Ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., who along with Michael Buffer will introduce the fighters for Saturday's big Lewis-Tyson fight, pegs Tyson to be a KO winner. "Conventional boxing wisdom says that Lennox Lewis should win," said Lennon. "Lewis has the physical advantages of being taller and heavier with a longer reach. Lewis has been more active, fought better quality opposition and has always done well in fights where he does not underestimate his opponent...that being said, there is not a more dangerous in the world of boxing than Mike Tyson. A single left hook could neutralize any advantage Lewis has. I also sense that Lewis fears Tyson due to the fact that he has demonstrated concern over who is going to protect him in the ring. It is a comment unbefitting of a confident heavyweight champion, and it indicates to me that he is intimidated. Therefore, my prediction is that Tyson will land a big shot that will change Lewis' game plan and allow Tyson to eventually knock him out."
Atlas: Lewis/Tyson not a Dream Matchup!
�Let�s get together and bring beer and food and let�s watch
Godzilla.�
--Teddy Atlas guessing the mentality of people purchasing
the Tyson/Lewis PPV
Teddy Atlas, the superb trainer and ESPN2 broadcaster, held court with the media to discuss his thoughts on the Tyson vs. Lewis showdown Saturday in Memphis. If the attending press were hoping to hear an in-depth analysis on the nuances of an intriguing heavyweight struggle, they were sadly disappointed. Atlas hates this fight and is quite clear on the reasons why. Atlas feels that Tyson is undeserving of a title shot, too mentally unstable to maintain a spirited challenge and rather boring when stripped of his legendary image.
Atlas� theory is that the public�s interest in Tyson/Lewis is akin to car wrecks and seedy talk shows. �This (the popularity of the fight) is a statement on society. It�s the same reason why people watch Jerry Springer,� he said. �I think it�s disgraceful, but there�s a morbid curiosity to this fight. When you�re driving home and you see an accident, there�s a lot of rubbernecking. People want to see other people in peril. They don�t wish peril on anyone, but they want to see it.�
As for the suggestion that Tyson/Lewis is good for boxing because it will attract non-fans to the sport? Not so says Atlas. �People aren�t tuning into this fight for an athletic event. If you take the last eight years of Tyson, if you took his name away and what that name brings. If you took that away and just saw a guy who throws one punch at a time and grabs you after he punches. Why would anyone want to see that? I don�t know how many people will buy tickets to see it live. As far as the pay-per-view, I think it�ll do well, but I think it�ll be like a Superbowl party where everyone will get together and say, �let�s see what this maniac does.�
While the award winning broadcaster�s take is a depressingly negative one, it is also highly informed. Atlas was Tyson�s original trainer dating all the way back to his amateur career. Their relationship reportedly ended badly with a gun to Tyson�s head in retaliation for an unspecified deed involving his eleven-year-old sister-in-law. �I think the most unfortunate part that Tyson brings is not so much what he does personally. That may surprise people but I think what�s interesting and unfortunate and the worst part of Tyson is that he brings out the worst in other people. I was thinking about this the other day. If a child brings out unconditional love, Tyson brings out unconditional greed in people. That�s ugly to see. As much as unconditional love is pretty to see, the unconditional greed is ugly to see. He makes people sell themselves for money. I think Mike gets a kick out of this and does it to mock people and make them lower than him.�
Are some of Atlas� opinions personal venom based on the history between himself and Tyson? �No, I don�t think so,� he said. �I do believe I understand both sides of the ledger. I know there are people who might make me the recipient of a grudge and say bad things about me, so I try to be even-handed when I talk about someone I�m not crazy about. I�m not crazy about (former Tyson Trainer) Kevin Rooney, but he has been on ESPN2 with Vinny Pazienza and I think I�ve been fair to him, so no, I don�t think I�m saying what I�m saying because of anything personal.
As for the actual boxing that will probably occur, Atlas says the outcome of the fight depends on the mind frame of the occasionally timid champion. (Emanuel Steward and Lennox Lewis) They know Tyson has trouble with pressure. They know that if you put the heat on him he�ll crumble. I believe they�ll try to catch Tyson with punches early on, in a proper responsible way, but they�ll try and take control of him quickly. I think it�s important for Tyson to feel pressure. I really do believe that it�ll be a matter of how much pressure Tyson has to deal with. If he doesn�t have to deal with anything, he�ll walk in and be a champion again. However, if he has to deal with overcoming things, it�ll be a different story.�
�The first round could be a knockout. I could see Tyson landing a punch early on. I could see Lewis hurting Tyson with a punch and getting a little greedy and getting caught with a big punch that turns the fight around. Most people think that Tyson is dangerous in the first four rounds. I disagree. I think because of the nature of Lewis, and his tendency to be a little defensive at times, if it falls into that kind of fight, Tyson will be dangerous all night. If Tyson is fighting a guy who is defensive, he is always dangerous. It�s when you pressure Mike that he becomes no longer dangerous. He didn�t bite Holyfield because he�s an animal. He didn�t bite Holyfield because of the mean streets. He didn�t bite Holyfield because he was hungry. He did it because he couldn�t handle the situation.�
Does Atlas see this fight as the end for Tyson? �You don�t have to be Nostradamus to predict that Tyson�s life probably won�t end well. Maybe it�s a wish and maybe a lot of people feel the same way. It depends how he loses. If he gets obliterated, he�s done. If a guest on Jerry Springer doesn�t spit on anyone, if he doesn�t start a fight, he�s not coming back. People watch Tyson for the Jerry Springer factor. They watch for who he�s going to hurt, or who he�s going to assault. If he loses like an inadequate fighter who isn�t� good enough anymore, it�ll be all done for him.�
LLKOP Webmaster: Based on Atlas' comments, they are partly true, that this is going to be very much entertainment, but if you look at the fight more positively, Tyson has been looking much improved after each fight, i.e. using more combinations and Lennox displayed his explosive one-handed power last November, so we may see a classic match-up!
By Roger Williams
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson went through a quick workout earlier today at Fitzgeralds Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. Joining camp today was Tyson's longtime cohort Steve "Crocodile" Fitch decked out in the usual military gear. Another new member of the Tyson camp which might give Lennox Lewis something to worry about is controversial trainer Panama Lewis, who once did jail time for removing the padding from a fighter's gloves and is banned in most states. Iron Mike didn't speak to the press today.
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(Fightnews)