Lewis-Tyson sounds good to Holyfield

By TIM DAHLBERG

LAS VEGAS (February 28, 2001 8:38 p.m. EST http://www.sportserver.com) - Evander Holyfield defeated Mike Tyson twice, but wasn't able to beat Lennox Lewis in two fights.

So it might be surprising who Holyfield thinks would win if Lewis and Tyson ever meet.

"It would have to be Tyson," Holyfield said Wednesday. "He just jumps out like a rattlesnake and hits you. Lennox isn't used to anyone coming at him like that."

Holyfield might be biased. He has more of a chance of fighting Tyson again in the near future than he does of getting Lewis in the ring for a third time.

But he does offer a perspective of someone who has been in the ring with two heavyweight champions who come in with entirely different perspectives.

"I've never seen anyone hit from a distance with such short arms as Tyson," Holyfield said. "People might think he couldn't get inside on Lewis but Tyson always fights tall guys better, especially the laid-back ones like Lewis. And he's not afraid to take chances and jump off the ground to hit you."

The 38-year-old Holyfield, who defends the WBA portion of the heavyweight title against John Ruiz on Saturday, stopped Tyson in the 11th round of their first fight and won the second when Tyson bit a chunk out of his ear in the third round.

Against Lewis he didn't have as much success, getting a disputed draw in their first fight, then losing a decision that, for a brief time, made Lewis the undisputed champion.

Still, Holyfield doesn't think highly of the man who now holds the WBC and IBF portions of the title. In particular, he doesn't like the fact Lewis seldom takes a chance in the ring and doesn't pursue knockouts when he can.

"Is it really being a smart fighter to do that?" Holyfield said. "It means you have got no heart. You set a guy up to take him out, not to make excuses. Go to art class if you want art."

Holyfield's comments came before Wednesday's final pre-fight news conference for his rematch with Ruiz, whom he beat in a narrow decision last August when the two first met for the WBA crown a judge took from Lewis.

Though Holyfield holds the WBA title, Lewis is recognized by most as the legitimate heavyweight champion. And Holyfield really has only two big money fights left in his career, either against Lewis or Tyson.

Holyfield doesn't think Lewis will fight him a third time unless Tyson beats him. And he's not holding his breath waiting for Tyson and Lewis to get together on a fight.

"I'd have to wait until I'm 45 for that to come off," he said.

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Good-natured Tyson still enjoys fighting

Thursday, March 1

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS � Mike Tyson had some guests over Thursday and actually seemed glad to see them.

The former heavyweight champion welcomed some writers past a few grim-faced security men and into his home, offering pastries and coffee along with a big helping of his view of the current state of heavyweight affairs.

Tyson, notorious for his mood swings in and out of the ring, was a jovial host as he held court in his living room and then chatted affably with anyone wanting to hang around underneath a balcony adorned with two large murals of famous fighters.

"I'm really excited about seeing you guys," he told about a dozen writers invited to the walled compound east of the Las Vegas Strip. "It's been a long time since we've done this."

The gathering was a chance for Tyson to get his new message out once again -- that he is rededicated to fighting and wants nothing more than to fight Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield and become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

"I'm the No. 1 challenger and the mandatory defense," Tyson said. "I'm ready to fight."

It will, of course, take much more than a ranking and a willingness to fight to get Tyson and Lewis into the ring anytime in the near future. Lewis is fighting April 21 against Hasim Rahman in South Africa, and Tyson tentatively has a May 19 date with David Izon penciled in.

What could happen first is that Tyson fights the winner of Saturday's WBA title fight between Holyfield and John Ruiz, manager Shelly Finkel said.

"Showtime has asked if Mike will fight the winner of Holyfield-Ruiz if we didn't fight Lewis and we said yes," Finkel said. "We would prefer to fight Lewis, but it doesn't look as if it will get done quickly."

The big hangup in a Lewis-Tyson fight is that both fighters are signed with competing networks. Tyson fights on Showtime, while Lewis is on HBO. So far, neither network has shown any inclination to make a deal that would allow Lewis and Tyson to meet.

There are problems with Tyson fighting Holyfield a third time, too. Holyfield is promoted by Don King, and Tyson wants nothing to do with King after an acrimonious split from the promoter that includes a Tyson lawsuit that claims King stole more than $100 million from him.

"There's no way I can fight with him (King) promoting," Tyson said.

Tyson, who had talked about retirement at his last fight in October against Andrew Golota, said he did so only out of frustration that he was not getting any closer to regaining the heavyweight titles.

Now, though, he is back in training and says he wants to keep fighting as long as he enjoys it.

"Me being a freak show is something I didn't want," Tyson said. "I needed to just take a deep look inside myself and check out my whole barometer and see what I want to do with my life. I don't want to do anything else. All I want to do is fight."

Tyson remains the heavyweight division's biggest attraction even though Lewis is recognized as the heavyweight champion and Holyfield holds another piece of the title.

Tyson is one fighter who sells tickets, and quite successfully as evidenced by his sprawling home that featured a half-dozen luxury cars in the driveway out front, including a brand new Rolls-Royce convertible.

"(Lewis) should be happy, clapping his hands and doing handstands for me wanting to fight him," Tyson said. "Thanks to you guys, I'm the man. You guys made it possible."

Even a question about a positive test for marijuana after the Golota fight didn't sour Tyson's good mood, although he tried to deflect it by saying he didn't know anything about it. Tyson was fined and suspended for 90 days by Michigan boxing authorities for the positive test.

"No, I don't imbibe," he told a reporter. "But you do."

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