After the disastrous trip in November to see Evander get knocked out by Riddick Bowe, I limped home broke and downtrodden. I tried my best to enjoy Thanksgiving day, but it was difficult. With my favorite time of year being Christmas, I had to change my attitude, since there was nothing I could do about the past.
My youngest sister worked in timeshare in Atlantic City, and she booked me a free week at Polo Towers on the strip for the week of December 9-16, 1995. I planned to go out on a vacation this time, enjoy Vegas, work out every day, enjoy the buffets which I loved, and try my best to leave the betting memories of the year in the dust.
I also had a strategy to try and make some money as well. Mike Tyson was originally scheduled to fight his opponent Buster Mathis Jr., on November 4, the same night as Bowe-Holyfield 3, but broke his thumb and had to cancel. Don King found the Spectrum in south Philadelphia to host the event on December 16, and my plan was to put what little money I had left on Tyson.
The week in Vegas was relaxing, and I had fun most every day. On one day, I took a bus to the Grand Canyon, stopped at Lake Mead along the way, and found simple pleasure in seeing God’s creation up close. Another day I spent time with a friend from Vegas at his house with his wife, and reminisced about things. As a huge Elvis fan, there was an impersonator in town who used J.D. Sumner and the stamps as his backup group, the same guys Elvis had, which was great. I had good 4 mile runs every day, and good weight workouts in the gym at Polo Towers as well. No meals were missed, and by the week’s end, it was time to try to make a few bucks to make it a decent Christmas.
The week at Polo Towers ended on Friday, so I moved across the street, and booked a few nights at the Holiday Inn Casino. It was nice enough for me, and soon after I headed straight to Caesar’s Palace sportsbook to make my last bet of 1995. The odds on Tyson and the over-under of 3 1/2 rounds were decent enough, so much so that my $8,000 bet would net me around $5,500. Tyson had never failed to cover the over-under on any fights I looked at, so I was pretty confident that on Saturday night December 16, he would come through for me in a big way.
The bout was on free television with Fox broadcasting the card. I couldn’t help but be nervous when the opening bell rang, and when Mathis was making Tyson look like an amateur by slipping his blows, it didn’t help. The second round brought more of the same, with Mathis clutching and holding Mike much of the time. Tyson seemed lethargic, and when the third round was no different, I started to almost hyperventilate. Amazingly, with just 40 seconds left in the third round, Tyson spun off the ropes, and landed two straight right hooks that dropped Mathis on his fat ass. Frank Cappuccino’s 10 second count was short and sweet, and just like that it was over. I screamed with relief, knowing Christmas would be salvaged after all. I immediately called my brother to celebrate, and then went out on the town to have some fun, and enjoy my last night in town.
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