Tyson left exposed as the seconds tick away

The former world heavyweight boxing champion was left waiting for 10 minutes in his underpants yesterday, when his opponent for tonight's non-title bout in Manchester turned up late for the weigh-in.

Fight experts agree that such lengthy exposure is unlikely to be visited on Mike Tyson again this evening, however. British champion Julius Francis, who eventually sauntered into the weigh-in listening to music on a personal stereo, is a 100-1 shot to win the fight, while Tyson is available at a punitive 1-16 with most money going on the issue of how long the hollow exercise will last.

The two men, one a born-again Christian, the other a former Christian-turned-Muslim, are united only by the fact that both have done time in jail. But the debate over whether convicted rapist Tyson should have been allowed into Britain in the first place has been overshadowed by the hero's treatment he has received from fans since his arrival.

Once the undisputed champion, Tyson has fought a total of six rounds since biting part of Evander Holyfield's ear off in June 1997; this figure does not include a road-rage incident in which he assaulted two other drivers after an accident in Maryland in August 1998.

Moreover, he has not fought a clean fight for nearly four years. His last bout, against Orlin Norris in Las Vegas in October, was declared a no-contest after the first round, when Tyson aimed a punch after the bell and Norris fell, injuring his knee.

In January 1999, in his first fight since the suspension earned for the biting incident, Tyson tried to break South African Francois Botha's arm in a clinch.

Notwithstanding this impressive record, Tyson has never regained the aura of invincibility and sheer menace that was his trademark before he lost to 42-1 outsider James Buster Douglas in Tokyo in February 1990.

Foregone conclusion or not, the fight is expected to break Sky Television's record for a pay-per-view event: the 650,000 who paid to see Frank Bruno play the sacrificial lamb against Tyson in 1996. That one lasted two-and-a-bit rounds. For Irish Sky subscribers who have not already ordered tonight's fight, the price is £16.95.