MEMPHIS – Sex, drugs and parties. Bronchitis, diarrhea, the flu. To fight or not to fight. Who is there to fight against? And about that tattoo?
So why did we think this Tyson fight would be any simpler than any of the other drama-filled soap operas that have surrounded his previous fights. Perhaps we should feel fortunate there was not violence, physical or verbal. Tyson actually was playing with children this week. He was threatening to eat them last summer.
No one exhales around a Tyson promotion until a decision is read and fans exit the arena. With a measure of normality arriving 48 hours before tonight’s scheduled 10-rounder at the Pyramid, all signs point to Tyson (49-4, 2 NC, 43 KOs) and Clifford Etienne (24-1-1, 17 KOs) finally entering the ring for their off-again, on-again bout. Don’t blink.
This doesn’t figure to last long. Three rounds at most. Tyson’s in no shape for a long fight. Three days of workouts in Mississippi doesn’t make up for the week he lost in Las Vegas getting his facial tattoo and battling illness (wink). He’s also fought an average of five rounds a year in the last 5½ years; eight of those came while being beaten up by Lennox Lewis here last June.
Knowing he’s not in the best of condition, Tyson will look to end it early. He’ll likely stalk Etienne and look to test his suspect chin. Eight months ago, Etienne was dropped in the fifth and sixth rounds against Francois Botha and had to rally late to get a draw, and he was knocked down seven times in a loss to Fres Oquendo two years ago.
“I’ve worked my [butt] off,” Etienne said. “I was in training camp for two months. That’s the longest I’ve been in training camp. I’m looking forward to going in there and doing my thing.”
If he listens to his trainer, Buddy McGirt, Etienne also will start aggressively.
“If Etienne doesn’t come right out and jump on Tyson, then we know something is wrong,” McGirt said. “We will have to take it to him. To say we’re going to be on our toes for 10 rounds, or we are going to knock him out in the seventh or eighth round is crazy. I am going to tell you the truth. We are going to come out in the first round, and it is going to be gunfight at the O.K. Corral.”
Freddie Roach will work Tyson’s corner, but it could have been McGirt. He was initially approached about training Tyson, but an offer didn’t come until he had agreed to train Etienne.
“It would have been an honor to work with Tyson,” McGirt said. “But I gave Etienne my word and I stuck with it. People still tell me I am crazy [for turning down more money]. But I sleep better at night. I stuck to my word as a man.”
An early-round knockout with no shenanigans is the only way to sell a Lewis-Tyson rematch. That’s where the big money is, the kind of money Tyson, who makes $5 million tonight, wants to command. But Lewis-Tyson, projected for June, is credible only if Tyson looks good against Etienne.
Etienne, who’ll make close to $1 million, would raise his profile by upsetting Tyson. McGirt thinks he has that potential.
“Etienne has what it takes to become a champion,” McGirt said. “I know people are looking at Etienne as a stepping stone [for Tyson], but I am a firm believer that if Etienne puts his mind to it, he can win this fight.”
We shall see.
Tale of the Tape
Mike Tyson Boxer Clifford Etienne
Catskill, N.Y. Hometown Baton Rouge, La.
49-4 (2NC, 43 KOs) Record 24-1-1 (17 KOs)
Freddie Roach Trainer Buddy McGirt
Shelly Finkel Manager Les Bonano
36 Age 32
225 3/4 Weight 222 3/4
5-11 ½ Height 6-2
71 inches Reach 75 inches
43 inches Chest 46 ½ inches
16 inches Biceps 18 inches
14 inches Forearm 14 inches
34 inches Waist 35 inches
27 inches Thigh 28 inches
20 ½ inches Neck 19 ½ inches
13 inches Fist 14 inches
