PROMOTER Don King, who learned a long time ago that the public is much more apt to shell out money to watch a prize fight if it is disguised as a good, oldfashioned morality play, has a couple of willing accomplices for tonight's performance.
Mike Tyson, the self proclaimed "baddest man on the planet" who was reduced to a chastened schoolyard bully by the whipping; Evander Holyfield laid on him last November, would not have to wear his traditional black trunks (though he will) to be recognised as the villain in this little drama. And in Holyfield, the scripture quoting three time champion who claims he was led into battle by The Holy Spirit, he has the perfect counterfoil, a heroic, if somewhat imperfect, heavyweight.
Holyfield and Tyson have each been guaranteed $30 million for tonight's work before a celebrity studded sellout audience at the 16,000 seat MGM Grand Garden.
At the Nevada bookmakers yesterday morning Holyfield found himself a 9 to 5 underdog. Moreover, the same betting establishments make Tyson a 1 to 2 favourite to knock out the WBA champion, and 5 to 2 to do it inside the first round. If this sounds like an implicit lack of respect for a three time heavyweight champion, remember that when the same two principals met in the same ring at the MGM Grand last November, Tyson was overwhelmingly favoured at 7 to 1, and that the principal subject of debate even among boxing experts was not whether Holyfield could win the fight, but whether he would live through the night.
Tyson has won 45 and lost two of his professional fights, having knocked out 39 of his previous victims, and before Holyfield his only previous loss (to Buster Douglas in Tokyo seven years ago) was widely viewed as an aberration. An avid student of pugilistic lore, Tyson surely realises that another loss would not just seriously diminish his place in boxing history, but in all likelihood reclassify him from a has been to a never was.
If there is one thing upon which virtually everyone, including the principals themselves, agree, it is that if the Tyson who faced Holyfield back in November reappears tonight and attempt to fight the same way, the same result is likely. While easily dispatching the four opponents (Peter McNeeley, Buster Mathis, Frank Bruno, and Bruce Seldon) he had faced since his 1995 release from prison, Tyson had rarely displayed the gifts which made him a great boxer a decade ago - rapid fire combinations thrown from improbable directions, coupled with a constant bob and weave head movement that served as a virtually impenetrable defence. He hadn't needed them.
At the same time, Tyson's most formidable weapon of all was unquestionably the intimidation factor. Most of his victims were quite frankly frightened to death by him, and quickly wilted to spare themselves even more horrible punishment. Faced with Holyfield, who patently was not only not afraid of him, but was willing and able to back up his courage by throwing punches of his own, Tyson found himself in full retreat until he was battered into submission in the 11th round.
The question now becomes: Having been chastened, can the bully regain his confidence? Tyson says he can, and has fired yesman trainer Jay Bright, replacing him with Larry Holmes's longtime mentor, Richie Giachetti.
At the same time, one has to wonder about Tyson's outlook in light of his all out battle to have Mitch Halpern replaced as the referee for tonight's match. Halpern decided to step aside yesterday.
Holyfield, who has won 33 professional fights, drawn three and had 24 knockouts, is a three time heavyweight champion whose courageous performance last November secured his place in the pantheon of all time boxing greats, but his best days are clearly behind him as well.
Since his 1993 triumph over Riddick Bowe in the second of their threebout series, in fact, he has fought just five times (the same number as has Tyson, who was behind bars for much of the corresponding period), lost two of those (Michael Moorer and Bowe III), looked mediocre in one win (Ray Mercer) and absolutely terrible in the other (Bobby Czyz). In his preTyson outings, he often appeared to tire badly and, moreover (following his 1994 loss to Moorer) had briefly retired after being diagnosed (or misdiagnosed, it now appears) with a cardiac irregularity known as a "noncompliant left ventricle".
Even though he exudes a confidence that Tyson does not, it remains somewhat disturbing to some that Holyfield insists on crediting the Almighty for his rejuvenation. The bookmakers must be wondering: "What if Jesus has a bad night?"
