What fight?

Dean Juipe

Monday, Sept. 9, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

There was and is explaining to be done, but no one wants to do it.

Bruce Seldon: a no-show at Saturday's post-fight press conference and a no-show at a follow-up conference Sunday morning.

Mike Tyson: limiting his post-fight comments to three sentences, none addressing his far-too-easy first-round knockout of Seldon Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden, and a no-show Sunday as well.

Don King: anxious only to talk about Tyson's next fight and his next source of revenue, a Nov. 9 bout with Evander Holyfield at the MGM.

Any questions about Tyson's reaction to Seldon's weak-kneed opposition will have to be deferred, perhaps permanently, as the carnival moves on to a bout with Holyfield.

"I am punching harder these days," Tyson said while still in the ring and with the crowd chanting "fix" after his 109-second win over Seldon.

Later, at a press conference he clearly didn't enjoy being at and one he threatened to leave if King didn't speed things up, Tyson limited his public conversation to these three sentences pertaining to Holyfield: "You got nothing coming. I'm going to like this. I'm going to have a good time with this fight."

Good times were nowhere to be found in the aftermath of Seldon's folly.

King ushered the conversation clear of Seldon and kept the focus ahead, on Holyfield and Tyson finally meeting five years after they were first scheduled to fight. That 1991 bout never came off as Tyson -- who has pulled out of seven fights in his career -- pulled out of that one due to damaged rib cartilage.

Now they'll meet in November with Tyson's newly won World Boxing Association heavyweight title at stake. That same card will include the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title fight between champion Michael Moorer and Frans Botha, as well as a likely World Boxing Organization heavyweight title fight involving champion Henry Akinwande.

The tough part for King will be selling any fight after Seldon's inept display.

"I was hurt," Seldon said before leaving the ring. He then launched into a sorrowful tale that contributed to him breaking down in tears a few minutes later in his dressing room.

"He's very fast," Seldon continued. "He's a hard, powerful guy, I'm witness to that. I didn't choke. He rattled me, he really did. I'm definitely not going to take a dive. It wasn't a fixed fight.

"I feel very hurt. I feel very bad. I let a lot of people down. All I can say is I'm sorry. I tried my best but Mike Tyson is a very good fighter."

Referee Richard Steele, who was working his 137th world-title fight, was among the majority in the building who couldn't believe it when Seldon first went down.

With Seldon down, Steele very clearly was waving his hands to signal a slip.

"I thought (Tyson) missed with the punch, so I was going to wave it off," Steele said. "Then I looked a second time and (Seldon) wasn't getting up. He seemed damaged, so I had to pick up the count."

Asked to elaborate about the punch that ultimately led to Seldon's demise, Steele said, "I've seen a lot worse."

So has another veteran Nevada referee, Mills Lane, who was viewing from ringside. He told a TV reporter he thought Seldon "was pretending" when he first went down.

Seldon went down a second time when he took a marginally decent hit, and this time Steele counted him out. Seldon, who came into the ring all smiles, dropped to 33-4 in what undoubtedly will be his final fight of any significance.

An enraged gathering of 9,494 left the arena very much displeased.

Which is why King wanted to limit his conversation to Tyson vs. Holyfield.

"This will be a fighter's fight, a fan's fight," he said.

Holyfield, who will still need the approval of the Nevada State Athletic Commission and its medical advisory board before he can be OK'd for the fight, dutifully expressed the belief that he has what it takes to beat Tyson.

"Tyson knows that I'm probably one of the only guys who don't fear him," Holyfield said. "Tyson is a ferocious guy. To beat a guy like that, you've got to get his respect, then box him. You have to box, then if he puts you in a corner, then you have to fight. You have to do both of them. If a guy can't fight, he's not going to win."

Holyfield sounded as if he might be willing to trade with Tyson, at least at the right times.

"When he gets hit hard, it's going to affect him the same way it would affect you," he said. "If he gets hit on the chin hard, he might fall the way you may fall. That's just life."

Holyfield, a former undisputed heavyweight champion, is 32-3 with 23 knockouts. Tyson is now 45-1 with 39 KOs.

Tickets for their fight will go on sale Sept. 16 and are priced at $200 to $1,500. The card will also be available outside of Southern Nevada on a pay-per-view basis.

Only time will tell if there's any electricity in the air Nov. 9.

There clearly wasn't before the main event Saturday, and there certainly wasn't in the aftermath of what will long be remembered as one of the least interesting heavyweight title fights in history.

MGM notes

When he arrived at Saturday's press conference, Mike Tyson made it clear he didn't care for Corona beer, nor did it matter that the company had paid a promotional fee to promoter Don King. Tyson had the beer removed from the dais, not only in front of him but in front of all 20 press-conference participants. ... No surprises on Saturday's undercard as IBF welterweight champ Felix Trinidad sauntered through a six-round workout before his fight with Ray Lovato was stopped; WBC and IBF junior middleweight champ Terry Norris disposed of Alex Rios in the fifth round; and Christy Martin took care of the overmatched Melinda Robinson in four rounds. Of the losers, only Rios -- probably because he's managed by Carl King -- was invited to the press conference. ... Sunday's press conference was dominated by Michael Moorer and Frans Botha, who will fight for Moorer's IBF title Nov. 9. Moorer is 36-1 with 30 knockouts and Botha is 36-0 with 21 KOs. The winner of that fight is likely to face Tyson next March. ... A closing item: Back in June, Seldon publicly talked about a dream he said he "had had three times" in which he and Tyson are engaged in a terrific fight. "Tyson cuts me in an early round. And then I cut him. Two rounds later, Tyson decks me. Two more rounds go by and then I drop him. It's a war. Then the bell rings ending the 11th round and I get back to my corner and my trainer tells me that I need a knockout to win. I wish I knew how (the dream fight) ends, but I keep waking up as the bell goes 'ding' to start the 12th round." It's too bad the real fight didn't mirror Seldon's dreams.

archive