Bruce Seldon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bruce Seldon
Seldon (left) and his son Isiah (right) in 2010
Statistics
Real name	Bruce Samuel Seldon
Nickname(s)	The Atlantic City Express
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 1+1/2 in
Reach	78 in
Nationality	American
Born	(1967-01-30) January 30, 1967 (age 58) Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	48
Wins	40
Wins by KO	36
Losses	8

Bruce Samuel Seldon (born January 30, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who is now a boxing trainer. He competed as a professional from 1988 to 1996 and again from 2004 to 2009. From 1995 to 1996, he was the WBA heavyweight champion. One of his most famous fights was against Mike Tyson.

Boxing Career

Amateur Fights

Before turning professional, Seldon was an amateur boxer. He had a record of 20 wins and only 4 losses. He also won the New Jersey Golden Gloves tournament in the super heavyweight group.

Professional Beginnings

Seldon was known by the nickname "The Atlantic City Express." He started his professional career on October 4, 1988. He won his first 18 fights in a row, showing great promise. During this time, he defeated several well-known boxers.

In 1991, Seldon had his first loss against Oliver McCall, who would later become a world champion. Seldon was winning the fight, but he got tired and was knocked down three times in the ninth round. Later that year, he lost to another future champion, Riddick Bowe.

Seldon continued to fight, winning against Jesse Ferguson in 1992. However, he lost a match to former champion Tony Tubbs that same year. In 1993, he signed with the famous promoter Don King. This led to more important fights, including a victory over another former champion, Greg Page.

Becoming WBA Heavyweight Champion

In 1995, the WBA heavyweight title became available. This happened because the champion at the time, George Foreman, did not want to fight the top challenger, Tony Tucker. Since Seldon was the second-ranked challenger, a fight was set up between him and Tucker for the title.

The fight took place on April 8, 1995, in Las Vegas. Many people thought Tucker would win, but Seldon used his powerful jab to control the fight. Tucker's eye became so swollen that the doctor had to stop the match after the seventh round, making Seldon the new WBA heavyweight champion.

On August 18, 1995, Seldon defended his title for the first time. He fought Joe Hipp and won in the tenth round, again using his strong jab to secure the victory.

The Famous Fight Against Mike Tyson

Seldon's next title defense was against the legendary Mike Tyson. In early 1996, Tyson had won the WBC title. Their fight was supposed to be for both Seldon's WBA title and Tyson's WBC title.

However, the WBC wanted Tyson to fight Lennox Lewis first. Because the fight with Seldon was already planned, Tyson gave up his WBC title. So, when they fought on September 7, 1996, only Seldon's WBA title was at stake.

The fight ended very quickly and caused a lot of discussion. Seldon lost by knockout in the first round. He was knocked down twice by what many people thought were light punches from Tyson. Some fans were upset and thought the fight was not fair. In an interview after the fight, Seldon said he did not lose on purpose. After this match, Seldon decided to retire from boxing.

Comeback to Boxing

In 2004, at the age of 37, Seldon decided to make a comeback. He won his first two fights. He then had a major fight against Gerald Nobles. Seldon knocked Nobles down in the second round and was winning, but the fight was stopped in the ninth round because of an eye injury to Seldon.

After losing his next fight, Seldon launched a second comeback in 2007. Now in his 40s, he won several matches. However, he lost to top contenders Kevin Johnson and Fres Oquendo. After these losses, his boxing career came to an end.

Professional boxing record

See also

In Spanish: Bruce Seldon para niños