Former heavyweight boxing champion James "Buster" Douglas, right, works with Chase Matson, 11, of Upper Arlington, Ohio, during a class Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015, at Thompson Recreation Center in Columbus, Ohio. Wednesday is the 25th anniversary of Douglas' 1990 defeat of then-champion Mike Tyson in Toyko. "Being crowned champion was a dream for me," Douglas said of his upset. "To achieve that was the ultimate. It was awesome."

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An uppercut and three follow-up punches made James “Buster” Douglas a household name. And 25 years later, the brief heavyweight champion is still pleased his knockout of Mike Tyson ranks among the biggest upsets in sports.

“Being crowned champion was a dream for me,” Douglas said of his Feb. 11, 1990 upset. “To achieve that was the ultimate. It was awesome.”

A promising if enigmatic fighter, Douglas was given almost no chance of hanging around long with the undefeated heavyweight champion in their title fight in Tokyo. The bout was considered a tuneup for Tyson before an anticipated match with rising star Evander Holyfield.

In fact, the day before Tyson fought Douglas, promoter Don King called a news conference to discuss the dates and terms of that showdown. Douglas took note.

Douglas was a terrific athlete — he played small-college basketball — but was considered less than committed to boxing despite a 29-4-1 record as a professional. The son of club fighter Bill “Dynamite” Douglas, he had shown glimpses of promise but had also displayed a lack of heart and discipline at other times.

But roughly three weeks before the opening bell with Tyson, the person who believed in him the most, his mother, Lula Pearl, died.

Reminded this week that no one had thought he had a chance against Tyson, Douglas hesitated before saying: “Yeah, but she did.”

Tyson was boxing’s hope and its bane, a street tough who stepped into the ring in simple black trunks, black shoes and a sheared-off T-shirt. His temperament was erratic, at best. He could be emotional when he spoke of his late mentor and friend, Cus D’Amato, or he could also be raw, brutal and crude.

In the ring, he was a force of nature, always striding closer, always hurling punches, never yielding.

He was 37-0 with 33 knockouts heading into the fight. Las Vegas oddsmakers made him a 42-1 favorite to do his wrecking-ball thing against Douglas.

They weren’t alone. Ed Schuyler, a boxing writer for The Associated Press, was stopped at customs on his way into Japan. The customs officer asked Schuyler how long he would be working in Japan.

“About 90 seconds,” Schuyler deadpanned.

Just before the opening bell, someone in the crowd shouted to Douglas to win it for his mother.

The 6-foot-4 Douglas came out inspired. He held his own in the early rounds, holding off the shorter Tyson’s charge with his left jab.

Late in the eighth round, Douglas went down.

After the fighters returned to their corners, Douglas dominated the ninth. Then in the 10th, he rocked the world.

“I finished him up with a combination,” Douglas said. “I hit him with four terrific shots. He wasn’t able to get up.”