Even Columbus Was Surprised

James (Buster) Douglas returned home to a hero’s welcome today, greeted by more than 1,000 new fans who wanted to catch a glimpse of the man who surprised the world by knocking out heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

When Douglas headed for Tokyo to fight Tyson, he left in obscurity. Hardly anyone noticed or cared. But he was met by a cheering crowd upon his arrival this afternoon at Port Columbus International Airport.

His grandmother, Sarah Jones, stepped to the microphone, held the World Boxing Council belt high in the air and said: “We did it, Columbus. We got it. And now we’re going to keep it.”

The crowd cheered.

Douglas said he wants to take on undefeated Evander Holyfield, who had already signed a contract to fight Tyson in June.

“Evander Holyfield’s the No. 1 contender, and he would be the next opponent,” he told reporters.

Johnson said he discussed with Mayor Dana Rinehart the possibility of having the fight at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State football team in Columbus.

Douglas was greeted by about 500 pupils of the Windsor Alternative School, where his son, Lamar, is a fifth-grader.

“I’d just like to thank everyone for coming out and showing their support. All the little people, all the kids,” Douglas said.

Douglas, 29, shocked the sport of boxing Sunday with his 10th-round knockout of Tyson, who went down to his first defeat in 38 fights.

But two of boxing’s three governing bodies suspended Douglas’ victory, pending review of film to determine if Douglas received a long count when Tyson knocked him down in the eighth round.

Rinehart said as far as he and Columbus are concerned, Douglas is the city’s newest champion.

“If they take this championship away from him, Rocky Marciano will flip over in his grave,” Rinehart said.

A parade was scheduled for Wednesday morning.

The International Boxing Federation said it recognized Douglas as the champion, but the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Assn. suspended the result pending their investigation. They could order a rematch.

Tyson stood to make at least $25 million by fighting Holyfield, and Holyfield at least $12 million. Douglas got $1.3 million for Sunday’s fight.

Even in Columbus, Douglas’ knockout of Tyson came as a surprise.

At the Scoreboard Lounge, a local sports bar, most of the patrons watched the preliminaries to Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game instead of the fight.

“I saw it all happen, but there were just a few of us watching,” said bartender Scott Dye. “The vast majority were paying attention to the slam-dunk competition at the NBA All-Star Game on the big screens.

“What an upset, the biggest upset in boxing history. It’s not too often you get a heavyweight champion from Columbus, Ohio, but you’ve got one now.”

But Doug Owens of the Fitness Center in suburban Westerville, where Douglas trains, said he was not surprised. Owens supervises Douglas’ diet and weight training.

“I saw it as a wonderful fight,” Owens said. “It shows that James is the great fighter that he is.”