Former heavyweight boxing champion James "Buster" Douglas reportedly is out of a diabetic coma although he remains in serious but stable condition at Grant Medical Center.
WBNS-TV quoted unnamed relatives as saying Douglas was upgraded from poor to stable condition Tuesday after coming out of a diabetic coma.But the Columbus Dispatch reported that Douglas, 34, had never been diagnosed as diabetic. Sources the newspaper did not identify said Douglas had a blood sugar of about 800 when he was admitted. A normal level is between 80 and 120.
By Tuesday afternoon, Douglas' level had dropped to about 400 and was continuing to fall, the Dispatch reported. The paper said Douglas was awake and alert Tuesday night.
The hospital refused to comment. A nursing supervisor who would not give her name said today that the family asked that no information be released.
Douglas was apparently at his Columbus home Monday afternoon when he became ill.
Douglas' father, Bill Douglas, could not be reached to comment. A man who answered the phone at Bill Douglas' home Tuesday identified himself as a friend of the family and said he knew nothing of Douglas' condition. He would not confirm that Douglas was in the hospital. There was no answer at the home later Tuesday.
Messages seeking comment from his business manager, Lawrence Nallie, were not returned.
Douglas was the heavyweight champion for only eight months.
He was a 42-1 underdog when he won the title in February 1990 with a 10th-round knockout of then-undefeated Mike Tyson in Tokyo. Eight months later, an out-of-condition Douglas lost his first title defense in three rounds to Evander Holyfield.
Douglas took home a $24.1 million purse for the Holyfield fight. He has a career record of 30-5-1. He used some of his winnings to build a community center near the east side neighborhood where he grew up.
Douglas said he was content with life outside the ring. But he also faced problems away from the spotlight.
In 1993, a jury ruled that Douglas owed his hometown $293,163 in taxes from the Holyfield fight purse.
He was acquitted of drunken driving charges in 1992 and convicted of speeding.