My parents were going to Las Vegas on vacation on Saturday April 29, 1995, so I figured I could use my mom to place a few bets for me while they were there. James Toney was taking fighting Anthony Hembrick on Sunday the 30th at the Rio Hotel off of the strip, and I had given my mom $10,000 to put on Toney for a straight win. That would net me a profit of about $1,800, not bad for a sure win. She was nervous for me, but I assured her it was an easy win, and I turned out to be right. My brother came over our house to watch it on TV, and I remember telling him “That was the easiest 1,800 bucks I ever made in my whole life!
My mom called me right after with relief in her voice, and I reaffirmed what I had wanted her do to before she left. I had given my mom some money for her to play slot machines, as a way of thanking her for doing me such a huge favor. I told her to take the roughly $12,000 she would have from the Toney win, and to go to the Caesar’s Palace Sportsbook, and put it on Lennox Lewis for a straight win. Lewis was fighting Lionel Butler on May 13, and as a roughly 2 1/2 to 1 favorite, him winning would net me a profit about $4,600.
When they arrived home the next week, my mom had my ticket in her wallet, and told me when she went to the Sportsbook to place the wager, she asked the guy “Do you think my son will win with this bet?” He smiled, and assured her “I’m sure your son will be okay.”
I sat in my room as round one began from the Arco Arena in Sacramento on Saturday night May 13, totally confident that Lennox would destroy Lionel Butler. I hadn’t lost faith in Lennox like many people had after his loss to Oliver McCall the previous September, and the fact that he now had Emmanuel Steward as his trainer, certainly didn’t hurt matters. His opponent Lionel Butler had a history of drug abuse, and the promoters were so nervous that night, that they had a replacement fighter in the wings. The fact that Butler had Pepe Correa, Lennox’s ex-trainer in his corner was useless, and Lewis kicked Butler’s ass from the moment the opening bell rang. When the end came in the fifth, I left with joy, and ran downstairs with excitement in my voice to talk to my dad. That easy win was one of the best memories of my entire life as a boxing fan, winning money on something I loved, fair and honestly.
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
LISTEN TO MY PODCAST ON SPOTIFY AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
