Holyfield sees Tyson getting best of Lewis

LONDON (February 23, 2001 3:45 p.m. EST http://www.sportserver.com) - Evander Holyfield is backing fellow American Mike Tyson to defeat current World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, should that lucrative fight ever take place.

Having fought both men, former undisputed champion Holyfield is the best person to judge and, in BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek program to be broadcast on Sunday, the one-time cruiserweight asserts: "I would give the advantage to Tyson.

"Tyson fights tall guys real well and Lennox Lewis tends to fight the style that Tyson likes.

"He's very reserved, he thinks a lot and Tyson tends to do well with guys who think a lot," said the man whose ear was famously on the receiving end of a biting from his compatriot.

"When you let Tyson dictate the pace, then there's a good chance he's going to catch you with one of the big bombs.

"I think the way that Lennox fights, he will let Tyson dictate the pace and that is something that can happen.

"Style-wise, I'd prefer to fight Tyson, it's better than Lennox Lewis' style because he's always coming in and all that.

"With Lennox it's a little bit more difficult because his arms are a lot longer and he can hold you, and you can't move if he holds you.

"It's not like you can push him all over the ring, with Tyson you'd have a lot more leverage.

"I could hold him when I wanted to hold him and I can push him off when I want to push him off.

"With Lennox it's quite different, so the game plan's a lot different. You have to work a lot harder with a Lennox Lewis."

Holyfield is counting down to his World Boxing Association (WBA) title rematch with John Ruiz in Las Vegas next week.

And if Lewis-Tyson proves too difficult to become reality, Holyfield would pursue a third match with Lennox to follow the draw at Madison Square Garden and defeat in Las Vegas.

Holyfield says of the prospect of a third match with Lewis: "I would love to, love to.

"I believe if he (Lewis) wants to make a lot of money, he can't make a lot of money unless he fights Tyson or myself."

Emanuel Steward, the Briton's trainer, has asserted that his champion will go down as one of the all-time great heavyweights, but Holyfield added: "You really can't say all-time great. Lennox has had two big fights with me.

"You ask were the fights great? The first fight was a stinker, which ended up in a draw.

"The second fight was a lot better. Lennox has always been bigger than everybody that he's fought.

"What he did was only natural. What you call great or greatness is something you prove, not a name that someone has given you."

Lewis vs. Tyson on hold

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Reuters LONDON � Lennox Lewis's long-awaited meeting with Mike Tyson looked less likely than ever on Friday after the Lewis camp ruled out the possibility for the foreseeable future.

A senior aide to the WBC and IBF champion insisted that the showdown "was not going to happen" because the two fighters were contracted to rival television companies.

Lewis is two fights into a seven-contest deal with American television cable company HBO, while Tyson has an agreement with rival network Showtime.

"It's a ridiculous contract -- the Tyson fight won't go ahead," said the aide.

"He's locked into his own contract and it's not going to happen."

The Lewis camp had suggested on Thursday that the fight be screened on HBO, a proposal which would force Tyson to compensate Showtime out of his cut of the purse.

Tyson's manager Shelly Finkel said that Lewis's demands on the split of television cash were "laughable," adding that it was "clear that Lennox does not want the fight."

A compromise which would see both cable companies screening the fight simultaneously also seems unlikely.

"It would be virtually impossible, as there is no financial incentive for the companies to do so," said industry expert Tom Umstead of Multi Channel News.

"They would have to go through the In Demand distribution house or pay them off.

"If they did that, they would have to negotiate individually with thousands of cable operators themselves which would be almost impossible from a distribution point of view," he added.

Jason Oberlander, a publicist for Showtime, says the company was willing to try to reach agreement with HBO.

"Showtime is open to negotiation. We are open to discussions to work this out and see what we can do," he said.

Source: espn.com

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