Douglas Given Undisputed Title

NEW YORK — James (Buster) Douglas became undisputed heavyweight champion today, three days after knocking out Mike Tyson, amid reports that a Tyson-Douglas rematch is set for June 18 in Atlantic City.

Douglas, who knocked Tyson out in the 10th round early Sunday in Tokyo, received recognition from the World Boxing Assn. The World Boxing Council recognized his victory Monday night, after Tyson’s promoter-adviser, Don King, dropped his protest.

The International Boxing Federation already had recognized Douglas.

“I never asked anybody to change the decision,” King said Monday night in his first comments since the knockout of Tyson. “We just want a first shot at a rematch.”

There may be a hitch, though. Evander Holyfield, who had a contract to fight Tyson on June 18 if Tyson was heavyweight champion, still is the No. 1 contender of the WBC, WBA and IBF. A Douglas-Holyfield fight, therefore, may be mandated.

King and Tyson were scheduled to hold a news conference late this afternoon in New York.

In the meantime, billionaire Donald J. Trump told the New York Times: “We made the deal a little while ago” to host a Tyson-Douglas rematch.

Gary Selesner, vice president of operations at Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, told The Press of Atlantic City that the casino owned by Trump will host the rematch.

Selesner was not immediately available to comment.

However, Dan Duva, who promotes Holyfield, said: “Right now, everything is in the talking stages, and negotiations are going on, but nothing is firm. The only thing firm is that Evander Holyfield is the mandatory challenger for Buster Douglas.”

Duva said he had been conducting negotiations with King about several possibilities, “and that is one of them, but nothing has been agreed upon, and I told Gary Selesner that this morning”

James Binns, legal counsel for the WBA, told the Associated Press this morning: “The WBA has declared Buster Douglas the champion. It’s just upon reflection that this is the right decision. There are no conditions regarding a title defense.”

Binns said the decision was made after consulting this morning with WBA President Gilberto Mendoza, who was still in Japan.

“I’ll meet with him tomorrow (Wednesday), and after that we may conduct a press conference,” Binns said.

WBC President Jose Sulaiman said his organization was not withholding title recognition of Douglas, as he had indicated earlier.

Sulaiman said Monday night he was misunderstood in his comments about the possibility of not recognizing Douglas, and, in fact, his organization is unanimous in its belief that Douglas should be crowned.

“I contacted the members of the executive council of the WBC in the five continents, and they demand our group officially announce Buster Douglas as champion of the world of the heavyweight division,” Sulaiman said.

Douglas said today a rematch would be fine with him.

“I would be more than willing to fight Mike Tyson,” he said on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America,” adding: “I did it once. I’ll do it again.”