I continue my list of the fights I watched on HBO over the years.
51. George Foreman vs. Axel Schulz. April 22, 1995. I went to see this fight live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, mostly because I had bet a lot of money on George to win. I’m not going to talk about that here, but rather the event itself, which I also watched on HBO, whose feed was shown live on the big screens. I had never heard of Axel Schulz, and was surprised how difficult a time George was having with him. Even though I had Foreman winning the early rounds, it was close, and by the end of the final round, I was sick to my stomach because of the amount of my huge wager. I breathed a sigh of relief when George got the decision, and was just grateful that he had won.
52. Lennox Lewis vs. Lionel Butler. May 13, 1995. This was Lennox’s first fight since his loss to Oliver McCall the previous September, and I could now watch it at home, because we finally had HBO. I was thrilled to see Lewis destroy Butler in five rounds in the bout from Sacramento. He had Emmanuel Steward as his trainer now, and it was the beginning of his march to regain the heavyweight crown.
53. Riddick Bowe vs. Jorge Luis Gonzalez. June 17, 1995. Another trip to Vegas to see this one live, again because I had bet a bundle on ‘Big Daddy’ Bowe. I sat in my $600 seat the MGM and recalled a discussion I had with some guy the day before at Caesar’s Palace. He asked my prediction for the fight and I said “Gonzalez is going out on his back in about 6 rounds!” My prediction was right on the money, when a tremendous right hand knocked the Cuban down and out on his back. I ran from the area, thrilled that I had just made the most money I ever had on a boxing bet. It was one of the highlights of my life as a boxing fan to this day.
54. Pernell Whitaker vs. Gary Jacobs. August 26, 1995. I watched this one on my brand new 46 inch projection tv as ‘Sweet Pea’ easily outboxed and overwhelmed Jacobs in twelve rounds from Atlantic City. It was hardly a riveting night, but it is on my list of fights I have watched on HBO, so I included it here.
55. Roy Jones Jr. vs. Tony Thornton. September 30, 1995. Roy Jones made a title defense in Pensacola that Saturday night against a guy I had a personal connection with. I had met Tony Thornton at a local shopping mall when I was a part-time security guard, and he had asked me to train with him. I had to refuse of the distance his gym was from my house, but he couldn’t have been nicer to me. He was a full-time delivery man for the post office, and I saw him actually walking his route while training to fight Roy Jones. I had a lawn service at the time, and his route was in one of the towns I did a few lawns in. His schedule was crazy, since he got up and drove 25 miles to train at 5 am, came home and did his mail route, then ran 5 miles at night. I felt sorry for him, but admired his discipline, knowing no one working full-time was going to beat Roy Jones. It was an easy three round KO for Roy, but at least Tony made some money, and I was happy for that. Sadly, he was killed when his motorcycle was hit by a bus four years later, and his death is one that still stings to this day.
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