It Wasn’t! Brizel Editorial Response to Boxing 24 7 Calling Tyson KO of Seldon a Dive
Editorial By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
*Photo Credit: Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media
Rapper Tupac Shakur was in attendance, and got gunned down after leaving the brief bot at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 7, 1996. The footnote was memorable, as for Iron Mike Tyson, it had been a brief good night, and for Bruce Seldon, it was, literally, good night sweetheart for his presence in the brief bout.
The main event was Tyson versus Seldon, or Seldon versus Tyson, a world Heavyweight title bout of some measure at the time. Perhaps not much measure, but some measure, nonetheless. Seldon held (at the time) the World Boxing Association version of the World Heavyweight title. Seldon had won the vacant WBA title on April 8, 1995, at Cwesars Palace Las Vegas, over former International Boxing Federation World Heavyweight champion Tony Tucker, as referee Mills Lane stopped the bout after the seventh round in Tucker’s corner due to swelling around Tucker’s eyes. It should be noted Tucker went 12 rounds with Tyson in a WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight unification bout at the Las Vegas Hilton in August 1987, right over Tucker won the vacant IBF title in May 1987 with a trenth round stoppage of Tyson knockout conqueror James Buster Douglas.
On August 19, 1995, Seldon defending the WBA title for the first time at MGM Grand with a tenth round stoppage of challenger Joe Hipp. Tyson had won back the WBC Heavyweight title by stopping Frank Bruno at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but vacated the WBC title to then challenge Seldon for the WBA version of the title. This set up the Lennox Lewis versus Oliver McCall rematch at the Las Vegas Hilton for the vacant WBC title, won by Lewis by fifth round stoppage in February 1997.
A more comprehensive analysis of Seldon’s record documents it is unlikely he threw the Tyson bout. Tyson had used the psychological element of the fear factor and his personality of rage to defeat many an opponent before he ever stepped in the ring, back in the day of the Tyson. The fact Tyson lost five times spoke of the fact his Bobby Fischer like emotional tactics did not always work. Even today, trash talk between boxers, form Tyson Fury on Deontay Wilder, Caleb Plant on Canelo Alvarez, Tony Yoka on Joe Joyce, Teofimo Lopez on Vasil Lomachenko, and Gary Russell Jr. on Gervonta Tank Davis, helps to sell tickets, pay-per-views, and set up potential future matchups and rematches.
Tyson recorded 15 first round knockouts before knocking down Trevor Berbick twice in the second round and winning the WBC version of the World Heavyweight when referee Mills Lane stopped the bout at the Las Vegas Hilton in November 1986. Michael Spinks, Carl “The Truth” Williams, Henry Tillman, Peter McNeeley, Alex Stewart, Lou Savarese and Clifford Etienne were bouts Tyson won in the first round after fighting Berbick. So, history documents precedent for Tyson ending some of his fights early (though not all fights ended early) and the intimidation fear factor. Much later, his final opponent, Kevin McBride, would undergo hypnosis before fighting Tyson, and successfully overcame the so-called fear factor some of Tyson’s opponents obviously reacted to. Tyson won only five of his last 12 fights, leading into the exhibition draw with Roy Jones Jr. over 15 years later. Going back to 1996, the exhibition draw included, Tyson only five of his last 13 bouts, which can literally be interpreted to mean as he aged out the fear factor dissipated, and no longer worked to his factor to intimidate opponents.
Back in 1996, the Mike Tyson fear factor was very much a factor, and a public perception as Tyson’s reputation for ferocity sold tickets and pay-per-views. Seldon’s record reveals he had eight first round knockouts or stoppages over undistinguished opponents before the Tyson bout. However, Seldon, “The Atlantic City Express”, was stopped in the ninth round by future World Heavyweight champion Oliver McCall at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City in April 1991, and got knocked out at 1:48 of the first round by 25-0 future World Heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe in his next bout at Convention Hall in Atlantic City in August 1991. The McCall and Bowe losses exposed the defensive flaws of Seldon. As Bowe had already taken Seldon out in the first round, Tyson’s 1:49 of the first round destruction of Seldon was essentially a template repeat of his bout with Bowe.
In October 1992, Seldon was knocked down in the first round at Harrah’s Marina Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, managed to get up, but lost a 10 round decision to former WBA World Heavyweight champion Tony Tubbs. Strangely, Tubbs had gone the distance with Riddick Bowe losing a 10 rounder at Caesars Hotel & Casino Atlantic City in April 1991, a televised bout Tubbs appeared to win. Tubbs then got knocked out in the first round by Leonel Butler in Pensacola, Florida in February 1992, and did not figure to beat Seldon. Tubbs later went on a stretch when he won only four of ten bouts between 1994 and 2003.
Seldon was later stopped by heavyweight gatekeepers Gerald Nobles, Tye Fields, Kevin Johnson, and was counted out in the ninth round of his final bout against Fres Oquendo in July 2009 at UIC Pavillion in Chicago. He later reappeared in the corner in Atlantic City as the trainer of his son, hot and cold middleweight Isiah Seldon, 14-4-1 with five knockouts, Somer’s Point, New Jersey. Isaiah’s last eight pro bouts went win draw, win loss, win loss, win loss. Isaiah will return on September 25, 2021, at Showboat Hotel Atlantic City against 16-24 Brandon Baue of Troy, Missouri. Three of Isaiah’s losses were in the first round. His statistic is unrelated to his father, and is in a different division. In any case, his son is off the streets. While not of media interest today, the Seldon story continues in Atlantic City.
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