Thomas Hauser on Sports: Remembering the Journey

Upset ! ! !

An invincible champion; an overmatched foe. In 1997, I selected and revisited the ten greatest upsets of modern sports. Upset ! ! ! Americans love upsets. Ever since George Washington coached the Continental Army to victory over England’s top-ranked Big Red Machine, the nation has carried a soft spot in its heart for underdogs. Nowhere is that fondness more dearly held or more exuberantly expressed than in the world of sports. An unexpected victory over college football’s team of the moment will send an entire state into paroxysms of ecstasy. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” has become an axiom of sporting faith. Moviegoers root unabashedly for Rocky, the Bad News Bears, and small-town basketball teams coached by Gene Hackman. Indeed, America’s affinity for underdogs is such thatWilt Chamberlain once bemoaned his fate with the complaint, “Nobody roots for Goliath.” But if upsets were big news when David slew the mighty Philistine, they’re bigger still in modern America.That’s because sporting events are now seen, not by a select few, not on film, but as they unfold by tens of millions of people. Some upset victories are flukes. Others signal the beginning of an extraordinary new reign. Some toppled champions come back. Others never recover. But one thing is clear.Television has given sports an immediacy and impact far beyond what anyone could have imagined forty years ago.And in the process, underdogs have become more popular than ever. So with eye on history, here’s one person’s view, in order, of the ten greatest upsets in modern times. (1) James “Buster” Douglas vs. MikeTyson (1990) It didn’t figure to be much of a fight; more like an execution than a competitive bout. In one corner, “Iron” Mike Tyson.The undisputed heavyweight champion of the world was undefeated in 37 bouts with 33 92 THOMAS HAUSER knockouts. At age twenty-three, he was considered by some to be the greatest fighter of all time. Tyson was scary.There were suspicions that he needed to beat people up in order to sleep well at night, and sweet sayings like, “I tried to push the bone of his nose into his brain.” Spectators came away from his fights with frightening images of Trevor Berbick reeling around the canvas, Larry Holmes going down like he was on roller skates, and Michael Spinks caving in.The man seemed invincible. And in the other corner; James “Buster” Douglas, a twenty-nineyear -old journeyman from Columbus, Ohio. Douglas had been knocked out by David Bey and Mike White. Stefan Tangstad held him to a draw. His record was 29-4-1.And in addition to the specter of fighting Tyson, twenty-three days before the bout, Douglas had endured the death of his mother from a stroke. Most casinos wouldn’t give odds on the fight.The few that did listed it at 40 to 1. So Buster Douglas went out and knocked the crap out of Mike Tyson. He didn’t just beat him; he beat him up.With the exception of ten seconds near the end of round eight when Tyson landed a crushing uppercut, the challenger thoroughly dominated the fight. In round ten, he knockedTyson out.That’s when another battle began. For more than a decade, Don King had dominated boxing by controlling the heavyweight crown. First, Larry Holmes was his instrument of choice.Then it became a series of “alphabet soup” champions.And after that,Tyson. In order to fight for the heavyweight title, a challenger had to sign a promotional agreement giving Don King Productions three or more options on his services if he won. Douglas had signed such a contract. But angered by King’s postfight maneuvering (the promoter urged the WBC and WBA to strip the new champion of his title because of a phony “long-count” controversy), Douglas and his manager, John Johnson, refused to fight for King again. In the litigation that followed, King received a settlement of roughly four million dollars. But more significantly, instead of fighting a rematch with Tyson, Douglas defended against Evander Holyfield, who was backed by elements independent of King.Then Holyfield beat Douglas, and King’s stranglehold over boxing’s heavyweight division was broken. What does Douglas think about his upset? “That’s life,” he says simply. “Sometimes the bully beats you, and sometimes you beat the bully.” THOMAS HAUSER ON SPORTS 93 [18.226.187.24...