James “Buster” Douglas

James “Buster” Douglas, famous heavyweight boxer, will forever go down in history for beating the Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson in 10 rounds. Douglas was born in Columbus, Ohio where he lived and grew up. He started boxing when he was in his twenties and gave the world something to talk about when the underdog took the victory on a February day in 1990, crushing Tyson and becoming one of the most improbable heavyweight champions in boxing history.

After his success, Douglas stopped his training in boxing as well as exercising, and gained weight as a result. He was so out of shape when he fought Evander Holyfield in 1990, he checked in at 15 pounds overweight. The loss of his mother, disputes with his father, and his most recent failures in boxing contributed to Douglas weighing nearly 400 pounds. He was hospitalized in 1994 and finally awoke after a three-day diabetic coma.

It was only after this death scare that Douglas worked to get himself back into shape. He started training again and reclaimed the business of boxing, losing nearly 200 pounds in the two years after he was hospitalized and winning six consecutive fights. Douglas has succeeded in turning his life around, and has become a vocal advocate for diabetes self-care.