This Week Marks the Silver Anniversary of Boxing at the MGM Grand Garden

The MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, the largest hotel in the world, opened on Dec. 18, 1993. The Grand Garden — the “municipal auditorium” of the self-styled City of Entertainment – was christened by Barbara Streisand in a New Year’s Eve concert. Twenty-nine days later,  on Jan. 29, the MGM hosted its first boxing event, an event promoted by Don King featuring Julio Cesar Chavez in the main event.

The head honchos at the MGM would have preferred to have Mike Tyson headline their inaugural boxing show but there was a small complication; Tyson was in prison. That bode well Chavez, King’s “second banana,” whose astounding record belied the fact that King had been slow to bump him into a headliner. At this juncture, El Gran Campeon from Culiacan was 89-0-1 (26-0-1 in title fights).

Chavez was pitted against Frankie Randall. Hailing from Morristown, Tennessee, Randall, nicknamed the Surgeon, had a strong amateur background and a fine pro record (48-2-1), but he was yet relatively unknown. Most of his fights had taken place in Tampa and there were few recognizable names on his ledger other than faded Edwin Rosario who he TKOed on a show in Memphis.

Chavez was a 17/1 favorite.

As we know, the Surgeon rose to the occasion. Take away those two points that were deducted from Chavez for low blows and he would have kept his title and retained his undefeated record, but the verdict (116-111, 114-113, 113-114) was fair; the decision should have been unanimous. In the 11^th, Randall scored a knockdown, the first of Chavez’s career. The judge that voted for Chavez was imported from Mexico.

The MGM Grand was off and running, bolstered by one of the most notable upsets in boxing in their very first show. Before the year was out, the arena would be the site of another iconic upset: George Foreman’s one-punch knockout of Michael Moorer.

Don King’s promotions were noted for deep undercards spiced with big names. Thomas Hearns, Donovan “Razor” Ruddock, Meldrick Taylor, and King’s newest find, Christy Martin, were showcased on the undercard. The co-main was a bout between Future Hall of Famers Felix Trinidad and Hector “Macho” Camacho. This was preceded by a WBC 140-pound title fight between title-holder Simon Brown and Australia’s Troy Waters. Trinidad and Brown were victorious.

Some of the undercard fights were such mismatches that they were effectively over before they even started.

Hearns, who was on the downside of his career at age 35, drew a soft touch in Dan Ward, a fighter from West Memphis, Arkansas, who would finish his career as a heavyweight, losing 12 of his last 13 fights. Hearns took him out in the opening round.

Meldrick Taylor, who was never the same after his first fight with Chavez, was provided a confidence-booster in Craig Houk, a trial horse who customarily plied his trade on the scruffy Indiana and Oklahoma circuits. In his previous bout, Houk won the IBF Great Lakes Welterweight Title in his hometown of Greensburg, Indiana (pop: 9,500). This belt wasn’t at stake or Taylor would have snatched it away, not that he would have wanted it. Meldrick stopped him in the third round.

Ruddock, who had given Mike Tyson two hard tussles, was extended the distance by journeyman Anthony Wade but Razor won every round on all three scorecards.

All three of the featured bouts went the distance, so even with the early knockouts it was a long night for the working press. In time, the MGM did latch hold of Mike Tyson who had seven fights in the Grand Garden, one of which was famous (Tyson-Holyfield I), one of which was infamous (Tyson-Holyfield II), and one of which, the very first, was an outlandish travesty (Tyson-McNeely).

Mike Tyson’s MGM escapades; now there’s a story for another day.

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