Would Douglas have trained hard for a Tyson rematch and not like he did vs Holyfield? Would he have won twice?

Question

And of course, why do you think that?

Answer 1

We'll never know what Douglas would have done, but we do know what he did.  And "train hard" was not one of them.

Douglas was a fighter with a lot of potential who relaized it all in one fight and then gave up.

The question about a second fight really centers around Tyson and whether he would have trained hard.  It's been pretty well established that he took the long odds more seriously than he took Douglas.  He was knocked down by a sparring partner in training and was obviously not at his best when he and Douglas met.  I think he would have been ready for a rematch.

I don't know when Douglas got into drugs, but I suspect it was after he won the title from Tyson.  He was obviously not committed to boxing after that and he all but handed the title to Holyfield.  That smells of drugs to me.

Douglas was a classic "flash in the pan."  One big fight and that was it.  I don't think he would have been any better trained for Tyson-2 than he was for Holyfield and he would have gotten knocked out early on.

Tyson-Douglas was the beginning of the end for Tyson and the end for Douglas.  I thought for a long time that Mike had read too many of his "Iron Mike" press clippings.  Then I found out he couldn't read at all.  When I was fighting (amateur) I got very little press, but all the articles talked about my record and never mentioned my fighting skills.  I thought that was stupid because I had a perfect record in 25 fights -- all knockouts.  

My head still hurts from all those knockouts I suffered so I need to take some Advil and go to bed now.  

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Answer 2

''Tyson Groupies'' whine that their man wasn't in shape, didn't have Cus or Jacobs, Robin Givens had his nuts in her purse, the moon was full, Tyson ate bad sushi e.t.c. But the fact is the James Douglas of that 1 night would have given ANY champion in history a good fight. He was in primo shape and his mother died while he was in Tokyo. He was a 42-1 underdog that let it all hang out.

Tyson had no excuses. He was the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the world and the most dominating force in the sport.

That said a rematch would have had intangibles to think about. Tyson took a brutal beating from Douglas, had a horrible cornerman who had what looked like a condom full of water as an icepack, and he never listened to anything they said which really I dont blame him. But Tyson would have it in the back of his mind ''This guy knocked me the h**l out!'' and that is a hard thing to overcome. He found out he couldn't bully Douglas and paid for it.

Douglas would most likely come into the ring looking like a dingdong with legs like he did against Holyfield. He showed his heart wasn't in the sport anymore when he lost easily to Evander and could have got up, fired his managers, and blew up to over 300 pounds.

Tyson would have regained his belt because he would be a man on a mission and Douglas would have fought just to cash in.

But he accomplished something nobody will ever take from him, He whupped the baddest man on the planet.

Answer 3

Mike Tyson would knock him out and he got lucky beating mike tyson the first time.

Answer 4

Usually in rematches when a fighter gets knocked out by the other fighter, their is a physiological disadvantage.  Tyson although still a dangerous fighter, seemed to be getting hit more often in several fights before he fought Douglas.  Buster Douglas fought a great fight against Tyson dedicating it to his late mother who had recently passed.  He was in prime condition mentally and physically and really believed that he was going to win this fight.  His jab was great that night and he didn't run from Tyson standing in ring center and often landing the faster and harder punches.  I will never forget the image of Iron Mike after being floored reaching for his mouthpiece on the canvas.  If Douglas fights a rematch against Tyson with that same conditioning and mindset, he wins again probably by decision.  If he fights Tyson in the condition he was against Holyfield, he gets knocked out.  Good question sir.

Answer 5

No, the fight that happened for buster douglas was a one time thing, mike just happened to be the other guy in the ring with him. The reason he didnt train hard for holyfield is because he was having trouble dealing with the fame that beating tyson granted him, (talk shows, interviews, documentaries about his life, things like that)his fame became very time consuming and depressed him, and would of lost to anybody in his next fight

Answer 6

He would have trained hard but I think Tyson would have knocked him out before round 5

Answer 7

No.  Tyson would have knocked him out had they ever fought again.  Douglas won that fight because he was inspired by his mother who had just died or was dying.  Douglas would never have had the heart otherwise based on looking at his entire career.  The best Douglas ever fought was the time he beat Tyson.  One time deal.

Answer 8

No, Mike Tyson would win the rematch or at least I would bet money on Mike because Buster Douglas is not reliable. Even if he train hard for the rematch, if his mind is not 100% motivate, he will lose. He fought the perfect fight but even then it took him hundreds of punches before he stopped Mike. On the other hand it took only one punch from Mike to deposited Buster on the floor for the count of 9....

Answer 9

the douglas who entered the ring against holyfield would've been murdered by tyson....if buster was motivated enough for a rematch and entered the ring in top condition, he would have a psychological edge over tyson, and would probably have prevailed again.

Answer 10

Without a doubt. Douglas always had the tools to be a top fighter, he just didn't have the heart or discipline.