Evander Holyfield and Buster Douglas signed to fight on October 25, 1990 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Evander trained diligently as always, and came into the fight at a muscular 208 pounds. Douglas on the other hand came in fat and sloppy at 246 lbs., and the stories that had been circulating about his lack of discipline in preparing for the bout appeared to be true.
I once again went to the Pavilion in Cherry Hill, New Jersey to catch the action on closed circuit. Although I had a few sentimental thoughts about Douglas after his defeat of Tyson in February, the way he looked at the weigh in told me he wasn’t a true champion. He knew he was getting $24 million for this fight, and looked like he didn’t care about the title.
Evander came out blazing, moving and landing hard jabs and combinations. Douglas was lethargic and slow, and looked out of it, In the third, a sizzling right hand from Evander after Douglas attempted an uppercut from long range, dropped Buster on the canvas. He laid flat on his back, wiped blood from his nose with his glove, and made no attempt to get up. His title reigned lasted a total of 8 months, and Evander was the new champion of the world.
Douglas was vilified by most everyone, and justifiably so. He showed no grit or heart, and gave up his belt with not even a real fight. I called him ‘Buffet’ Douglas after the mess, and knew that Holyfield would be a real heavyweight champion the sport needed.
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