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| April 13, 2003 | Sunday | Safar 10, 1424 |
Tyson may fight Lewis in June
NEWARK (New Jersey), April 12: Mike Tyson may not be ready for a rematch with Lennox Lewis, but he apparently is set to fight on the same card as the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion.
Tyson has fought only once since getting pounded by Lewis in Memphis last June, but will return to the ring June 21 at Continental Airlines Arena, according to a report in the Friday edition of the Star Ledger.
However, Tyson has a suspended license in New Jersey and other states for erratic behavior in and out of the ring, including the infamous battle against Evander Holyfield during which Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear.
Before he can fight a yet-to-be-named opponent on June 21, Tyson faces another round with the State Athletic Control Board, which grants boxing licenses in New Jersey.
During a 1998 hearing in Trenton, New Jersey, Tyson cursed at state officials who questioned whether he was mentally fit to fight.
Lewis (40-2-1, 31 KOs) has been idle since his dominant eighth-round knockout of Tyson. He is expected to defend his title against Canadian Kirk Johnson or No. 1 contender Vitali Klitschko.
On Monday, reports in London said Lewis was close to confirming a fight with Johnson not in New Jersey but in Buffalo, New York, which is near the Canadian border.
However, the WBC has threatened to strip Lewis of his title if he doesn’t fight either Tyson or Klitschko. Should Lewis choose to fight Tyson, the WBC would sanction that but with the winner then facing a mandatory defence against Klitschko.
The 37-year-old Lewis had been seeking a rematch with Tyson, who despite being convincingly beaten in the first encounter, still would be the most lucrative opponent.
Tyson (50-4, 44 KOs) returned to the ring on February 22 in Memphis and got little work in as he knocked out Clifford Etienne just 49 seconds into the opening round. After the fight, Tyson said he would need at least one other fight before a rematch with Lewis.
Tyson, 36, has not held a title since November 1996, when he suffered an 11th-round technical knockout against Holyfield. Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield’s ear in the rematch in June 1997, and had six fights after that before meeting Lewis. He never has lost a non-title bout.—AFP
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