Bruce Seldon - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Bruce Samuel Seldon is a retired American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

and former world champion, having won the World Boxing Association

World Boxing Association

The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...

heavyweight title in 1995.

Amateur career

Seldon compiled an amateur record of 20-4 and won the New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

Golden Gloves

The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...

Super Heavyweight Championship.

Professional career

Known as "The Atlantic City Express", Seldon began his career on October 4, 1988 with a first-round knockout of Joel McGraw and won his first 18 fights without a blemish. During his winning streak he defeated some notable boxers: Ezra Sellers (future world cruiserweight title challenger), Ossie Ocasio

Ossie Ocasio

Osvaldo Ocasio, , better known as Ossie Ocasio and nicknamed Jaws, is a Puerto Rican who was a boxer and world Cruiserweight champion. He got his peculiar nickname after accidentally biting another boxer during a sparring session...

(former cruiserweight champion and heavyweight title challenger), David Bey

David Bey

David Bey is a former USBA heavyweight champion who challenged the legendary Larry Holmes for the world title in 1985....

(former world rated contender), and Jose Ribalta (former world title contender).

On April 18, 1991 future WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall

Oliver McCall

Oliver "The Atomic Bull" McCall is an American professional Heavyweight boxer best known for winning the WBC Heavyweight Championship in 1994 after scoring an upset knock out victory over Lennox Lewis, in Lewis' home town of London, England, followed by his infamous in-ring meltdown in the rematch...

handed Bruce his first defeat. Seldon was ahead on the scorecards but ran out of gas and was dropped by McCall three times in the ninth. In his next fight Seldon was matched with future undisputed world heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe

Riddick Bowe

Riddick Lamont Bowe is a retired American boxer. He is a two-time heavyweight champion and a former undisputed heavyweight champion...

who blew him out in one.

Seldon returned in 1992 with a victory over sometimes-dangerous Jesse Ferguson

Jesse Ferguson

Jesse "Boogieman" Ferguson is a retired American boxer who fought in several noteworthy boxing matches in the 1980s and 1990s...

whom he stopped on an eye injury, but was dropped and outpointed the same year by crafty ex-champ Tony Tubbs

Tony Tubbs

Tony Tubbs is a retired professional heavyweight boxer who was the WBA Heavyweight Champion of the world from 1985 to 1986.-Amateur career:...

. Seldon signed with legendary promoter Don King

Don King

Donald "Don" King is an American boxing promoter particularly known for his hairstyle and flamboyant personality. His career highlights include promoting "The Rumble in the Jungle" and the "Thrilla in Manila". He also had a long association with Mike Tyson...

in 1993 and boxed on a series of his undercards, most notably in August 1993 when he stopped waning ex-champ Greg Page

Greg Page (boxer)

Greg Page was a boxer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion from 1984 to 1985...

in nine rounds.

WBA heavyweight title

On April 8, 1995 Seldon boxed towering ex-champ Tony Tucker

Tony Tucker

Tony Craig Tucker is a retired professional heavyweight boxer. Tucker fought professionally from 1980 to 1998. Nicknamed "TNT," he won a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games, and was briefly a world heavyweight champion as a professional.-Amateur career:Tucker had a notable amateur career,...

for the vacant WBA title that George Foreman

George Foreman

George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur...

had vacated rather than do business with Don King. The aging 35 year old Tucker seemed to hurt Seldon a few times during the bout, but the younger fighter's famed jab swelled Tucker's eye shut and the fight was stopped on injury after seven rounds. With Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...

fresh out of prison and on the comeback trail, this victory meant huge money for Seldon down the road.

In his first defence Seldon stopped Native American Joe Hipp

Joe Hipp

Joe "The Boss" Hipp is a retired professional Native American Heavyweight boxer. Hipp, a member of Blackfoot Tribe became the first Native American to challenge for the world heavyweight championship of boxing on August 19, 1995 when he fought WBA champion Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand Las Vegas...

in the 10th round, on the undercard of Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson

's return to the ring against Peter McNeeley

Peter McNeeley

"Hurricane" Peter McNeeley is a former heavyweight boxer, best known for his 1995 fight with Mike Tyson in which McNeeley had famously vowed to wrap Tyson in a "cocoon of horror." McNeeley fought aggressively and was knocked down twice within the first two minutes as a result...

Seldon vs Tyson

In his second defense, in September 1996, he met WBC champion Mike Tyson, who had won his title crushing Frank Bruno

Frank Bruno

Franklin Roy Bruno MBE is an English former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...

in three. Seldon was knocked down twice, under punches that did not appear to connect with much force, and was stopped by knockout in the first round.

Replays shown in the arena and on TV did not appear to show hard punches on the two Seldon knockdowns and the fans in the arena chanted "Fix! Fix! Fix!", believing Seldon had taken a dive. Seldon went into retirement after the fight. Rap artist Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...

attended the fight and shortly after was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in the Las Vegas metropolitan area

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

of Nevada. Shakur was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died several days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

After this ignominious defeat Seldon, aged only 29 and with a respectable record of 33-4, laid low for many years, leaving the boxing scene. Several years later, he served time for statutory rape.

Comeback

Seldon attempted a comeback at age 37 in 2004. He defeated two journeymen before gaining a high profile fight on HBO with Gerald Nobles

Gerald Nobles

Gerald Nobles , is an American boxer.-Professional career: This Philadelphia fighter turned pro on October 6, 1995 with a first round TKO of Juan Carlos Antonio. His first nine wins were via knockout as well as fourteen of his first fifteen.In 2001, Nobles won a Unanimous 10 round decision against...

. Abandoning his famed jab and boxing style for a brutal punch out, Seldon decked Nobles in the second and was ahead on points but ended up throwing in the towel due to an eye injury in the ninth. In his next bout, an overweight Seldon was stopped in two rounds by Tye Fields

Tye Fields

Tye "Big Sky" Fields is an American heavyweight boxer.-Career:Tye Fields grew up in Beaverton, Oregon. Fields played college basketball and was a starter at forward for San Diego State University. Fields never was an amateur...

.

Seldon launched a second comeback in 2007, now into his 40's, and knocked out a series of journeymen before being knocked out himself by ranked contenders Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson

Kevin Maurice Johnson is the current mayor of Sacramento, California. He is Sacramento's first African American mayor. Prior to entering politics, Johnson was a basketball player in the NBA, playing point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns...

and Fres Oquendo

Fres Oquendo

Fres Oquendo was born April 1, 1973 in Puerto Rico, and is a professional heavyweight boxer.He had a successful amateur background.-Amateur career:He had an amateur record of 105-51990 178 lb. Springfield Golden Gloves Champion1992 178 lb...

. He was also KO'd in four during an exhibition with Alexander Povetkin

Alexander Povetkin

Alexander Vladimirovich Povetkin is a Russian boxer. He is the current holder of the WBA heavyweight title. His height is . Because of his amateur success, as well as his early pro accomplishments, he is seen as a leading contender in professional boxing's Heavyweight division...

Currently

Seldon is currently training his super middleweight son Isiah Seldon. While not officially 'retired', Seldon is more involved with his son's career at this time. Bruce Seldon's career record stands at 40 Wins and 8 losses, with 36 knockouts.

Professional boxing record

Fres Oquendo

|KO
|9
|24/07/2009
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Gabe Brown
|TKO
|5
|15/05/2009
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Brad Gregory
|TKO
|2
|07/11/2008
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Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson (boxer)

Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson is an American heavyweight boxer.-Amateur career:Johnson started boxing at the age of 18...

|TKO
|5
|05/09/2008
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Livin Castillo
|TKO
|5
|31/05/2008
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Jay Sweetman
|KO
|2
|10/03/2007
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Marcus Rhode
|KO
|1
|10/02/2007
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Tye Fields

|KO
|2
|28/10/2005
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Gerald Nobles

|TKO
|9
|15/05/2004
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Lenzie Morgan
|TKO
|2
|09/04/2004
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Otis Tisdale
|KO
|3
|06/03/2004
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Mike Tyson

|KO
|1
|07/09/1996
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Joe Hipp

|TKO
|10
|19/08/1995
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Tony Tucker

|RTD
|7
|08/04/1995
|align=left|

Bill Corrigan
|KO
|1
|17/12/1994
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Tui Toia
|TKO
|3
|02/07/1994
|align=left|

Nathaniel Fitch

Nathaniel Fitch is a former heavyweight boxer best known for his stellar amateur boxing career.-Professional career:...

|TKO
|4
|19/02/1994
|align=left|

Greg Page

Greg Page (boxer)

Greg Page was a boxer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion from 1984 to 1985...

|TKO
|9
|06/08/1993
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Mike Robinson
|KO
|2
|17/04/1993
|align=left|

Al Shoffner
|TKO
|7
|15/02/1993
|align=left|

Alexander Popov
|TKO
|2
|24/01/1993
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Tony Tubbs

Tony Tubbs is a retired professional heavyweight boxer who was the WBA Heavyweight Champion of the world from 1985 to 1986.-Amateur career:...

|UD
|10
|14/10/1992
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Percell Davis
|TKO
|3
|18/09/1992
|align=left|

Mike Dixon
|UD
|10
|09/07/1992
|align=left|

Larry Givens

Larry Givens is a retired American heavyweight boxer.-Professional career:Givens had a long career, which spanned 18 years and 50 fights, ending with a record of 3-46 with 3 knockouts and one No Decision. Givens' career in professional boxing began in April 1981 with a loss to Arthur Artwell...

|TKO
|2
|22/06/1992
|align=left|