The name of the American boxer James Douglas connects the whole world with another famous figure in the boxing world - the “iron” Mike Tyson.
The story, combining two outstanding athletes, is very interesting and instructive. It is about how a person who has set a clear goal goes to it, no matter what, getting a chance from fate and achieving his goal even when no one believes in it. And how the same person, being at the pinnacle of fame, loses all the achievements and reputation of an invincible fighter because of stupidity and a series of ridiculous mistakes.
Childhood
In 1960, a boy was born in the family of boxer Billy Douglas, who was named James. After him, three more sons were born.
At school, the young man shows an active interest in sports, plays football and basketball, acts as part of local teams. One of them even achieves the title of champion among state schools.
James continues to play basketball in college, adequately defending the honor of an educational institution. In this field, Douglas manages to achieve notable success. Upon admission to the university, he is awarded a basketball scholarship.
But the young athlete did not stay long as a student, or rather one semester. Having dropped out, James returns home. And from that moment he decides to become a boxer. The boy already received the first gloves at the age of ten as a gift from his father and part-time personal trainer.
Boxing Rising Star
James's mentors celebrate his brilliant athletic performance, while paying attention to the negative character traits of the young man, which 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 exhales, being unable to resist the enemy in a long battle.
Despite this, the career of Douglas takes a good start. The first rival of the novice boxer is Omolli, on whose account 6 victories are already listed. The next strong opponent is Muhamin, who was considered undefeated before meeting with Douglas. The first defeat in the battle with David Bay is not long in coming.
In 1982, depression puts the boxer out of action for as long as six months. The cause is the death of a younger brother. As a result, the long-standing problem of overweight comes to the fore. Judges set him a fine.
After this period, a prolonged crisis ensues in the sports biography of James Douglas. He is not allowed to compete with strong and worthy fighters. Opponents are very weak players. Against this background, Jesse Clark stands out, not having a single victory in 30 fights. Douglas plunges into another depression and leaves the ring for six months.
Career
In 1984, James returned to work and immediately achieved significant success. The most noteworthy is the fight with a very worthy opponent Randall Cobb and the victory over Simpson, who had not lost a single fight before. Athlete rating is growing.
The year 1986 was marked by a meeting with two prominent rivals - Page and Jaco. These convincing wins significantly add points to Douglas. However, not without defeat.
In the battle with Tony Tucker, James confidently led and even knocked him down once. But the gong that sounded made Tucker's defeat invalid. Being a strong fighter, Tony Tucker managed to get together during the break, but Douglas, on the contrary, lost his remaining strength, as a result of which he was defeated.
1989 is one of the most successful years in the career of James Douglas. He wins two brilliant victories in battles with former champion Berbick and promising fighter McCall.
Main battle
1990 is the stellar year of James Douglas. He gets the opportunity to fight with Mike Tyson himself - the invincible "iron" Mike, on whose account 37 fights without a single defeat. James makes great use of a lucky chance.
In order to somehow attract the public, a popular rock band is invited to the contest with a “predetermined” outcome. No one believes that Douglas could be a serious contender for Tyson. Neither the reporters, nor the public, nor the organizers attach importance to this battle. Everyone is convinced that the chances of an athlete are equal to zero. All but James Douglas himself.
Despite being overweight, the boxer is very agile and agile, and most importantly, confident. Finding himself unprepared for such fierce resistance, Tyson begins to lose ground.
The fight lasts 7 rounds. Throughout all time, Douglas has some advantage and, to everyone’s surprise, even manages to hit the eye of a famous rival. In the 8th round, Mike still manages to knock down James with a crushing blow. However, the athlete rises and continues to fight.
After a small defeat, Douglas with even greater zeal and bitterness rushes into battle. James is unrecognizable. With such frenzy, he beats a famous opponent that he loses his last strength and begins to rush helplessly around the ring.
Tyson, bloodied and with a black eye, almost ceases to resist the powerful blows of Douglas. The audience is rampaging, realizing that the famous fighter is defeated. The victory is awarded to James Douglas, which makes him the absolute champion.
Caliph for an hour
James is becoming incredibly famous. Fans carry it in their arms. The newly-minted star of world boxing is receiving invitations to numerous social events. Douglas once again throws active training and is rapidly gaining weight.
It is no longer possible to quickly return to the previous form, and the next battle with Holyfield ends in a loss. In the same year, the athlete loses his star title, which finally knocks him out of the rut. Progressive depression forces you to leave your favorite sport.
