On February 11 1990, Buster Douglas caused what is still considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history when he knocked out Mike Tyson at the Tokyo Dome in Japan to be crowned heavyweight champion of the world.
Tyson was undefeated heading into the bout and was the undisputed champion, holding the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight belts, with many considering the American the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world at the time.
Douglas had had a shot at a world title three years earlier, when he was knocked out in the 10th round by Tony Tucker, but a run of six wins had re-established him as a title contender.
Douglas had a height and weight advantage over the defending champion, but Tyson was still considered a heavy favourite heading into the fight, particularly when Douglas came down with flu the day before the meeting.
Despite being under the weather, Douglas made a strong start to the bout, landing a number of shots in the opening couple of rounds.
Tyson began to come back into it in the middle rounds, but Douglas continued to connect with his jabs, resulting in a swollen eye for the world champion.
Douglas was on the canvas in the eighth round as Tyson looked for the knockout, pinning the challenger against the ropes before being knocked to the ground by an uppercut, but he managed to get back to his feet to continue the fight.
Tyson looked to be tiring in the 10th as Douglas continued to pepper him with shots, and a fierce uppercut from the challenger dazed the champion, before Douglas connected with four quick-fire punches to the head.
The onslaught resulted in Tyson being knocked down for the first time in his career, and while he tried to put his mouthguard back in to continue, referee Octavio Meyran counted him out.
Tyson's promoter, Don King, was unhappy with the result and launched a protest, claiming that Douglas had been given a long count while down in the eighth, but the result was officially confirmed within four days.
While many fans called for a rematch to see whether Douglas could produce such a performance again, the new champion went on to face Evander Holyfield in the first defence of his titles, and was knocked out in the third round.
Douglas retired after that defeat, but returned six years later, winning eight further bouts before calling time on his career again in 1999.
After a spell in prison, Tyson regained the WBA and WBC world titles in 1995, but lost them to Holyfield the following year before eventually confirming his retirement in 2005.
Despite continued interest in a second match between the two boxers, Tyson and Douglas never fought each other again.
Sian Cowper
