During the mid-1980s into the early ’90s, Mike Tyson was regarded as an invincible prizefighter. Because of his knockout power, he was catapulted into superstardom as the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man of the planet.” But in one historic night, all of that would change.
In one of the greatest upsets in sports history James “Buster” Douglas defeated Mike Tyson by technical knockout. The odds seem insurmountable that Douglas even had a chance against the undefeated and undisputed champ. Douglas was such a longshot that the Las Vegas oddsmakers had him as a 42-1 underdog. Chronicling Buster Douglas’ improbable victory, ESPN released their latest 30 for 30 episode, entitled 42-1.
The 42-1 tells the story of this famous duel from Douglas’ perspective. The doc has rare footage and never before seen images that go into great detail about Douglas, a middle of the road heavyweight boxer at the time, pulling off a victory that changed boxing and sports history. Also, the film shows how quickly Douglas fell from grace as his life was never the same after his stunning upset.
The documentary, co-directed by Jeremy Schaap and Ben Houser, premiered Tuesday, December 11th at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
Below is an interview with Douglas and Jeremy Schaap on ESPN:
