she had faith in her son's abilities. And that was what fueled Buster Douglas—the word that was given to the world by his mother. He had to ensure that he kept it, and to do that he was willing to go to any extent, even last 10 rounds in the ring with an intimidating beast camouflaged as a man, knowing well in advance that the chances of him coming out pulverized were high. Buster Douglas had a strong purpose, one that guided him to unlock a power within him that he himself was unaware of, and it pushed him to do the impossible.

The message being conveyed is that as long as one is guided by a strong purpose, they can achieve the unachievable. For Buster Douglas, what pushed him to fight till his last breath was the commitment he'd made to himself to uphold his mother's words. For us, it could be something else. There just needs to be a burning desire to conquer the unconquerable. What's unfortunate though is that it doesn't come naturally, it cannot be created nor can it be assured to occur in every person's life. Therefore, the intent behind this blog isn't blind motivation. It's a reality check that's never in the talks.

Not many of us can claim that we possess the same amount of talent as Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and the list goes on. These people were blessed; they were destined to see success. That's not to say that they didn't have to work hard for it, but success following hard work isn't always guaranteed. That's the bitter reality of life that most motivational speakers won't mention in their speech, for then the stands would be empty and their videos would have no views, and courses would be unsold. But many of us can identify with Buster Douglas. We are all the underdogs of our own story, underestimated at some point in our lives, having our abilities questioned. Buster Douglas didn't have the strength behind his punches that Iron Mike did, but on that day there was a larger force accompanying each swing.

Unfortunately for Buster Douglas, his success was short-lived. He dropped his title in his very next defense, against another one of the renowned, gifted athletes, Evander Holyfield (who later also went on to beat Mike Tyson, and their bout is infamous for the ear-biting incident). But even if it was for a short time, he got to hold the world heavyweight title. The news of his victory made headlines the next day in the press, and he could briefly experience the glory of being a champion.

- Chinmay Adangale