Bruce Seldon vs Joe Hipp

Bruce Seldon retained the WBA heavyweight championship by stopping Joe Hipp in the tenth round at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on 19 August 1995. Referee Richard Steele ended the contest at 1 minute 47 seconds because Hipp’s face had become badly damaged, with a deep cut beneath the left eye and severe swelling around both eyes. Seldon weighed 234lb and Hipp 233lb. It was Seldon’s first defence of the title he had won four months earlier against Tony Tucker, and although the bout was staged immediately before Mike Tyson’s return against Peter McNeeley, it developed into a more substantial contest than the evening’s chief attraction.

Hipp entered as an underdog but with a respectable claim to the opportunity. The southpaw from Washington had defeated Alex Garcia and Jose Ribalta during his rise and had won 30 of 33 professional contests. He was also the first Native American to challenge for a recognised world heavyweight championship. Seldon, quicker of hand and longer in reach, had built his reputation around an active left jab and athletic movement. Those advantages determined the pattern from the opening bell. Hipp came forward behind a high guard, looking to work at close quarters, while Seldon remained at long range and repeatedly drove the jab into the challenger’s face. By the middle of the first round, Hipp’s right eye was already beginning to swell.

The first two rounds were cautious, though Seldon’s jab gave him the clearer work. He moved laterally, stepped back when Hipp advanced and seldom allowed the challenger to set his feet for more than one punch. Hipp pressed steadily but was forced to follow rather than cut off the ring. Judge Jerry Roth gave the first round to Seldon and the second to Hipp, while Arturo Sanchez and Fernando Viso both scored the second even. The scores reflected Hipp’s greater activity in that round, but Seldon remained the more accurate boxer and was already marking the challenger’s face.

Hipp increased his pressure in the third and began taking greater risks to get inside the jab. Seldon continued to score first, using the left hand to control distance and then moving before Hipp could answer. The challenger enjoyed his best period in the fourth. He trapped Seldon near the ropes, landed a right hand and followed with both fists as the champion attempted to move away. All three judges awarded Hipp the round. It was the first time Seldon had been required to fight for any length of time at Hipp’s preferred range, and the challenger’s physical strength briefly disrupted the champion’s rhythm.

Seldon restored order in the fifth. He returned to the jab, kept his punches straight and caught Hipp with a hard left hook to the nose. The blow caused further damage and may have broken it. Hipp continued forward but was now breathing through his mouth, and his face was becoming progressively more difficult for his corner to manage. The sixth brought another shift. Hipp remained determined and, with approximately 15 seconds left, landed a deceptive left hand which staggered Seldon. The champion held his ground until the bell, but the punch showed that Hipp remained dangerous whenever he could get close enough to throw without being interrupted by the jab. All three judges gave Hipp the sixth round.

From the seventh onward, however, Seldon’s cleaner boxing began to wear down the challenger. Hipp’s right eye was swelling badly, and his reactions slowed as his vision became restricted. Seldon did not attack recklessly. He continued to work behind the jab, striking the damaged areas and moving before Hipp could establish an exchange. In the eighth, a heavy right hand opened a large cut beneath Hipp’s left eye. The punch did not knock him down, but it worsened an already serious situation. Blood ran down his cheek, while the swelling around the opposite eye left him with increasingly limited sight. Seldon swept the seventh and eighth rounds on all three official cards and was moving into a clear lead.

Hipp’s corner worked to control the damage before the ninth, and the challenger continued with considerable courage. He still advanced and attempted to reach Seldon’s body and head, but his punches had lost speed and accuracy. Seldon was able to see the attacks coming and answer with the jab or short combinations. Hipp’s left eye remained cut, and his right eye was nearly closed by the end of the round. The judges again awarded the session to Seldon. After nine rounds, Jerry Roth had the champion ahead 87–84, while Sanchez and Viso both scored it 88–84. There had been no knockdowns, but the cards reflected Seldon’s control through his jab and the cumulative physical damage he had inflicted.

The tenth round was permitted to begin after Hipp’s corner had made another attempt to reduce the swelling. Seldon resumed the same measured attack, placing the jab into the challenger’s injured face and following with right hands. Hipp continued to come forward but could no longer defend himself effectively or see the punches clearly. Steele watched him absorb further punishment before intervening at 1:47. The stoppage was caused by the cuts and excessive swelling rather than by a single decisive blow, and Hipp did not dispute the referee’s action. He had shown endurance and determination, but the condition of his eyes made continuation unsafe.

Seldon’s performance was controlled and technically sound. He had resisted Hipp’s best attack in the fourth and recovered after being shaken late in the sixth. His jab dictated most of the contest, gradually damaging Hipp while preventing the challenger from maintaining close range. Seldon earned $700,000 and Hipp $180,000, modest sums beside those paid for Tyson’s return, but their championship fight provided the evening with its most sustained heavyweight action. Hipp left without the title, but his reputation was improved by the way he continued despite severe facial injuries. Seldon retained the championship and moved towards the lucrative Tyson defence which followed the next year.

I thought Bruce Seldon boxed a sensible, professional fight against Joe Hipp, even if nobody mistook him for a great heavyweight champion. Seldon had taken the WBA belt from an ageing Tony Tucker and still had plenty to prove. Hipp earned his chance through wins over Alex Garcia and Jose Ribalta, bringing toughness rather than glamour.

The difference was Seldon’s jab. He was quicker, longer and better balanced, repeatedly driving the left hand into Hipp’s face. Hipp had moments, especially in the fourth, and shook Seldon with a left late in the sixth. But he followed too much instead of cutting off the ring, coming in square and paying for it.

By the eighth, Hipp’s face was badly damaged. One eye was nearly closed and the other was cut, yet he kept advancing. That courage deserves respect, but courage alone does not win rounds. Seldon stayed disciplined, worked the injuries and was well ahead when Richard Steele stopped it at 1:47 of the tenth.

The stoppage was right. Seldon was never a great champion, but this was effective work built around a proper heavyweight jab. Hipp lost, yet gained more respect than the winner.