DOUGLAS WINS: THE AFTERMATH
THE sport suffered as a consequence of Douglas’ long count. It showed the darker side of boxing. Although Don King promoted both men, he immediately swung into action to get the verdict overturned. He exerted his considerable influence over WBC president Jose Sulaiman who persuaded Meyran to admit he’d made a mistake. What should have been a heartwarming story of the biggest upset in boxing history was instead sullied by a subplot that many found despicable.
Fortunately, the public rose as one in condemning those who tried to get the verdict overturned. The Nevada State Athletic Commission, outraged over the WBC’S actions, let it be known that if the sanctioning body stripped Douglas of the crown then they would no longer be welcome in their state. Being as though the majority of the mega fights were staged in Las Vegas at the time, the WBC backed off and gave Buster full recognition as champion.
Unlike Tyson, Dempsey never lodged an official protest against the long count. Some people around him grumbled that gamblers may have been involved and gotten to the referee, but it was just speculation and nothing more. Dempsey himself did not complain at the time or in the years after. He did mention Barry counting over him before Tunney went to a neutral corner in the following round, but made it clear he harboured no bitterness over that.
The ironic thing is that unlike Dempsey, Tyson had a right to complain because the long count was not a consequence of him breaking the rules. Slow counts in boxing are a little more common than people are aware, but Meyran’s was slower than usual. That he delivered a slow count twice in the bout were the actions of a referee who wanted to give the fallen fighters every opportunity of getting up, but did not do justice to the man who had scored the knockdown.
Therefore King and Tyson did have the right to lodge a protest but only as a starting point to exert pressure on everyone involved to hasten the rematch. Instead they tried to bully their way to overturning the verdict.
To return the title to Tyson would have set off a public storm. The result remained the same but Tyson’s already eroding image was battered further. No sympathy came his way and his reputation, unlike Dempsey’s, did not benefit from the incident. Generations have debated whether Tunney could have beaten a normal count, rarely so with Douglas. The reason is straightforward: Dempsey was the underdog and a hero to the public. They wanted to see him regain the title and remind them of a happier time.
Conversely, Tyson was perceived as a bully. His troubles outside of the ring were of a champion out of control. Many wanted to see him get his comeuppance. After it happened, no one wanted to hear that Tyson was the victim of poor officiating.