‘Sabotaging His Own Reign’: Reporter Uncovered Startling Details Before Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas Title Clash

Mike Tyson is considered the greatest boxer that the world has ever seen. It seems that there is only one person who can defeat him, and it is Tyson himself. The legend got the first defeat of his career in 1990 when James Douglas knocked him out in the eighth round. However, speculations say that there is a reason why the invincible fighter got floored to the canvas. 

Four days before Mike Tyson was supposed to face Douglas, Dave Anderson of The New York Times made a speculation that still stirs up conversations. He wrote, “Considering his competition, the only person who can beat Tyson is Tyson himself. By not training. By not caring. By not surrounding himself with experienced cornermen. Chances are, Tyson will quickly swat James (Buster) Douglas into submission. . . . Even so, reports from Tokyo of Tyson’s training are enough to question if the champion is sabotaging his own reign. While sparring with Greg Page two weeks ago, he was floored by a right hand. Over the weekend he was described as “sluggish” in another sparring session.”

February 11, 1990, was a rather uncanny day as it witnessed the biggest upset in boxing history. At the time, Tyson was marvelously strutting his way to glory with an unbeatable record. However, the entire world was stunned as the champ got the first defeat of his career. 

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Anderson from The New York Times had mentioned that the fighter was “sluggish” while training. He also mentioned a startling detail about how Tyson got floored by a right hand two weeks before his fight. Is this the reason why ‘The Kid Dynamite’ got defeated in the 1990 fight? Well, we cannot be certain.  

Mike Tyson makes a confession about why he lost to Buster Douglas 

It was next to impossible to defeat Tyson in his prime. Fighters used to shiver to get inside the ring against him. But Douglas became the first person to throw him on the canvas. Years after that, Tyson confessed something on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. 

Iron Mike stated, “I had to hit all the maids, hitting means having s*x with them, I don’t want you to think I’m hitting them.” 

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It appears that Tyson may have been lax in his training and not taken it seriously. Additionally, before his fight, sleeping with the maids was an unconscionable act as well. The champion’s claims and Anderson’s conjectures appear to be connecting the dots regarding what made the finest boxer lose. Fans are aware that the boxer once led a lavish life filled with entertainment and luxuries. Did it really “sabotage his own reign?” It still remains a question.