[Update: 27.08.2024]
Absolutely tanked in Abhyaas. I moved away from my old strategy to try something new in my answers. Couldn't manage my time plus lack of revision pulled my performance further down. So botched up my implementation. Missed almost 3 to 4 questions per GS paper! Again, I could not have time to finish Current Affairs because of my optional. Anyways, no excuses.. time to get back to work.
- Learning: Though I figured my mistakes out, I need to implement a strategy to remedy them somehow.
- Current mock status: Essay (3), GS1 (2), GS2 (2), GS3 (2), GS4 (3), Optional (2)
- New aim: Concretize my attempt strategy for GS in the next 7 days and give Forum simulators to see if I could implement them correctly.
- New aim for Optional: Manage 50:50 time between GS & Opt now and I need to increase mocks for Maths as well. I need to finish off CP&NA PYQs (The loss of almost 40 marks in this section last year hit me hard), FD & Mech and S&D notes consolidated, Torsion part left to practice in Vector Analysis. So aim is to get this work done.
- Anyhow, a story to share with the community (from the inventory of my stories)-
Mike "Iron" Tyson v. James "Buster" Douglas Tokyo Dome, Japan, 11 February 1990:
Tyson was the undefeated and undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world and was very popular at the time. Most considered this fight to be a warm-up bout as he had scored a 93-second knockout against Carl Williams in his previous fight. On the other hand, Douglas was considered an underdog going into this fight and up until that point, he had achieved mixed success. He was recovering from the loss of his mother who had died just twenty-three days before the fight.
HBO boxing analysts Larry Merchant and Jim Lampley expected to see "another 90-second annihilation." When asked by a Japanese customs official how long he expected to be working in Japan, Ed Schuyler of the Associated Press replied, "Oh, about ninety seconds."
Just before the fight, Tyson was seen partying with singer Bobby Brown and he refused to sleep early for the fight, deeming Douglas "an amateur" he could beat "if I didn't sleep for five weeks."
The fight:
From the outset, Douglas showed no fear. He moved with agility, throwing punches whenever he saw an opening, using quick jabs to keep Tyson at bay. Douglas finished the second round with a snappy uppercut to Tyson's chin. Seeming to regain his form, Tyson landed a punishing left to the body that had Douglas look at his corner, but still somehow Douglas seemed to dominate the middle rounds although Tyson managed to land a few of his signature uppercuts. Tyson was wobbled by a chopping right during the fifth round. Soon, Tyson's left eye began to swell from Douglas' right jabs, preventing him from seeing his opponent's punches well. Tyson's cornermen were caught unprepared; they were so confident Tyson would easily beat Douglas that they had not brought an endswell or ice packs, usually standard equipment for a fight. Instead, they filled a latex glove with ice water and held it on Tyson's eye between rounds.
Within the last ten seconds of the eighth round, Tyson, who had been backed onto the ropes, landed a big right uppercut that sent Douglas to the canvas. Although the knockdown timekeeper began when Douglas' backside touched the ring's surface, the referee was said to have started his own count behind by two beats. Douglas rose as the referee signaled nine, but the bell ended the round.
In the tenth round, Tyson pushed forward, but he was still hurting from the accumulation of punishment he had absorbed throughout the match. As Tyson advanced, Douglas measured him with a few jabs before landing an uppercut that snapped Tyson's head upward, stopping Tyson in his tracks. As Tyson reeled back, Douglas immediately followed with four punches to the head, knocking Tyson down for the first time in his career. In a famous scene, Tyson fumbled for his mouthpiece on the canvas before sticking one end in his mouth with the other end hanging out. The champion attempted to make it back to his feet, but referee Octavio Meyran counted him out. Buster Douglas thus became the new undisputed heavyweight champion, engineering one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
During the post-fight interview, Douglas broke down in tears when asked why he was able to win this fight when no one thought he could. "Because of my mother...God bless her heart," said the emotional new champion.
Each one of us has a Buster Douglas within us and each one of us is fighting their own demons. Let's fight hard for these last three weeks before Mains. All the best!
Thank you for sharing this!! 'Tyson vs Douglas' story never fails to amaze me no matter how many times I read it.
