Mickey Rourke Fight Reportedly Fixed: Opponent Mentally Ill And Homeless
Mickey Rourke, the 62-year-old star of films such as Diner, Sin City, and The Expendables, defeated former California Golden Gloves champion 29-year-old Elliot Seymour Saturday night with a knockout win in the second round after a 20-plus year absence from the ring, reports the New York Daily News.
However, an exclusive report from the Daily Mail states that a source close to the family alleges that the fight was a complete fix, and that Seymour was paid handsomely to throw the fight for Rourke.
According to the source, Seymour is a delusional transient that often sleeps in Pasadena’s Memorial Park and frequently hangs out at a local Starbucks, where he posts on his Facebook page about living on the streets.
“There are people at Wild Card gym who know that Elliot’s in a really terrible situation and pretty much living on the streets, these are Mickey Rourke’s people who Elliot’s been around and known for some time. I’d be surprised if they didn’t know something about his situation but they have decided to put him in the ring against Mickey Rourke. I think it was just an ideal situation where Elliot has a title, he’s desperate and clearly his boxing career isn’t going anywhere and he’s pretty much living on the streets, so for him it’s a win because gets off the streets for a while. One of the well-known boxing reporters writing about the fight said they might as well have got somebody who was sleeping on the subway and it would’ve been a better opponent, well what he doesn’t know is that’s pretty much what happened.”
Rourke has trained at Wild Card gym under legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach since his three-year stint as a professional boxer back in the 90s. Seymour reportedly trains there, and refuses to let go of his dream of being a professional boxer, even with a dismal 1-9 record and generally no prospects of furthering his fallen career.
The fight drew curious speculation as both fighters threw slow, clumsy punches — most of them missing — during the bout, which is being called an exhibition. Rourke landed several light punches to Seymour’s back and buttocks. Rourke won the fight with a soft rib shot that fell Seymour.
Rourke, who remains undefeated as a professional with six wins, four by knockout, and two draws. He went 27-3 as an amateur.
“I’ve got some things going on in my life so boxing has sort of saved me from myself. And for a man like me, it’s better to live in fear than go on in shame.”
While the source close to the family stresses that because of Seymour’s respect and passion for the craft they doubt he would go along with such a sham, a source close to the Wild Card gym confirms that Seymour was paid, likely by Rourke’s people, to make Rourke look good.
“Elliot trains here sometimes. He’s a professional opponent. Meaning you pay him to lose. The fight was a joke. Mickey needs to stop pretending he ever was very good and just keep acting. It’s kind of an embarrassment really. Mickey throws punches so slow an infant could avoid them. I heard Mickey did it for the money.”
