Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley

Tyson had twice defeated the number two ranked heavyweight, Donovan "Razor" Ruddock, in 1991. Shortly after his second victory over Ruddock, a blockbuster deal was made that would see Tyson face the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield on November 8, 1991. Before this match could take place, however, Tyson was arrested for the rape of 18-year-old Desiree Washington. He was subsequently convicted on February 10, 1992, and then sentenced to six years in prison on March 26.[https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/27/sports/tyson-gets-6-year-prison-term-for-rape-conviction-in-indiana.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm Tyson Gets 6-Year Prison Term For Rape Conviction in Indiana], N.Y. Times article, 1992-03-27, Retrieved on 2013-05-07. After serving three years, Tyson was paroled on March 25, 1995, and on March 29, he would hold a short press conference that would announce his return to boxing as well as that Don King would remain his promoter.[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/03/30/mike-tyson-to-return-to-boxing-don-king-to-remain-as-promoter/ Mike Tyson To Return To Boxing], Chicago Tribune article, 1995-03-30, Retrieved on 2013-05-07. After much debate over who would be Tyson's first opponent in his comeback, including talks about a potential superfight with George Foreman,[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/02/sports/boxing-a-foreman-tyson-bout-just-a-heavyweight-pipe-dream.html A Foreman-Tyson Bout: Just A Heavyweight Pipe Dream?], N.Y. Times article, 1995-04-02, Retrieved on 2013-05-07. it was announced that Tyson would face little-known Peter McNeeley on August 19, 1995.[https://web.archive.org/web/20140308081137/http://articles.philly.com/1995-04-27/sports/25686896_1_axel-schulz-ibf-peter-mcneeley Report: Tyson To Face McNeeley On Aug. 19], Philadelphia Daily News article, 1995-04-27, Retrieved on 2013-05-07.

Middleweight contender Keith Holmes scored a 4th round TKO over Tommy Small.

{{Infobox boxing match

| Fight Name = He's Back: Luis Santana vs. Terry Norris III

| image =

| caption =

| fight date =

| location =

| titles = WBC light middleweight title

| fighter1 = {{flagicon|DOM}} Luis Santana

| nickname1 = "Cucuso"

| hometown1 = La Romana, La Romana Province, Dominican Republic

| purse1 =

| record1 = 40–15–2 (29 KO)

| age1 = {{age in years and months |November 19, 1958 |August 19, 1995}}

| height1 = 5 ft 9 in

| weight1 = 154 lb

| style1 = Orthodox

| recognition1 = WBC
Light Middleweight Champion

| fighter2 = {{flagicon|USA}} Terry Norris

| nickname2 = "Terrible"

| hometown2 = Lubbock, Texas, U.S.

| purse2 =

| record2 = 38–6 (23 KO)

| age2 = {{age in years and months |June 17, 1967 |August 19, 1995}}

| height2 = 5 ft 9 in

| weight2 = 152 lb

| style2 = Orthodox

| recognition2 = WBC
No. 1 Ranked Light Middleweight

| result = Norris defeats Santana by 2nd round TKO

}}

The first televised bout on the card saw Luis Santana make the second defence of his WBC Light middleweight title against former champion Terry Norris.{{cite web |title=Luis Santana vs. Terry Norris (3rd meeting) |url=https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Luis_Santana_vs._Terry_Norris_(3rd_meeting) |website=boxrec.com |publisher=BoxRec |access-date=16 November 2024}}

This was the third consecutive fight between the two, Norris having twice been disqualified, firstly for a rabbit punch and for hitting after the bell in the second.

Promoter Don King made the bout available on ABC to act as an infomercial for the $50 pay-per-view card later that night. Fans were allowed in free, then the MGM Grand Arena was cleared for customers who paid $200 to $1,500 to watch Tyson.{{cite news |title=GONZALEZ, NORRIS WIN TITLE BOUTS |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/08/20/gonzalez-norris-win-title-bouts/ |access-date=16 November 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=20 August 1995 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241116213526/https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/08/20/gonzalez-norris-win-title-bouts/ |archive-date=16 November 2024}}

Norris would dominate the fight and had Santana in trouble at the end of the first round.

Santana was knocked down three times in the second round, with the third knockdown prompting referee Joe Cortez to step in to immediately stop the bout, giving Norris a TKO victory and making him a three time champion.{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/08/19/Norris-regains-WBC-title/6387808804800/|title=Norris regains WBC title|publisher=United Press International|access-date=2023-03-28}}

After the fight, Norris said, "I knew if I set him up and dropped bombs on him, we could get him out of there." before vowing "I will never fight him again." He would also say that he wanted to eventually move up to middleweight.

{{s-start}}

{{s-bef | rows=2 | before=Second bout}}

{{s-ttl | title=Luis Santana's bouts |years=19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. Kevin Sedam}}

{{s-ttl | title=Terry Norris's bouts |years=19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. David Gonzalez}}

{{s-end}}

{{Boxing on ABC}}

The first bout on the PPV card saw Miguel Ángel González defend his WBC Lightweight title against No. 7 ranked Lamar Murphy.

{{Infobox boxing match

| Fight Name = He's Back: Miguel Ángel González vs. Lamar Murphy

| image =

| caption =

| fight date =

| location =

| titles = WBC Lightweight title

| fighter1 = {{flagicon|MEX}} Miguel Ángel González

| nickname1 = El Mago (The Magician)

| hometown1 = Colonia Roma, Mexico City, Mexico

| record1 = 37-0 (29 KO)

| age1 = {{age in years and months |November 15, 1970 |August 19, 1995}}

| height1 = 5 ft 8+1/2 in

| weight1 = 135 lb

| style1 = Orthodox

| recognition1 = WBC
Lightweight Champion

| fighter2 = {{flagicon|USA}} Lamar Murphy

| nickname2 = Cochise

| hometown2 = Miami, Florida

| purse2 =

| record2 = 18-0, 1 NC (13 KO)

| age2 = {{age in years and months |January 6, 1973 |August 19, 1995}}

| height2 = 5 ft 7 in

| weight2 = 135 lb

| style2 = Orthodox

| recognition2 = WBC
No. 7 Ranked Lightweight

| result = Gonzalez wins by Majority Decision (114-114, 114-112, 117-109)

}}

In a very even bout, while Murphy typically threw more punches González was landing more frequently. González would be deducted a point in both the 2nd and the 6th for low blows.

At the end of 12 rounds, one judge scored it even at 114–114, one had it 114–112 and the other 117–109 both in favour of the champion giving him a Majority decision victory. This resulted in a number of boos from the crowd.

{{s-start}}

{{s-bef | before=vs. Marty Jakubowski}}

{{s-ttl | title=Miguel Ángel González's bouts |years=19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. Ramon Marchena}}

{{s-bef | before=vs. Steve Larrimore}}

{{s-ttl | title=Lamar Murphy's bouts |years=19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. Jean Baptiste Mendy}}

{{s-end}}

{{Infobox boxing match

| Fight Name = He's Back: Bruce Seldon vs. Joe Hipp

| image =

| caption =

| fight date =

| location =

| titles = WBA heavyweight title

| fighter1 = {{flagicon|USA}} Bruce Seldon

| nickname1 = The Atlantic City Express

| hometown1 = Atlantic City, New Jersey

| purse1 = $700,000

| record1 = 32–3 (28 KO)

| age1 = {{age in years and months |January 30, 1967 |August 19, 1995}}

| height1 = 6 ft 1+1/4 in

| weight1 = 234 lb

| style1 = Orthodox

| recognition1 = WBA
Heavyweight Champion

| fighter2 = {{flagicon|USA}} Joe Hipp

| nickname2 = The Boss

| hometown2 = Yakima, Washington

| purse2 = $180,000

| record2 = 30–3 (19 KO)

| age2 = {{age in years and months |December 7, 1962 |August 19, 1995}}

| height2 = 6 ft 1 in

| weight2 = 233 lb

| style2 = Southpaw

| recognition2 = WBA
No. 4 Ranked Heavyweight

| result = Seldon defeats Hipp by 10th round TKO

}}

The next bout saw WBA Heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon make the first defence of his title against Joe Hipp{{cite web |title=Bruce Seldon vs. Joe Hipp |url=https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Bruce_Seldon_vs._Joe_Hipp |website=boxrec.com |publisher=BoxRec |access-date=16 November 2024}}

Hipp became the first Native American to challenge for one of the three recognized heavyweight title belts, having previously signed to face unified heavyweight champion Michael Moorer before he choose to make his first defence against George Foreman.

Hipp promised to give his all saying "I'm going to fight like I've never fought before, I'm not going to leave anything out of the ring." Seldon meanwhile did not believe Hipp's skills match his own saying "Joe Hipp doesn't have my movement, he doesn't have my speed. Joe Hipp's not going to take my title from me. It's not going to go the distance."{{cite news |author1=Richard Finn |title=Hipp Finally Gets His Shot -- Northwest Boxer Awaits First Title Bout |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19950818/2136986/hipp-finally-gets-his-shot----northwest-boxer-awaits-first-title-bout |access-date=16 November 2024 |work=Seattle Times |date=18 August 1995}}

Don King said that the winner of this bout would be Tyson's next opponent in November.{{cite news |title=Stars Come Out For Tyson |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/aug/19/stars-come-out-for-tyson/ |access-date=16 November 2024 |work=The Spokesman-Review |date=19 August 1995}}

Seldon would use his jab to control the action in a slow-paced affair, with neither man throwing many punches. From the 5th round onwards, Hipp's left eye would appeared marked, nearly closing completely by the 8th. Hipp briefly hurt Seldon late in the 7th with a counter left, but the champion wasn't perturbed. A gash under Hipp's left eye would open up from the 8th round and by the 10th his right was also badly swelled. Eventually referee Richard Steele decided to stop the bout because of the damage around the eyes.{{cite news |author1=Tim Dahlberg |title=Seldon Bloodies Hipp to Retain Title |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19950820&id=10ZWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GOsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3336,5089393&hl=en |access-date=16 November 2024 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |date=20 August 1995}}{{cite news |title=Seldon retains WBA heavyweight crown |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/08/20/Seldon-retains-WBA-heavyweight-crown/6462808891200/ |access-date=17 November 2024 |work=United Press International |date=20 August 1995}}

At the time of the stoppage, Seldon led on all three scorecards, 88–84, 88–84 and 87–84.

{{s-start}}

{{s-bef | before=vs. Tony Tucker}}

{{s-ttl | title=Bruce Seldon's bouts |years=19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. Mike Tyson}}

{{s-bef | before=vs. Philipp Brown}}

{{s-ttl | title=Joe Hipp's bouts |years=19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. Martin Jacques}}

{{s-end}}

The fight lasted only 89 seconds with Tyson earning an easy victory via disqualification. McNeeley started the fight by aggressively attacking Tyson as soon as the opening bell rang. Tyson was able to avoid McNeeley's wild punches and land a straight right that dropped McNeeley to the canvas less than 10 seconds into the fight. After taking referee Mills Lane's standing eight count, McNeeley was allowed to continue and again continued his assault on Tyson. The two men exchanged punches in the corner as the first minute of the round passed. Less than 20 seconds later, Tyson landed a right uppercut that again sent McNeeley down. With McNeeley clearly hurt from the exchange, his manager Vinnie Vecchione entered the ring to prevent McNeeley from taking any more damage, causing Lane to end the fight and award Tyson the victory by disqualification.[https://archive.today/20130628220630/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006989/index.htm Con Job], Sports Illustrated article, 1995-08-28, Retrieved on 2013-05-07.{{cite news |author1=Bernie Lincicome |title=BLOODY SHAME IS, BOXING FANS WILL RETURN FOR MORE |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/08/21/bloody-shame-is-boxing-fans-will-return-for-more/ |access-date=16 November 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=21 August 1995}}

{{Infobox boxing match

| Fight Name = He's Back: Julian Jackson vs. Quincy Taylor

| image =

| caption =

| fight date =

| location =

| titles = WBC middleweight title

| fighter1 = {{flagicon|USVI}} Julian Jackson

| nickname1 = "The Hawk"

| hometown1 = Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

| purse1 =

| record1 = 51–3 (47 KO)

| age1 = {{age in years and months |September 12, 1960 |19 August 1995}}

| height1 = 5 ft 11 in

| weight1 = 160 lb

| style1 = Orthodox

| recognition1 = WBC
Middleweight Champion

| fighter2 = {{flagicon|USA}} Quincy Taylor

| nickname2 =

| hometown2 = Dallas, Texas, U.S.

| purse2 =

| record2 = 26–3 (22 KO)

| age2 = {{age in years and months |July 18, 1963 |19 August 1995}}

| height2 = 5 ft 9+1/2 in

| weight2 = 159+1/2 lb

| style2 = Southpaw

| recognition2 = WBC
No. 2 Ranked Middleweight

| result = Taylor defeats Jackson by 6th round TKO

}}

The final bout of the night saw WBC middleweight champion Julian Jackson defend the title against No. 2 ranked Quincy Taylor{{cite web |title=Julian Jackson vs. Quincy Taylor |url=https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Julian_Jackson_vs._Quincy_Taylor |website=boxrec.com |publisher=BoxRec |access-date=16 November 2024}}

In order to get the main event on pay-per-view sometime near its advertised starting time, this bout was rescheduled to follow the Tyson-McNeeley bout.

After a slow few rounds the champion was dropped by a big straight left from Taylor right at the end of the 4th. Jackson beat the count but was hit by more big shots in the 5th as the challenger moved him into the ropes while keeping his hands high and not letting Jackson catch him with his renowned power. Both men exchanged hard punches in the 6th round and with less than 50 seconds left in the round Taylor hurt Jackson with another left hand. Taylor would move in, landing a number more clean shots prompting referee Jay Nady to wave the fight off with Jackson appearing to be out in his feet.

After the bout it emerged that Jackson tore his rotator cuff during the bout with Taylor.

{{s-start}}

{{s-bef | before=vs. Agostino Cardamone}}

{{s-ttl | title=Julian Jackson's bouts |years=19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. Leonardo Aguilar}}

{{s-bef | before=vs. Rafael Williams}}

{{s-ttl | title=Quincy Taylor's bouts |years=19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. Keith Holmes}}

{{s-end}}

Highly anticipated, the fight was an overwhelming financial success, grossing $96 million worldwide, including a then-record $63 million in Pay-per-view buys with the fight being purchased by 1.52 million American homes. Tyson later eclipsed this figure with three fights; two in 1996, his rematch with Frank Bruno and a match with Evander Holyfield and then the subsequent 1997 rematch between Tyson and Holyfield.

Confirmed bouts:{{cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/event/6643|title=BoxRec - event|publisher=}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100822164515/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/mma/boxing/08/19/mcneeley.tyson/index.html Sports Illustrated Article on the fight]
• [https://www.thefightcity.com/tyson-vs-mcneeley-aug-19-1995-comeback-boxing/ Tyson vs McNeeley], an in-depth look at the fight

{{s-start}}

{{s-bef | before=vs. Donovan Ruddock II}}

{{s-ttl | title=Mike Tyson's bouts |years= 19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. Buster Mathis Jr.}}

{{s-bef | before=vs. Frankie Hines}}

{{s-ttl | title=Peter McNeeley's bouts |years= 19 August 1995}}

{{s-aft | after=vs. Mike Sams}}

{{s-end}}

{{Mike Tyson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, McNeeley}}

Category:1995 in boxing

Category:1995 in sports in Nevada

Category:August 1995 sports events in the United States

Category:Boxing matches at MGM Grand Garden Arena

McNeeley

Category:Boxing matches refereed by Mills Lane

Category:Boxing on Showtime

Category:Pay-per-view boxing matches