The name of American boxer James Douglas connects the whole world with another famous figure in the world of boxing - "iron" Mike Tyson.
The story that connected two outstanding athletes is very interesting and instructive. It is about how a person who has set a clear goal goes towards it, no matter what, getting a chance from fate and achieving his goal even when no one believes in him. And how this same person, being at the top of his fame, loses all achievements and reputation as an invincible fighter due to stupidity and a series of ridiculous mistakes.
Childhood
In 1960, a boy named James was born in the family of boxer Billy Douglas. After him, three more sons were born.
At school, the young man shows an active interest in sports, plays football and basketball, and plays in local teams. One of them even achieves the title of state school champion.
James continues to play basketball in college, adequately defending the honor of the school. In this field, Douglas manages to achieve notable success. Upon admission to the university, he is awardedbasketball scholarship.
But the young athlete did not stay as a student for long, but rather one semester. After dropping out of school, James returns home. And from that moment decides to become a boxer. The boy already received his first gloves at the age of ten as a gift from his father and part-time personal trainer.
Rising Boxing Star
James's mentors note his brilliant athletic data, while at the same time paying attention to the young man's negative character traits that can interfere with success. He is accused of lack of cruelty and desire for victory. And the physical preparation of the athlete leaves much to be desired. James quickly runs out of steam, unable to withstand the opponent in a long fight.
Despite this, Douglas' career is off to a good start. The first opponent of the novice boxer is Omolli, who already has 6 victories on his account. The next strong opponent is Muhaimin, who was considered undefeated until the meeting with Douglas. The first defeat in the fight with David Bay is not long in coming.
In 1982, depression disables a boxer for six months. The cause is the death of a younger brother. As a result, the long-standing problem of excess weight comes to the fore. The judges give him a fine.
After this period in the sports biography of James Douglas comes a long crisis. He is not allowed to compete with strong and worthy fighters. Very weak players become rivals. Against this background, Jesse Clarke stands out, not having a single victory in 30 fights. Douglas plunges into yet another depression and leaves the ring for six months.
Career advancement
In 1984, James returns to work and immediately achieves significant success. The most noteworthy fight with a very worthy opponent Randall Cobb and a victory over Simpson, who had not lost a single fight before. The athlete's rating is growing.
1986 was marked by a meeting with two outstanding rivals - Page and Jacko. These convincing victories significantly add points to Douglas. However, it does not do without defeats.
In the fight with Tony Tucker, James was confidently leading and even knocked him down once. But the gong sounded made Tucker's defeat invalid. Being a strong fighter, Tony Tucker managed to collect himself during the break, but Douglas, on the contrary, lost his last strength, as a result of which he was defeated.
1989 becomes one of the most successful in the career of James Douglas. He has two brilliant victories in fights with former champion Berbick and promising fighter McCall.
Main fight
1990 is the star year of James Douglas. He gets the opportunity to fight Mike Tyson himself - the invincible "iron" Mike, who has 37 fights without a single defeat. James makes a great use of a lucky chance.
In order to somehow attract the public, a popular rock band is invited to a competition with a "predetermined" outcome. Nobody believes that Douglas can become a serious opponent for Tyson. Neither the reporters, nor the public, nor the organizers attach anythe meaning of this fight. Everyone is convinced that the chances of an athlete are zero. Everyone except James Douglas himself.
Despite being overweight, the boxer is very mobile and agile, and most importantly, self-confident. Being unprepared for such fierce resistance, Tyson begins to lose ground.
The fight lasts 7 rounds. Throughout the whole time, Douglas has a certain advantage and, to everyone's surprise, even manages to knock out the eye of a famous opponent. In the 8th round, Mike still manages to knock down James with a crushing blow. However, the athlete gets up and continues the fight.
After a small defeat, Douglas rushes into battle with even greater zeal and bitterness. James is unrecognisable. He beats the eminent opponent with such frenzy that he loses his last strength and starts to rush around the ring helplessly.
Tyson, bloodied and with a black eye, almost ceases to resist powerful blows from Douglas. The audience rages, realizing that the famous fighter is defeated. The victory goes to James Douglas, making him the undisputed champion.
Caliph for an hour
James becomes incredibly famous. Fans wear it on their hands. The newly-minted star of world boxing is beginning to receive invitations to numerous social events. Douglas once again quits active training and is rapidly gaining weight.
It is no longer possible to quickly return to the previous form, and the next fight with Holyfield ends in a loss. In the same year, the athlete loses his star title, which finallythrows him off track. Progressive depression forces you to leave your favorite sport.
Life after fame
James has not boxed for six years and leads a wild life. They laugh at him and mock him. Douglas is hailed by the press as a "one-time champion".
Such metamorphoses give him a "deafening knockout". James becomes an alcoholic. And after a while, the athlete is diagnosed with diabetes in a neglected form. This is followed by a diabetic coma, which almost led to a disastrous outcome.
A string of misfortunes is somewhat sobering for Douglas. Thanks to the support of loved ones, he overcomes the disease and decides to return to big sport.
In 1996, James Douglas re-enters the ring. Won fights appear in his track record, but he still cannot get out of the category of losers. Favorite business ceases to be a source of money and fame.
In 1998, the last fight of the former boxing star took place. The opponent was Crowder, who has only 8 wins in 60 fights. James almost instantly knocks him out and leaves without waiting for the results to be announced.
This meeting was the final in the sports career of James Douglas. He never entered the ring again.
