As July of 1995 turned to August, I had come up with a new plan to try and still bail myself out of debt. There would be no room for error however, and the wagers I would make would include over-under bets, far more risky, but necessary. First things first meant booking a flight to Vegas for Friday, August 18, and a hotel room at Bally’s Hotel as well. Mike Tyson was set to fight some chump named Peter McNeeley, who Don King actually tried to pawn off as a legitimate opponent for Mike. When I watched the previews for the bout on Showtime, it seemed kind of hokey to me, showing McNeeley at home in Massachusetts running and training. I didn’t think this clown would last 90 seconds with Tyson, and I was planning on putting every dime I had on the under with Tyson to prove it.
The atmosphere was electric in Vegas when I arrived in town on Friday night. The boxing world was abuzz with Tyson’s return, and it was the busiest I ever saw the town for any fight weekend I was there. On Saturday morning, I made a quick trip to the Caesar’s Palace sportsbook, and dropped $22,000 on Tyson to win the under at 2 1`/2 rounds. I was extremely confident this time, and when I overheard guys talking about the fight while I was working out at Bally’s gym, I laughed to myself. The were wondering if the fight would really be easy for Mike, since he had been in prison for three years. McNeeley wasn’t exactly Ray Mercer, but people get nervous when it comes to laying money on boxing. When I knew I couldn’t lose like with this one, I had ice water in my veins, and was a relaxed as a baby taking a nap.
I strolled over to the MGM Grand after a nice dinner at the Flamingo buffet, and was amazed at the crowd in the lobby. You couldn’t move, with wall to wall people everywhere, but I wasn’t annoyed at all. It was downright fun looking next to me and seeing Roberto Duran, with Thomas Hearns right next to him. I turned around and Jim Carrey was there, with Lauren Holly by his side. When I finally made it past the lobby, I learned that the fight was sold out at the different locations on the hotel property., Figuring it would be a short night, I played some slots, and around fight time, went to hang out at the sportsbook.
It was only a few minutes later the word had spread that the fight had only lasted 90 seconds or so. I certainly was happy, because I had just pocketed around $8,800 in quick fashion. The win helped to ease some of the sting from the Hopson disaster, and lifted my spirits tremendously. The rest of the weekend was fun, and when I flew home on Monday August 21, I felt energized that I could still pull off a miracle.
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