I personally had moved to Las Vegas in April of 1986 for a few reasons. The job situation in south Jersey where I lived was lousy, and I needed a change in my life. I had worked for a few different airlines, and figured I could find work in Vegas at a different carrier. I was in fact hired for one, and was in Long Beach, California for the month of July 1986 for resident training. While staying at the hotel new employees did, I saw Mike Tyson’s next fight on television.
Tyson had signed to fight Marvis Frazier, the son of ex-heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. It was a fight that should have never taken place, and was a simple case of Joe trying to live through his kid. You would have thought that he learned a lesson when Larry Holmes knocked Marvis out in the first round in November of 1983 in Las Vegas, but obviously he hadn’t. The so called ‘fight’ was a joke, with Tyson scoring the quickest KO of his career, obliterating Marvis in just 30 seconds.
Less than a month later, Tyson traveled back to Atlantic City to face a live opponent in Joe Ribalta. The bout from the Trump Plaza was broadcast on HBO, and I didn’t see it live. Ribalta proved to be one tough customer, hitting the canvas 3 times, in the 2nd, 8th and 10th rounds. He got up each time and lasted the 10 round distance against Tyson, earning respect in my book, especially when I saw a copy of the bout later on a VHS tape.
I was in Vegas when Tyson fought again, this time vs. Alonzo Ratliff on September 6, 1986 at the Hilton Center in Las Vegas. It was the co-feature bout on HBO, with the other being Michael Spinks’ title defense against Steffen Tangstad. Walking through the Sportsbook at Caesar’s Palace one day, I noticed the odds on the over-under with the Tyson/Ratliff bout. Without remembering the specifics, I was shocked at what easy money you could make if you bet the under with Tyson.
I didn’t see Tyson’s fight, but a friend that went to see it live at the Hilton filled me in. He said Tyson easily knocked Ratliff out in two rounds, and Michael Spinks stopped Tangstad in four as well. I was more interested in Michael Spinks at the time, and was glad he had looked impressive.
I moved back home to south Jersey in November, and was glad to do so. My father who had been sick was now 100 percent, and I was tired of Vegas to be honest. Mike Tyson on the other hand had earned his first shot at the title, and on November 22, 1986, he would take advantage of that opportunity.
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