In 1986, Mike Tyson was a young and undefeated boxing phenom. He had recorded 19 consecutive wins to start his career – most coming by way of knockouts. At just over 20 years of age, “Iron Mike” stepped into the ring against Trevor Berbick and, after two rounds, became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. The ensuing years that followed, Tyson was unbeatable; he was the first heavyweight boxer to hold unified titles for the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the International Boxing Federation. In an infamous 1988 match, Tyson obliterated a previously unbeaten champion in Michael Spinks in just 91 seconds, sending most pay-per-view fans into an uproar for such a shockingly short title fight. Tyson’s abilities and skill in the boxing ring were simply unrivaled in history. He was a giant in the ring and none could compare with his speed, strength, and crushing blows.
But sometimes, giants fall.
On February 11, 1990, in Tokyo, Mike Tyson entered the ring against James “Buster” Douglas in defense of his unified heavyweight championship titles. Tyson was now 37-0 in his professional career and his previous fight against Carl Williams lasted merely 93 seconds. From all accounts, he seemed invincible.
Douglas was a 42-to-1 underdog in the match and few had any expectations that he could compete against the fury of a raging Tyson. Round one ended and Douglas was surprisingly still standing. Rounds two, three, four… Douglas remained alert and active. The two fighters engaged in a fierce battle into the 10th round, when Douglas unleashed a series of punches that finally sent Tyson to the canvas. For the first time in his storied career, Iron Mike was down in the ring. Unable to regain footing, Tyson was counted out by the referee and Douglas became the new, undisputed heavyweight champion in what has been called the greatest upset in the history of boxing.
After the loss, it was revealed that Tyson had been out at a party the night before the fight. When friends suggested that Tyson should depart and rest for the match, he reportedly claimed that he didn’t need rest and could beat Douglas “…even if I didn’t sleep for five weeks.” As much as Douglas was prepared, Tyson was woefully under-prepared and didn’t respect his seemingly undermatched opponent. When I was in school, I had a professor who referred to large organizations that lose touch with business principles as having gotten “… fat, happy, and dumb.” Tyson surely wasn’t fat…but he certainly wasn’t prepared.
While few of us may ever know what entering a boxing ring (or taking a punch from an undefeated world-champion prize-fighter!) feels like, many of us have competed against much larger, stronger, faster, and better-equipped competitors in our business careers. The thought of being an “underdog” probably feels very familiar to us all. We face off against these organizations bidding for business and opportunities and it can sometimes feel very much like we’re in impossible scenarios. And yet, the story of Tyson vs. Douglas helps us remember that, sometimes, even the giants have to fall.
But obviously the “giants” don’t go down easily. In the title fight with Tyson, Buster Douglas had to persevere and survive for 10 rounds! He trained, of course, but anyone who has ever competed knows there’s a difference between practice and digging deep in the middle of the match. Douglas was patient when necessary and opportunistic when appropriate. Some say Douglas fought the perfect fight, from a technical view. He leveraged his trainers and coaches, and he did what he knew how to do…. he fought his way – on his terms.
In our businesses, we do the same thing. We prep accordingly and train regularly. We develop ideas, refine designs, analyze proposals, build budgets, create solutions, craft products and services, and deliver on time. Through our Two Twelve Referral Network, we have colleagues who support us, encourage us, and even refer to us to others. We’re successful – in spite of our much larger competition – because we strive to do all the ‘little things’ right (or, at least, we make a valiant effort!). For our efforts, we win sometimes. And, sometimes we lose. Every once in a while, we lose to a massive firm who hits with a knockout blow in 90 seconds. But every once in a while, when we’re simply trying our best to be competitive, we dig deep and pull an upset.
The point of this Mentor Moment is to encourage us to keep leveraging the value of our relationships and associates through our connections in Two Twelve. While we may be facing giants competitively, we have valuable resources through our teams that help us rise to meet those challenges. Staying focused on what we can control, digging deep when needed, remaining patient, and waiting for our competitors to blink provides the brief window of opportunity we may need.
And that’s when giants fall.