I watch this video clip at least once a week. It should be required viewing for all candidates and campaign managers. I respect most all professional athletes but reserve the most respect for runners and boxers. I’ll write about my view of runners at a later time, but here, I salute the boxer and specifically James Buster Douglas, the former undisputed champion of the world.
I was in college when Buster knocked out Mike Tyson. He was a 43 to 1 underdog when he squared off against Tyson. Tyson was undefeated and was perceived to be unbeatable. Most of Tyson’s fights to this point in his career had lasted less than one round. Tyson held all three championship belts, thus the “undisputed” designation. When he fought Buster, it was nothing more than a setup fight for his next opponent, Evander Holyfield. Tyson’s team was so confident going into the fight that his “cut man” didn’t bring a razor blade into the ring to cut any swelling in his eyes. He was so cocky that he didn’t even bring ice into the ring. As fate would have it, Buster repeatedly pounded on one of Tyson’s eyes until finally by the eighth round the eye was so swollen, Tyson was completely blind out of that side of his face. His cutman was useless to him, and the swelling was the size of a baseball. He now had to fight on the other man’s terms.
Buster Douglas dominated that fight from start to finish. True he got knocked down late the fight, only to get back up and continue his dominance. Unlike all the other fighters before him, Buster believed he could win and took the fight to the champ. He controlled the tempo, and would not stay in one place long enough for Tyson to get inside and hurt him. He was also emotionally charged and fueled by a commitment he had made to his mother on her deathbed. Tyson, on the other hand, had been preparing for another fight (Holyfield), not realizing or forgetting that there is no fight like the one you are currently in.
Boxers stand alone. It is them vs. the other guy. They have to condition their bodies to sustain 10 to 15 rounds of pure hell. They are one punch away from disaster and one punch away from victory… much like politics. Somedays you feel like every thing is smooth and clicking into place, and the next, you spend all day putting out fires. At any rate, I pretty much watch this video once a week to get juiced up and get my mind right about why we do what we do and to stay singularly focused on the fight we are in.
I got to meet Buster Douglas last year. The picture is of Buster, me and my middle son, Sky.
