Lewis in for tough time, says Tyson's trainer

Mike Tyson's trainer has thrown down the gauntlet to the world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis after a date was finally agreed for their long-awaited title showdown.

But, while Stacey McKinley was talking up the chances of his fighter regaining his crown, Frank Maloney, the former manager of Lewis, dismissed the clash as a "circus".

Tyson and Lewis will meet on June 8, the date confirmed last night, at The Pyramid Arena in Memphis. The American cable network Showtime confirmed the new date and venue for the richest fight in history after both boxers put pen to paper.

The bout had originally been planned for Las Vegas in April but Tyson's past exploits led to him being refused a licence by Nevada's boxing officials. Washington, Los Angeles, Michigan, Georgia and Houston were among a host of major cities that were put up as alternatives but the guessing game came to an end last night.

McKinley wasted no time in warning Lewis that he is in for a tough ride: "The fight is on and I don't see anything that can go wrong," he said. "Both sides have agreed to it and what we need now is to get in the ring.

"Mike was training for two months but he took a break for about 12 or 13 days to promote this fight. Now he will return to training." Tyson himself was more forthright with his views, simply saying: "On June 8 I guarantee I will knock Lewis out and regain my heavyweight championship."

Maloney, however, reckons the bout is being staged too late to have any great significance. He also believes that Tyson's antics both inside and outside the ring in recent times have turned the contest into a freak show.

"This fight has definitely come too late. It should have happened years ago. Now it's a circus, not a fight. People are going to tune in to the fight to see if Tyson breaks the rules, not see a boxing match.

"Neither of them is what they used to be. It's two old fighters past their best. Every one is going to tune in to see Mike Tyson bite Lennox Lewis or break the rules. It's not going to be a classic. It's not going to be Ali-Frazier or the Rumble in the Jungle."

Lewis is confident of walking out of the ring with his titles intact but Maloney has warned that he cannot take anything for granted.

"It depends on which Mike Tyson turns up," he said. "I think the first five rounds are very dangerous for Lewis. Tyson is probably one of the hardest punchers in the world and Lewis doesn't have a great chin. Lewis isn't the greatest starter in the business and he doesn't like fighting smaller men.

"I actually think Lewis is intimidated by Tyson."

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