WHAT A BUSTER- WHAT A BELTER

BY JAMES BLEARS

As Hublot Watches knows full well, everything in life is timing, so how apt and so punctual to welcome to Mexico City, towering former WBC heavyweight Champion James “Buster” Douglas who twenty seven “light” years ago, defied odds of 42-1, to become the first fighter to halt formidable “Iron” Mike Tyson, in ten extraordinary, amazing, pulsating, scintillating unforgettable and emotional rounds, to carve a unique and precious niche in Boxing history.

Twenty three days, before that fabled night, Buster`s adored Mother Lula Pearl died. She had always championed her son, and inspired by her unshakable shining confidence, he defied belief to fight the fight of his life, forever changing his destiny.

At the Salon Internacional de Alta Relojeria, in the magnificent St Regis Hotel, in the heart of Mexico City, some of Mexico`s very finest were there to cheer their hearts out, as the Big Man was presented with a huge Green and Gold Belt, which he tenderly cradled in his arms, and a Hublot special edition WBC watch with a long green strap, to fit around the broad wrist of his left hand.

That list of champion big hitters who came to pay tribute included the dynamite combination of: casually dressed flamboyant, beaming Ruben “Puas” Olivares, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Pipino Cuevas, Lupe Pintor, Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez, Mariana “Barby” Juarez and Daniel Zaragoza.

Neatly attired almost like a banker, Buster who was sporting a beige hat, which looked like a scaled down version of a Texas Ranger`s headgear, said he was grateful to the WBC, while tightly grasping Boxing`s most prestigious belt, vowing he`ll forever cherish it. Emotion via achievement personified!

His memories of that extraordinary evening, with its long odds and long counts for both protagonists, remain vivid and indelible. He recalls: “Leading up to all that, I defeated Randall “Tex” Cobb, Greg Page, Trevor Berbick and Oilver McCall, fighting my way up, to get my chance to challenge for the undisputed Heavyweight Championship and it was a well deserved opportunity.

“My Mum was my Mother from day one. She totally believed in me and my brothers, that we could do anything if we set our minds to it. That was my absolute inspiration. She died before the fight, but I knew she wanted me to remain strong and continue on my journey.

“In the moments before the bell for the first round rang, I felt pretty good and also nervous, but that`s only natural before the first blow is thrown. I felt confident, because the training had been excellent and everything was perfect. I couldn`t have had a better bunch of guys to work with and the chemistry was just there. Something was just in the air that night and it was a powerful omen.

“It was relatively easy in the sense that I did what I wanted to do, and I kind of got a little over confident in the eighth round, stopped all the punches and I was looking at him and got caught with a shot, but fortunately I was able to recover and continue on.

“I waited until the Referee counted to eight, because I knew I had a couple more instants to gather myself with a quick body check, feeling my legs and my back were OK.

“Then in the tenth, I put Mike down. He`d fought a lot harder than we thought he was going to fight, but mine was just a well executed performance.”

Buster described the presentation as: “Awesome. I`m greatly appreciative to Hublot for the watch, and to the WBC reaching out to me like this and presenting this belt. It means a great deal to me and I`ll treasure it for the rest of my life.

Buster is now a boxing trainer and looks forward to going to work every day. He smiled commenting: “I`m back to where I started. My Father was a boxing coach for Columbus Parks and Works Center and now I`m a Coach. We`ve got six boxing teams in Columbus. It`s a great thing to see it coming back like it is!”

This fabulous night was due to the fulfilment of another all time great Champion`s dream. The unforgettable Don Jose Sulaiman, who created a Retired Boxers Fund, so former fighters who are facing dire poverty and acute hardship in encroaching old age, would be able to live in dignity and content, befitting their labours.

Hublot raised a million dollars via the auction of exact replicas of twelve watches, presented to a dozen all time great champions, Carlos Slim who created Ring Telmex to help and support up and coming young boxers, guaranteed one hundred and fifty thousand dollars annually for five years. While boxers, promoters and managers top up the fund with donations, giving genuine meaning to the term: BOXING FAMILY.

Buster praised this by saying: “It`s a truly great accomplishment, because we produce a lot of money in Boxing. It`s wonderful to see the WBC giving back, helping warriors who`ve fallen on hard times. This should happen throughout all sports…period.”

Hublot`s Sales Director for Latin America Fabio Rodrigues said: “We are really proud to be partners supporting this WBC Foundation. All this has happened because we are one family. The art of fusion between Boxing and Hublot. We love and we care about Boxing. For hard times as well as good times.”

World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman, determind to develop this brainwave of his Father into a smart, viable, sustainable independently run Fund, to extend a helping hand reaching out globally. He said:

“This is a dream that my Father had, to help those great heroes who are in need, and it was Hublot who got up in the ring to make a tremendous statement with an auction which raised one million dollars. There`s an upcoming event in February.

“And Telmex, thanks to Mr Carlos Slim has been so great helping the Fund. I`m so very happy for all of this which has got all to do with the heart, the mind and…legacy.”