Boxing -- Hipp Gets Look At Seldon's Jab

LAS VEGAS - If Joe Hipp slips the jabs in the ring tonight like he has outside the ropes this week, he stands a pretty good chance of taking Bruce Seldon's WBA heavyweight championship.

Hipp shrugged off several shots at his Native American heritage from Seldon and outspoken promoter Don King during the pre-fight buildup, keeping his focus squarely on his fight preparation.

Hipp (30-3, 19 knockouts) battles Seldon (32-3, 28) in the second of four fights on a pay-per-view card from the MGM Grand that features Mike Tyson's long-awaited return to the ring against Peter McNeeley.

The Hipp-Seldon fight is scheduled to begin 15 minutes after the 12-round WBC lightweight championship fight between Miguel Angel Gonzalez and Lamar Murphy that starts at 6:15 p.m.

Hipp started taking shots from Seldon at the press conference Wednesday, but showed he wouldn't be as easy a target to hit.

Hipp, the first Native American to fight for a heavyweight championship, will wear the ceremonial Blackfeet headdress into the ring for his title fight with Seldon. The war bonnet was presented to him by a Blackfeet leader for extraordinary accomplishment.

Seldon initially praised Hipp as a boxer, but then made derogatory remarks toward Hipp's headdress and heritage. King was right behind, spewing Native American stereotypes.

The words by both men upset Hipp but did not distract him from his mission.

"I was very mad. It was disrespectful, but I just let it go in one ear and out the other," Hipp said.

"I'm preparing for a title fight and that's all I want to talk about," Hipp added. "It doesn't motivate me. It doesn't even enter the picture. I'm already motivated."

"Joe has tremendous pride in his Native American heritage . . . and he's not dismissing this," said Hipp's manager, Roland Jankelson. "But right now, Joe knows what his job is and he's focused on completing this three-month mission to win the heavyweight championship.

"Maybe when Joe is champion, he can educate Don King and others on what is not appropriate."

And Hipp stands a strong chance of becoming champion because of that mental focus and top physical conditioning, Jankelson said.

"The first key is that Joe is in superb shape," Jankelson said. "He also has a quiet inner confidence I've never seen before."

The biggest question is whether those things have prepared Hipp to withstand the devastating jab of Seldon. Compounding the danger of the jab is Hipp's history of quick-swelling eyes from taking punches.

"Seldon's jab could smash your face . . . if he hits you with it," Jankelson said, adding that Seldon will often "double or triple up" the punch. "Joe has to avoid it with movement and counter-punching."

"I've got to shut down that jab," said Hipp, who spent much of his ring work during training camp working on his defense to neutralize the jab.

"I've got to move my head and keep him off me," Hipp said. "The whole fight depends on stopping his jab."

Seldon and his powerful jab are most damaging early in fights.

"The first few rounds will be critical for me," Hipp said. "He's well-built and powerful, but after those early rounds, his arms tend to get tired.

"I look to pick things up in the later rounds."

"The most dangerous window is the early rounds," said Jankelson. "Seldon is a very fast starter and Joe gets stronger as the fight goes on.

"If Joe can avoid taking the punishment (early) . . . then I promise you, Bruce Seldon is the boxing equivalent of a dead man."

And already this week, Hipp has shown that he's had plenty of practice ducking some nasty jabs.