Bruce Seldon vs Mike Tyson controversy and Tupac Shakur getting shot on the night

On September 7, 1996, Mike Tyson fought Bruce Seldon for the WBA heavyweight championship in a fight that was smeared with controversy. In the immediate aftermath of the fight, the crowd in attendance started screaming 'fix', claiming that Seldon took a dive.

However, what was even more notable is that rapper Tupac Shakur attended the fight and was fatally shot just hours after it.

The fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon is regarded as one of the most controversial fights in the history of pro-boxing. In the fight which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada, Tyson picked up an easy first-round knockout victory against Seldon. The fight lasted less than two minutes and is one of the shortest Heavyweight championship fights in the history of pro-boxing.

Tyson cannoned off the gates from the opening bell, landing a barrage of hard punches on Seldon. A minute into the fight, Mike Tyson landed a left hook that knocked Seldon down. However, he managed to get back up, but not for long as Tyson almost immediately landed another left hook that knocked Seldown down again. This time, however, the referee deemed him unfit to continue and Mike Tyson was awarded a TKO victory.

The disappointed crowd began chanting "Fix!" following the fight, alleging that Seldon took a dive so that Mike Tyson could win the heavyweight championship. During the post-fight interview, commentator Jim Gray publically asked Seldon if he in fact did take a dive. However, Seldon denied taking a dive, and said: "I didn't train 12 weeks to come in here and take a dive."

Mike Tyson felt partially responsible for Tupac Shakur's death

However, the most shocking incident related to the Mike Tyson vs Bruce Seldon fight probably took place after the fight. Popular American rapper Tupac Shakur was in attendance for the fight. A few hours after the fight, Shakur was shot possibly due to an altercation with Orlando Tive "Baby Lane" Anderson at a casino. He died six days later from ballistic trauma.

Flashback: Sept. 7, 1996Last video footage of Tupac Shakur alive after the Mike Tyson vs Bruce seldon fight at the MGM. 2pac is surrounded by women at the Luxor hotel on the Las Vegas strip with intent on going to Suge Knight's club 662, but never makes it. #RIPTupac #HipHop pic.twitter.com/diSpGZgBJG

— Swapty Sports (@SwaptySports) September 13, 2020

Apparently, Shakur and Orlando Anderson got into a fight inside the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, a few hours before the former got shot.

Mike Tyson considered himself partially responsible for the untimely demise of Tupac Shakur. He revealed that he had requested the rapper to be present in the audience during the fight and said that Shakur would have probably been alive if he hadn't requested him to go watch the fight.