GGOATRANK
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Boxing · Heavyweight · United States

Buster Douglas

1981–1999 · Produced boxing's greatest upset by knocking out Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
76.0
Cultural & brand footprint 58/100 · total legacy 70.7
World heavyweight titles
1
Professional wins
38
Knockouts
25
Professional bouts
46
Title defences
0

Category profile

Dominance
70
Peak
92
Longevity
72
Honours
70
Statistics
78

Career timeline · Form index per season

SeasonForm index per seasonShare of career
19814
19824
19833
19843
19853
19862
19872
19882
19892
19901
19910
19920
19931
19942
19952
19961
19971
19981

Data sources

  • BoxRec
  • The Ring
  • IBHOF

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Buster Douglas ranks #131 in Boxing

Buster Douglas ranks 131st among Boxing athletes on GOAT Rank and 1558th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 76.0 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 70, Peak 92, Longevity 72, Honours 70, Statistics 78. Those categories are normalised against the full Boxing reference universe of 267 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1981–1999 with 18 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1981, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes world heavyweight titles 1, professional wins 38, knockouts 25, professional bouts 46.

Immediately ahead sits Ryan Garcia on 76.6, a gap of 0.6 points. Directly behind is Michael Watson on 75.1. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Buster Douglas GOAT Score explained

Dominance70/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Douglas stood above the field while competing. Scored 70/100 against the full Boxing cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1981. Scored 92/100.
Longevity72/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 18 years of competition and 18 recorded seasons. Scored 72/100.
Honours70/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 70/100.
Statistics78/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 78/100.

Buster Douglas — frequently asked

Is Buster Douglas the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Buster Douglas ranks 131st in Boxing with a GOAT Score of 76.0, behind Sugar Ray Robinson on 94.3.
What is Buster Douglas's GOAT Score?
76.0 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 70 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 72 (20%), Honours 70 (20%), Statistics 78 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Buster Douglas rank all time?
1558th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 131st within Boxing.
Buster Douglas vs Ryan Garcia: who ranks higher?
Ryan Garcia, on 76.6 against Buster Douglas's 76.0 — a margin of 0.6 points.
Compare with Robinson