After the $5,000 payday from the Bowe win, I made plans to fly back to Vegas two weeks later. I checked into the Aladdin Hotel again, and headed right back to Caesar’s Palace Sportsbook, this time with a photo ID on my Jersey driver’s license in hand. My reason for this trip was to place a wager on the April 8 card at Caesar’s entitled ‘Burden of Proof’. The objective was to place $35,000 on Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Giovani Parisi. At 6-1 odds, it would net me a profit of almost 6 grand, an impressive total to me. When I looked at the proposition board, I noticed that the under-over with Larry Holmes and Oliver McCall, was about 9 1/2rounds or so. Knowing that no one knocked out Larry Holmes other than Mike Tyson had seven years earlier, I laid enough money on Larry to net me about $800 on the over bet.
That weekend of March 25, 1995, was the same weekend Mike Tyson was released from an Indiana prison. I knew that Tyson’s return would only be good for the sport, and pump life back into the heavyweight division again.
The second trip to Vegas was great, and I was having more fun than I had in years. I loved working out at the Bally’s gym, going to buffets, and catching an occasional show in one of the showrooms on the strip. I played some slots as well, but didn’t get carried away, because my purpose being there was to make money, not feed it into slot machines.
On April 8, I drove to my brother’s house to watch the pay-per-view card, and settled in very confident I’d win my bets. Chavez had no problems at all with Parisi, and won almost every one of the twelve rounds. That put 6 grand in my pocket, and I hoped Larry could go 10 rounds in his bout with McCall, to finish the night strong.
Larry fought really well against McCall, laying on the ropes, but landing counter shots as well. Late in the fight, he started to tire, and McCall opened a huge gash on Larry’s left cheekbone, but the ole’ champ sucked it up, and finished the fight on his feet. Another $800 in my pocket, and I went home knowing I had just made nearly $7,000 having fun.
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