|
Tyson tells King to get lost
01/03/2003 12:30 - (SA)
Las Vegas, Nevada - Mike Tyson has heard enough from loudmouth Don King, calling the wild-haired promoter "pathetic" and telling him to stop trying to throw obstacles in the path of a rematch with Britain's Lennox Lewis.
Tyson knocked out Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds last week to secure his place as a heavyweight title contender, closing out a week in which the fight was called off because Tyson was ill and had back pain, then re-instated.
King, hopeful of signing a deal with former negotiating foe Lewis, took advantage of the chaos and said that Lewis should not fight a rematch against Tyson without Tyson first undergoing a physical and mental examination.
"Lennox destroyed Tyson," King said. "Tyson hasn't got over that yet. If he fights Tyson again, it won't be a boxing match."
Now Tyson is firing back, issuing a statement on Friday that warned King to keep out of talks to match the two former undisputed world heavyweight champions once again, perhaps as early as June.
"Lennox is smart enough not to fall for Don King's mind games and promises of fool's gold," Tyson said. "Lennox and I don't need Don King to conduct our business."
Tyson is suing King money he claims the promoter improperly took from him when they were business partners nearly a decade ago. That was when Tyson was released from prison after serving three years for rape and before his one-year ring banishment for biting Evander Holyfield's ears in a title fight.
King has tried to manipulate the boxing scene so that Tyson will have to come to King's stable of fighters in order to get a meaningful opponent for any sort of big money fight.
"This is about my lawsuit against Don King and his pathetic attempt to settle his debt without getting into court," Tyson said.
King had no part in Lewis' eighth-round knockout of Tyson last June and at this stage would have nothing to do with a rematch.
Such a bout would show the lacklustre state of King's own heavyweights, who include International Boxing Federation champion Chris Byrd, World Boxing Association champion John Ruiz and ex-champions Evander Holyfield and Hasim Rahman. - Sapa-AFP
|
Rugby
