MEMPHIS – Legacy vs. Destiny.
Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson.
Ultimately, that’s what their heavyweight championship fight came down to last night in The Pyramid. Lewis was seeking a place in history as one of the great heavyweights of all time. Tyson believed he was destined to reclaim the crown he first won when he was 20, the youngest heavyweight champ ever.
Lewis, despite a style that hasn’t endeared him to boxing fans, has taken on all comers: Razor Ruddock, Ray Mercer, Andrew Golota, Shannon Briggs, Evander Holyfield, Michael Grant and David Tua all have fallen to Lewis.
The only two boxers who have beaten Lewis (39-2-1, 30 KOs) – Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman – were humiliated in rematches. Riddick Bowe opted to join the Marines rather than fight Lewis.
That left Tyson (49-3, 43 KOs), Lewis’ teen-age Catskills sparring opponent 18 years ago.
“This fight is important to me because I wanted to fight all the best boxers of my era,” said Lewis. “Besides Tyson, there’s really no other boxer left from my era to fight.”
Tyson once was on the verge of walking with the legends of the heavyweight division. By 1986 he had won the WBC crown by destroying Trevor Berbick in two rounds. Tyson was 20. He had 28 fights under his belt; 24 didn’t make it past the fifth round.
But then came Robin Givens. And Don King. And a rape conviction in 1992. And another jail stint for physically assaulting two motorists in a road rage incident. And biting Evander Holyfield’s ear. And revelations about medication for depression. And outrageous, offensive comments.
Tyson last held a heavyweight crown (WBA) in 1996. Since 1997, he had fought just 22 rounds. Earlier this week he admitted he had, in theory, taken off the last 10 years. Tyson, who will turn 36 at the end of the month, may not have another shot at destiny.
“I haven’t felt this energized to fight in 10 years,” said Tyson. “It is my destiny and I will not denied in reclaiming my heavyweight title.”
For Tyson to fulfill his destiny, he almost certainly had to get to Lewis early. Although he said he sparred 160 rounds to prepare for the scheduled 12-round fight, Tyson hadn’t gone past the eighth since 1996.
If his hyper demeanor at the weigh-in was an indication, Tyson planned to charge Lewis, hoping Lewis lowered his guard, allowing Iron Mike to get to Lewis’ questionable chin.
“Remember one thing, Mike Tyson is from New York, from the ghetto,” said Tyson’s co-trainer Stacey McKinley. “He was born to fight. He’s a fighting machine.”
Lewis had to walk a fine line, avoiding the expected early barrage.
“He’s got to be dominant,” said Lewis’ trainer Emanuel Stewart. “He has to actually force the fight. He’s got to pressure Mike Tyson.”
Exactly what the pressure cooker known as Tyson was liable to do last night remained anyone’s guess. In the last two months we have seen all sides of Iron Mike: the foul-mouthed boor who respects no one, and the charming, gold-gap-toothed fighter who can poke fun at himself.
With Tyson ready to reclaim his destiny, and Lewis ready to prove, once and for all, he is one of the best heavyweights of all time, it has been ages since two fighters needed each other more than Lewis and Tyson.
“Lennox’s philosophy is when he fights bullies, he bullies bullies because bullies don’t like to be bullied,” said Stewart. “Lennox considers Mike an old bully, and Lennox is a bigger bully who’s going to bully him in his own technical way.”
