When I went to the Caesar’s Palace sportsbook on Sunday, June 18, 1995 to cash in my nearly $40,000 ticket on the Bowe knockout win, I had my next move all set in my mind. Roy Jones Jr. was fighting Vinny Pazienza the following Saturday night, and the odds were 12-1 in Roy’s favor. I took $36,000 in sports chips, and went to the betting window to put on Jones, which would bring me an easy $3,000 payday. When one of the managers at the sportsbooks said “What a stupid bet!”, suddenly my ego got in the way. Saying to myself “I’ll show him!”, I immediately put another $11,000 on the over-under line of 6 1/2 rounds, placing my money on the over, figuring nobody knocked out Vinny. That win would net me another 8 grand, and bring me closer to me goal than ever.
I felt very confident in my wagers, and went home to go to work with my lawn service for the week. My rationale was that Pazienza was a tough little bugger, and had a hard head, and lots of determination that made up for what he lacked in skills. By the time my brother came over to watch the action on my big screen projection TV, I was excited.
I also remember that the main event from Atlantic City Convention Hall took forever to start. It was past midnight when the opening bell rang, but things were going according to plan. Roy was nailing Vinny with ease, and his left jab was sharp and crisp. Once in a while, Pazienza would bull rush Jones to the ropes, and try to land as many punches as he could in a bunch. It was obviously a mismatch, but all I cared was that the fight went past the 1:30 mark of the 7th round, then Roy could knockout Pazienza with one punch and end it if he wanted to.
After 5 rounds, my confidence was brimming, with Jones starting to basically chase Vinny around the ring, and win the rounds big. After the 6th round was half over, I remarked to my brother “Only one more round to go, and I’m home free!” A short while later, a left hook came from nowhere, and put Vinny down on his ass. He got up, and shook his head to say “I’m fine!”, which briefly made me feel better. Not long after, he went down again, as I was literally peeing my shorts. Getting up again, I screamed “Run Vinny! Run!” Unfortunately with less than 15 seconds left in the round, Jones landed an avalanche of punches on the ‘Pazmanian Devil’, dropping him in the corner, and causing referee Tony Orlando to call the action as Vinny was falling.
I sat in shock, realizing my ultimate nightmare had come true. If Vinny could have lasted another 15 seconds, I know he would have come out in the 7th round, and run like the wind to clear his head. The reality was he didn’t ,and I was out $8,000. After my brother left, I was almost comatose, and hardly slept a wink. Sure I was still up $34,000 in my venture, but this loss could have been prevented. Over-under bets were not part of the game plan, and my ego had cost me a bundle. As the week continued, and I was working, I still didn’t feel any better, with me kicking myself constantly for my own stupidity. It still stands as one of the dumbest things I ever did, letting my ego get in the way, and ruining my plan which had been working perfectly.
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