June 7, 2002
By Roger Williams
Lennox Lewis weighed in at 249 1/4 as expected and Tyson was in heavy at 234 1/4 at their weigh in at Memphis Convention Center on June 6, 2002. Steve "Crocodile" Fitch known rabble rouser and sometimes Tyson pal and bodyguard was in evidence again screaming and yelling to the media of Tyson's virtues, as usual.
Many in the media were surprised at Tyson's weight, although he weighed 238 for his last fight with Brian Nielson. Iron Mike did not have the sculptured look to his body that was his trade mark during his championship years and Lewis looked as powerful as "Robocop."
Its all ready now, Tyson verses Lewis with as much at stake as any in the media can remember. In attendence were artist Leroy Neiman and writer Bud Schulberg of "The Harder They Fall" fame.
Jun 6, 2002 1:32 PM (EDT)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Lennox Lewis, hat on his head, weighed in at 249 1/4 pounds Thursday for his heavyweight title defense against Mike Tyson. Lewis stood on the scale at the Memphis Cook Convention Center to weigh in first for Saturday night's fight. He was wearing a black hat, which he kept on for the weigh in.
Lewis weighed 246 pounds for his last fight, a fourth-round knockout of Hasim Rahman Nov. 17 in Las Vegas.
Tyson was scheduled to weigh in three hours later, part of a plan to keep the two fighters apart until the fight.
Lewis recalls Tyson sparring session!
By Randy Hammons
Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis intends to cement his boxing legacy late Saturday night. All that stands in the way for Lewis to reach that goal is former undisputed champion Mike Tyson.
Lewis met the media for the first time Wednesday at his headquarters in nearby Sam's Town Casino in nearby Tunica, Miss. Trainer Emanuel Steward, who has been with Lewis since 1994, said his fighter has the opportunity to make his mark, much like that of former heavyweight great Muhammed Ali.
"Lennox Lewis could be the best heavyweight since Ali," Steward said. "He's never dodged anybody, just like Ali. We're about three days away of getting that legacy fulfilled.
"When Lennox Lewis feels threatened," Steward added, "that's when he is most dangerous."
Lewis recalled the time he and Tyson met in 1983 and worked out for the World Junior Boxing Championships.
"I remember this cat rushed across the ring," Lewis said. "We went at it pretty good for four days. He gave me a fat lip, but I gave him a bloody mouth. Like back then, I predict Saturday night will be real explosive.
"I'm not going to give him a Muhammad Ali impression," Lewis added, "I'm going to give him a Lennox Lewis impression. I'm focused and ready. All the talk is done and it's time for action."
As with most champions, Lewis has a punishing jab. He said that punch will be a key against the shorter Tyson, who is expected to bob and weave his way in against the 6-foot-5 Lewis.
"My jab is definitely my most important weapon," Lewis said. "It leads my arsenal out there. Nobody's jab compares to my jab."
Asked whether he expected dirty tactics from Tyson, Lewis downplayed that aspect of the fight. A bite of Evander Holyfield's ear in one of Tyson's most recent fights was just one such bizarre incident of late.
"I always expect the unexpected," Lewis said. "But I'm not worried about him biting me."
Lewis business manager Adrian Ogun opened the conference and seemed to thank the world for various items and assistance. Also speaking were WBC president Jose Suliaman, HBO Pay Per View head Mark Taffet and Sam's Town general manager Monty Collins, who presented Lewis with a set of gaming chips. .
Also, Oakhaven Elementary School student Carlos Harbert, 13, more than held his own against Lewis in a chess match after the conference. Harbert had the advantage when the game was called.
BREAKING NEWS:13-year-old Carlos Harbert defeated heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in a chess match Wednesday in Tunica. Harbert was up a bishop and a pawn when the match was called off.
Lewis will weigh in today at noon. Tyson will weigh in at 3PM. The fighters will be kept apart all the way to fight time. Reportedly they won't even touch gloves prior to the fight.
Steward hyping Lennox for victory!
By
Andre Courtemanche
History is of major significance to the principles involved in the Lewis vs. Tyson fight. Whether it be Tyson�s image and its ability to thrive based upon it, or Lewis� attempts to make it, the events of the past are playing a big part in making this match the biggest event of the year.
The concept of history, and in this case altering some of it slightly, returned today when trainer Emanuel Steward took to the dais today during the champion�s half of the final press conference before Saturday�s showdown in Memphis. The founder of the world-famous Kronk Gym knows a thing or two about making his man feel good before a fight, even if he could be called for stretching the truth a little at certain points.
The Detroiter began the conference with a bold pronouncement about the consequences of a Lewis victory. �I�m very happy for Lennox Lewis. When I first got involved with him in 1994, I made a prediction that he had the ability and the potential to be the greatest heavyweight since Muhammad Ali. We are now three days away from seeing that legacy fulfilled,� he said as though Larry Holmes was only a movie. �Lennox has always wanted to fight the best. I have very seldom been with a fighter who has never dodged anyone. Lennox has probably fought more undefeated challengers than anyone in the history of the division.�
Steward, who once told members of the media with a poker straight face that Naseem Hamed was completely ready for Marco Barrera and then reversed himself after being released by the former champion after the fight, said people are not being realistic to give Tyson a chance at winning. �It�s very interesting when I hear people say that the only reason they are picking Tyson is because Tyson is going to run out there and scare Lennox to death and Lennox is going to be a big, awkward kid fumbling around. This man is 6�6, 250 lbs., has been through two Olympics, winning the Gold medal in the 88 (by) knocking out Riddick Bowe, the World Junior Champion, and three times heavyweight champion of the world. He has only lost two fights and knocked both of those guys out in rematches (note: Oliver McCall was disqualified in the rematch). He has been in boxing for twenty-five years. Now how is some small little man going to run out and run him out of the ring? It�s ridiculous.�
While some would say Tyson relinquished one of his alphabet titles in 1996 rather than face the lesser-known Lewis, so that he could pursue a more lucrative match with Evander Holyfield, Steward claimed it was a lack of courage that led to the unusual situation. �When you speak about courage, you can go a little further. The only person who ever ran from someone was Mike Tyson. He gave up the most prestigious title in boxing, the WBC, nearly five years ago rather than fight this man. If he was afraid of Lennox back then, how is he going to be any better?�
Steward and his well-polished spin machine were in fine form today, and none of the other champions of the day were safe from his barbs. �For three or four years of the time Tyson has been in prison, Lennox has been fighting the best fighters in the world. Lennox wanted this fight. He said I�ve fought every fighter of my era. He wanted to fight Riddick Bowe, remembering that he knocked him out in 88. He (Bowe) ran away. He beat Evander Holyfield twice. He doesn�t even consider Evander much of a challenge, that�s why he didn�t do more damage than he did, plus he was worried about getting too close and getting butted.�
According to Steward, the public need only look at the history of Mike Tyson�s own words regarding Lewis to know the mental battle has already been won. �Mike Tyson has been on record continually saying that Lennox Lewis is not afraid of me, in fact he intimidated me a lot. He embarrassed me in front of my wife. She went up and grabbed him to talk to him and he just looked at me and I just sat in the chair. She should have gone up to him to fight him and I would have joined in. He said openly that Lennox Lewis is not afraid of him. Mike Tyson has never fought a guy that I know that wasn�t afraid of him that he didn�t have a big problem with and he�s never fought a guy as good as Lennox Lewis.�
The legendary trainer then delved into nationality and the patriotism of either combatant. �Mike Tyson will probably be going into the ring as an underdog for the first time in his career. If you don�t think that plays on his mind�his trainers can say and do what they want, but Mike Tyson has to fight this powerful man who is not afraid of him and who has been fighting the best fighters in the world while he was incarcerated. Even when he (Tyson) got out, he went on a tour fighting all over the world; everywhere but in America. Lennox has been doing more in America than he has. (Lennox has been) living, training and fighting in America even though he could fight in his own country where he�d have every advantage, he chose to fight in America. He�s more American than Mike Tyson has been for the last few years and I give him credit for that.�
Never in history have so many done so much to sabotage the hype surrounding a fight that stood to make them all millions. Add Steward to the enormous list of participants who don�t feel that Tyson vs. Lewis should even be happening. �This fight here, when it was finally made, and he (Lennox) had every reason to get out of this fight�Lennox said no, I want to knockout Mike Tyson. He�s the last one; I want to finish him off. That�s why this fight was made, because I don�t even really feel that Mike Tyson deserves to be fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world, personally. Even though they are the same age now, it is generally acknowledged that Lennox is fighting better than ever. Mike Tyson has been fighting second-rate fighters. Nevertheless, everybody is holding on to this image of Mike Tyson from twelve, thirteen years ago. They don�t want to let that go. That Mike Tyson is gone.�
�Lennox is the best today and one of the greatest of all time. His record will be appreciated after he�s gone. I don�t think they will (appreciate him) today because he doesn�t make himself available to the media; he�s very reserved, but I�ve trained him and I know this man is phenomenal to train and one of the finest human beings I�ve ever dealt with. That�s why I chose to stay with him and not go with Mike Tyson when I could have made three million dollars for a fight. Lennox Lewis is worth being with because of the character in addition to the talent that he has.�
Maybe Steward caught himself being too negative and maybe the fan in him overtook his desire to make his fighter feel like the invincible warrior who is already a shoo-in for victory, but the �trainer of champions� did take time to compliment Team Tyson and say that he thought the fight would be an exciting one. �I think you�re going to see a great fight and I don�t think illegal tactics�ll mar it. I think Mike has three good boxing trainers now. He has Mike McCallum, one of the champions I managed and trained, and also Stacy McKinley who has been there the whole time. He�s a very good boxing guy and one of my ex-fighters. Ronnie Shields I�ve known since he was fourteen years old. I used to take him on a lot of trips as an amateur. He and Thomas Hearns used to fight a lot. He has a good quality staff and they�ll get Mike into a boxing mode that he hasn�t been in years. I think you�ll see a best that he can be Mike Tyson in this fight.
This fight could not only be a slugfest early, but also possibly go into the late rounds because I can see problems with each guy�s style. Mike has always had problems with tall fighters, and Lennox may have problems finding Mike because of his bob and weave style. It could end up being a great fight that the judges become very important going down the stretch. I think it�s going to be a very explosive fight because it has all the elements that make a good fight and that�s emotion. I�m really looking forward to this fight. This one has got me all nervous; I�m waking up in the morning and shadowboxing myself. I�m just getting all excited about it. I love big time fights and I love competition. I don�t like easy fights. Lennox is the same way. That�s why it�s been very easy to beat us in what have been perceived to be easy fights.�
The reason Emanuel Steward is already considered a living legend is that, in addition to his miraculous work as a trainer, he has always been able to motivate his fighters. If bending the truth a little is necessary to create the right mind frame, so be it. Steward concluded his remarks with the truthful insight that a scared Lennox Lewis is a dangerous one. �When Lennox feels threatened he goes to his best. When they said he was overmatched against Razor Ruddock we saw what happened there. Also, he fought a guy named Golota, which everybody, including my brother James said, �oh, he�s too rough for Lennox. Lennox is a gentleman. Golota is a brawler and an alley fighter. He�ll do anything.� Lennox just looked at me and said, �What did James say? Okay.� You saw what happened to Golota. When you had a trainer that talked about him real bad named Don Turner, who said Lennox is a coward all you have to do is back him up. He thought he had a big strong guy who could back him up named Michael Grant. At the end of the first round, he was dragging Grant back to his corner and picking him up off the floor. You saw what happened to Rahman when he dissed Lennox prior to the last fight. When Lennox feels threatened he is the most dangerous, that�s why there is a very good chance of Tyson ending up looking up at the top of that Pyramid from a very vicious uppercut.�
Whether Steward�s
versions of events is considered the valid one will be decided this Saturday
night. History is written by the victors.
June 5, 2002
By Roger Williams
Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis had a nice luncheon, held a press conference, played chess with a local 13 year old champion and then conducted a light workout for equivalent of 8 rounds. The whole event, which took place at Sam's Town Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, was well set up and executed and was in vast contrast to Tyson's austere offering the day before. Lewis looked like an unbeatable monster... 6'6, 250 pounds of solid, fast fighter.
Lewis brief with final remarks!
By Andre Courtemanche
The following is a transcript of Lewis� remarks:
In 1983 when I was boxing for the World Junior Championships, I needed some sparring. We were searching everywhere for sparring partners and we couldn�t find any, but we heard about this young cat up in New York named Mike Tyson. My trainer and me got on the road and we drove up to Catskills New York to a little gym like an old fire station. There was a guy in there named Mike Tyson and another guy named Cus D�Amato. We went in their and we said okay, �we�re going to help each other do some sparring.
The first day when we stepped into the ring to spar, this cat came out rushing at me and he was trying to knock me out, so I gave him my Muhammad Ali impression and I was dancing around boxing. We were going at it pretty good for four days and Mike Tyson never knocked me out in those four days. He did give me a fat lip, but I gave him a bloody mouth, so we�re even on that exchange. After all that sparring Cus D�Amato did say one thing that always stuck in my mind. He said one day you and Mike Tyson will meet.
Time went and I didn�t think it would come true, but it has come true. It�s evident that its here, and just like back then, I predict this Saturday, will be real explosive the same way. The only thing is I�m not going to give him a Muhammad Ali impression; I�m going to give him a Lennox Lewis impression. I�m a pugilistic specialist and I�m going to go in there and do what comes naturally. I�m very focused and very positive. I can�t wait and I�m looking forward to this.
All the talking
is done, time for some action.