James 'Buster' Douglas Knock Out Boxing
James 'Buster' Douglas Knock Out Boxing — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is James 'Buster' Douglas Knock Out Boxing on?
- James 'Buster' Douglas Knock Out Boxing was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Master System/Mark III, Arcade, Amiga, Atari ST/STE, Commodore C64/128/MAX, FM Towns.
- When did James 'Buster' Douglas Knock Out Boxing release?
- James 'Buster' Douglas Knock Out Boxing was first released on July 1, 1990.
About James 'Buster' Douglas Knock Out Boxing
Final Blow is an action game based around the sport of boxing. You can play the fighters in a sequence of knock-out competitions, (the computer versions also include a round-robin league). Rounds last one minute, with a short break in between them. As in the real sport, your aim is to knock your opponent down for 10 seconds, by gradually weakening him with a series of punches. You can block punches, to avoid them inflicting damage onto you. The ring is of a limited size, so players can be cornered, although the referee will intervene to break the boxers up if they become entangled in a stalemate position.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- Sanritsu
- Publisher
- Sega of America
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Master SystemDetails ↓ | 1990 | $395 | $972 | — | OVERALL 69% | Medium (look-alike) |
| Sega GenesisDetails ↓ | 1990 | $8 | $14 | — | 12% | Low |
The cheapest way to own it loose is the Sega Genesis version ($8).
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Sega Master System/Mark III · Arcade · Amiga · Atari ST/STE · Commodore C64/128/MAX · FM Towns. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $7 | $12 | $87 |
How often it sells
- Loose: about 4 times a year
- Complete: about 4 times a year
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $104 in Oct 2009, $350 five years ago, and $395 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $203 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $119 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $161 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $75 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $154 | $325 |
| Jan 2015 | $407 | $355 |
| Jan 2016 | $202 | $325 |
| Jan 2017 | $175 | $433 |
| Jan 2018 | $340 | $529 |
| Jan 2019 | $250 | $670 |
| Jan 2020 | $266 | $810 |
| Jan 2021 | $335 | $850 |
| Jan 2022 | $450 | $1,109 |
| Jan 2023 | $435 | $1,213 |
| Jan 2024 | $421 | $1,299 |
| Jan 2025 | $361 | $1,050 |
| Jan 2026 | $336 | $975 |
| Oct 2026 | $395 | $972 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date |
|---|---|
| North America | 1990 |
| Europe / PAL | May 1991 |
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Med
The Sega Master System version
A Sanritsu boxing game with a very expensive US cart and an almost free European one under a different title.
On the Master System, James 'Buster' Douglas Knockout Boxing was developed by Sanritsu Denki and published by Sega, released in North America in 1990. In Europe it came out in May 1991 as Heavyweight Champ, a title taken from an earlier Sega arcade boxing game.
This is a different game from the Genesis one that carries the Douglas name and features the boxer, so don't judge the Master System cartridge by that game's description.
What the press said at the time
| Computer + Video Games Issue 114 | May 1991 | OVERALL 69% |
“The action is a tad repetitive after a while as well. Not a complete disaster, but a little thought could have made it a lot better.”
In the sales charts
In 2 sales charts, May 1993 to June 1993; highest position #10.
Show all 2 placings
- #10 in the Virgin Master System chart — Sega Pro, Issue 19, May 1993
- #10 in the Virgin Master System chart — Sega Pro, Issue 20, June 1993
Sales charts as printed in the magazines of the time.
Before you buy
The European Heavyweight Champ cart is the same Master System game under another title and costs a tiny fraction of the US copy, loose or complete, so a European buyer or anyone who doesn't need the American box should start there. The US cart is among the most expensive US carts, so ask for a photo of the board before paying. European copies are often mixed up with American ones, since the US console plays European carts, and a European box has text in five to eight languages.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $9 | $22 | — |
| Japanese release (Final Blow) | $7 | $25 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $0.38 in Oct 2007, $5.04 five years ago, and $7.59 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $0.90 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $2.95 | $5.00 |
| Jan 2015 | $2.99 | $0.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $3.85 | $7.48 |
| Jan 2017 | $5.00 | $10.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $4.08 | $11.54 |
| Jan 2019 | $4.99 | $10.40 |
| Jan 2020 | $6.78 | $11.00 |
| Jan 2021 | $6.89 | $13.15 |
| Jan 2022 | $7.29 | $16.02 |
| Jan 2023 | $8.87 | $11.21 |
| Jan 2024 | $6.69 | $13.84 |
| Jan 2025 | $8.99 | $13.48 |
| Jan 2026 | $7.77 | $13.06 |
| Oct 2026 | $7.59 | $13.73 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 1990 | — | 010086012040 |
| Europe / PAL | 1991 | — | — |
| Japan | 23 March 1990 | T-11033 | 4988611890189 |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Genesis version
A stiff arcade boxing port that costs very little, and the cheap way to own a piece of the Buster Douglas era.
This is the Genesis version of a Taito arcade boxing game that came out as Final Blow in Japan, where the Mega Drive cart appeared on 23 March 1990. Sega released the Genesis port in North America in 1990 and in Europe in 1991, adding the heavyweight champion James "Buster" Douglas as a boxer, along with a second new fighter, Ironhead. Douglas uses the graphics of the Detroit Kid, slightly edited and recolored.
Sega pitched it during the Genesis Does campaign against Nintendo's Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. The reputation has not aged well: Mega put it ninth on its list of the ten worst Mega Drive games of all time. The Master System game with a similar American title is a different game.
What the press said at the time
| Mega Drive Advanced Gaming Issue 17 | January 1994 | 12% |
“James "Buster" Douglas Knock-Out Boxing may not be the strongest contender to ever climb into the Genesis ring, but the arcade-style action packs it with enough punch to satisfy Genesis fans hungry for some sparring.”
“So crap it is worth renting just to see how awful it is.”
How the Sega Genesis version differs
The Genesis port adds two boxers, Douglas himself and Ironhead.
Sega released the 1990 port as James 'Buster' Douglas Knockout Boxing, built around the boxer right after his upset over Mike Tyson; Mega later ranked it ninth on its ten worst Mega Drive games.
Also on other platforms
Arcade · Amiga · Atari ST · Commodore 64 · FM Towns
| Arcade | Taito |
- Arcade. The arcade original, Final Blow, was a 1989 Taito game released in North America by Romstar in June 1989.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits below the middle, and it is cheap. The European cart usually costs somewhat more than the US one, and a complete European copy costs a good deal more. The Japanese cart (Final Blow) costs about the same or a little less loose, but a complete copy usually costs much more, and its cartridge has a different shape that fits a Western console only with an adapter or after removing two plastic tabs in its slot. A complete US copy means the case, cartridge and manual.
James 'Buster' Douglas Knock Out Boxing screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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