Bruce Seldon went from boxing champ to jobless, then homeless. It's time for a comeback, he says.

By David Weinberg

ATLANTIC CITY - Bruce Seldon couldn't win.
The 41-year-old was locked in the toughest fight of his 20-year boxing career since an embarrassing, first-round loss to Mike Tyson in 1996 ended his brief reign as WBA heavyweight champion. Now, during a recent training session at the Atlantic City PAL, he was firing punches until sweat dribbled down his arms and seeped into his gloves. Still, nothing was getting through his opponent's defense. Sharp jabs and powerful hooks all fell short of the mark.
When the bell sounded to end the round, Seldon reached for a towel and a water bottle, then fixed his gaze on a yellowed newspaper clipping that was taped to the wall. The headlined blared "He's The Champion!" and showed Seldon celebrating his victory over Tony Tucker in Las Vegas on April 8, 1995.
A smile briefly appeared, but faded just as quickly.
"Man, that was a long time ago," Seldon said. "I think that was the last time I was truly happy."

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Bruce Seldon's life began to unravel after he lost his title to Tyson in 1996. Two years later, he pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child - the charges involved a girl who was 15 at the time - and was sentenced to 364 days under house arrest.
He wound up serving a much longer, self-imposed sentence.
Unfounded accusations that he had taken a dive hit him harder than Tyson's fists. Humiliated and hurt from the loss and arrest, he retreated into the basement of his home in Moorestown and stayed there for almost eight years. On the rare occasions that he ventured into Atlantic City, he did so as quietly as possible.
"Considering all the ups and downs I've gone through, I feel grateful just to still be here and for what little bit of sanity I still have," Seldon said. "Someone who was in my frame of mind back then might have killed themselves.
"There are people who still don't want to forgive me, but they are the ones who are suffering, not me. I put my trust in God and I learned to be forgiving. I learned that we all make mistakes in life. It's how you bounce back, climb back up and avoid making those mistakes ever again that matters most."
Co-managers Jim Kurtz and Joe Thompson finally convinced him to return to boxing in 2004, but he had mixed results. A pair of tuneup fights led to an opportunity to get back into the title picture, but his controversial loss to Gerald Nobles in Las Vegas - Seldon was winning the fight before he took a knee and allowed himself to be counted out in the ninth round - ended his quest.
He tried another comeback last year, but two more wins against undistinguished foes have gone virtually unnoticed. He has not fought since beating journeyman Jay Sweetman at the Days Inn in Winchester, Va. on March 10, 2007.

Seldon's career - and his life - appeared to be going nowhere.
"I felt like I lost everything," he said. "My friends, my family, my support, everything went. I had a lot of friends when I was on top, but the second I fell, they all disappeared.
"I sold my house so that I could make a fresh start. I moved into an apartment in Westville (Gloucester County), but I got evicted because I couldn't hold a job and pay the rent. I wound up having to sleep in the street before I got into a rooming house. I had a lot of sleepless, eatless nights. I realized I had to make some drastic changes."

He started by taking a job driving a forklift for a Millville company that makes kitchen appliances. Next, he moved into a tiny efficiency apartment near the warehouse. He said he is also taking better care of his money. He lost the bulk of his $3-million payday for the Tyson fight via loans to friends and a few unwise investments until his bank account sank from a couple million dollars to about $100,000.

Finally, he decided to get back to basics with his boxing career. After training in Vineland under former light-heavyweight contender Richie Kates, he switched to Atlantic City and veteran trainer Bill Johnson. Although Johnson was in Seldon's corner for his recent fights as a cutman, he has not been Seldon's primary cornerman since 1992.
"Bruce still has to wake up a lot of stuff that's been dormant for a while, but he's coming along surprisingly well," Johnson said. "He's in great shape, his reflexes are intact and he hasn't lost any hand speed.

"But the biggest thing is Bruce hasn't lost his legs, despite being 41. As a fighter's legs go, so goes the fighter. And Bruce still runs like a big middleweight."
The fighter and trainer have been leaning on each other for support.
Johnson is still coping with the death of his youngest son, former lightweight champion Leavander Johnson of Atlantic City, from brain injuries suffered in a fight against Jesus Chavez nearly three years ago. Seldon recently lost his father, Nathaniel, to cancer.
It remains to be seen if Bill Johnson is getting through to Seldon, but the relationship appears to be strong. Johnson lacks the ego of some of the sport's better-known trainers, but has a way of getting his point across to fighters.
Seldon, who has trimmed his weight to 219 pounds from a high of 263, seems eager to please his mentor. He is expected to put those lessons to use in one or two bouts this month, possibly in Atlantic City.

"I don't have a bad word to say about Richie because I respect him tremendously as a person and a trainer," Seldon said. "But at this point in my life and career, there's only one man who can put me in the frame of mind I need to be in and that's Bill Johnson.
"B.J. and I go way back, back to the very, very beginning. I have a chemistry with him that I don't have with anyone else. There's no trainer out there that is better for me than him."

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After staring at the newspaper clipping for a few minutes, Seldon's gaze ventured over to the ring, where some youngsters were swapping punches in a spirited sparring session.
"The best part about working with B.J. again is that I'm back home in Atlantic City," Seldon said. "Man, I love my city, even though it hasn't always loved me.
"Being around all the kids and the other fighters, I just seem to get so much more out of working out here. I know they've seen that picture, but they never saw me until recently. Maybe seeing me in person will help give them some hope."

The bell sounded again and Seldon resumed his fight. He started throwing more punches, fervently trying to find an opening in his opponents' defense. He also tried to protect himself, moving his head and rolling his shoulders to ward off the blows.

Three minutes later, the round ended.
Seldon turned away from the mirror and trudged toward the showers, uncertain if he had won or lost.

"I'm just now getting to the point where I'm comfortable in my life," Seldon said. "I'm still not happy, but at least I feel comfortable. It's been a while since I even felt that good."