TUNICA, Miss. – Eighteen years ago, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson stepped into a ring in the Catskills, two up-and-coming teen-age heavyweights fueled by broken-home backgrounds and raging hormones.
Tyson gave Lewis a fat lip. Lewis bloodied Tyson’s mouth.
It wasn’t bad blood that was spilled. After several days of sparring, a grudging respect developed.
Cus D’Amato, the legendary trainer who was working with Tyson at the time, said the two were destined to meet again. Destiny arrives Saturday night in Memphis, Tenn., with the heavyweight championship of the world at stake.
In the 18 years since that initial sparring session, Lewis has kept a close eye on Tyson. Like most of us, he hasn’t liked what he’s seen.
“Because of Mike, Lennox has been more reserved,” Lewis’ business manager Adrian Ogun said yesterday. “Mike has lived his personal life in the public blaze. Lennox has said many, many times that sometimes he feels sorry for him. He feels sorry for his wives and girlfriends, and he [Lewis] would never let that happen to his girlfriend. He would never let that happen to his family.
“Because of what’s happened to Mike at one end of the pole,” continued Ogun, “it’s caused Lennox to retreat.”
That retreat has backfired on Lewis in terms of public perception. Despite his audacious record (39-2-1, 30 KOs), Lewis has never won over the American boxing public. He can do that with a devastating win over Tyson.
Showtime executive Jay Larkin, whose network is married to Tyson, described Lewis as being as dull as cold tea.
“If Lennox went away tomorrow, no one would miss him,” Larkin said.
“I’m a pugilistic specialist,” Lewis said yesterday at his press conference at the hotel/casino Sam’s Town, a classy $20,000 catered affair which bore no resemblance to Tyson’s closed-mouth workout in a sauna-hot hotel ballroom on Tuesday.
Lewis’ mother Vivian attended yesterday’s press conference. Until recently, Lewis lived with his mother. Now he splits his time between estates in Jamaica and Florida. Tyson splits his time between houses of correction.
Vivian Lewis was asked if she was offended that her son has been referred to as a momma’s boy.
“It’s a compliment,” she said.
Mike Tyson wouldn’t think so.