Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 12, 1990

The World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Assn. might not know who the heavyweight champion is, but the rest of the world does. It’s James (Buster) Douglas. . . .

Taking away Douglas’ 10th-round knockout of Mike Tyson because of a long count in the eighth round would be like reversing the result of a football game because of a call made in the fourth quarter. . . .

Long count, short count, regular count. It made no difference. The clear-eyed, alert Douglas would have gotten up in time because he was watching the referee and listening to his count. . . .

Of course, it was the impartial promoter, Don King, who registered the complaint on behalf of Tyson. King’s good friend, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, quaked in his boots. And the referee, Octavio Meyran, quickly entered a plea of guilty. Oh, the shame of it all. . . .

What should have been one of boxing’s greatest moments of the century has degenerated into still another fiasco. . . .

If anything should be reviewed, it’s the cards of the two Japanese judges. One had Tyson ahead going into the 10th and the other had it even. The one judge who was scoring the fight with his eyes, Larry Rozadilla of Los Angeles, had Douglas ahead by six. . . .

Where I watched the bout on HBO, a half-dozen knowledgeable boxing observers all had Douglas ahead by anywhere from four to six points. . . .

Was this the biggest upset in the history of boxing? No contest. At the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, Tyson was a 42-1 favorite. According to the Ring Record Book, the previous biggest upset in a heavyweight championship bout was recorded by James J. Braddock at odds of 10-1 over Max Baer in 1934. Sonny Liston was 7-1 over Cassius Clay in their first fight in 1964. . . .

Until Saturday night, I had been most startled by Ingemar Johansson knocking Floyd Patterson down, down, down, down, down, down and finally out in the third round in 1959 in New York and George Foreman demolishing Joe Frazier in the second round in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1973. . . .

In a refreshing change from the usual pre-fight hype, HBO announcers Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant prepared the viewers for a mismatch. They were right. It was a mismatch. . . .

The cable network didn’t even bother to bring along the man who keeps its unofficial scorecard, former referee Harold Lederman, to Japan. . . .

What the telecast needed was some canned yelling and screaming. I’ve heard more noise in a library. . . .

The biggest difference between the two fighters was conditioning. Douglas had the stamina to climb off the canvas from his knockdown. Tyson didn’t. . . .

Douglas also had the good sense not long ago to replace Bill (Dynamite) Douglas as his manager. Fathers just don’t make good managers of their sons. . . .

Tyson missed his old trainer, Kevin Rooney, in his corner. For the first time in his boxing life, he needed advice. None of any value was forthcoming. . . .

The first defeat may have done irreparable damage to Tyson’s psyche. He thought he was indestructible and unbeatable. So did his opponents. . . .

Such “invincibles” as George Foreman, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns were never the same after losing for the first time. . . .

Tyson’s late manager, Jimmy Jacobs, knew he needed to fight at least once a month on his way up to stay out of trouble. Jacobs never would have allowed him this much time between bouts even as champion. Too much partying, too little serious training. . . .

Tyson looked more disinterested than mean on his way down the aisle and into the ring. . . .

It was apparent from the first minute that, unlike most of Tyson’s other opponents, Douglas wasn’t intimidated. He stuck out the jab to make use of his longer reach and often led with his right to keep Tyson from lunging in with the left hook. And he tied up Iron Mike inside, where he still hasn’t learned how to fight. A terrific plan worked to near perfection. . . .

In victory, Douglas was cocky, but likable. In defeat, Tyson was cowardly, hiding from the media. . . .

I would pick Douglas over Evander Holyfield. Too big and too smart. . . .

The economics of the heavyweight division will change drastically. No longer will Tyson be able to command outrageous sums of money. But there will be good paydays now for him, Douglas, Holyfield and George Foreman. . . .

As far as Busters go, Douglas has passed Mathis and Brown and is second only to Keaton. . . .

Question of the Day: Who is going to referee the Hulk Hogan-Macho Man Savage wrestling match now?