Lewis Calls on Nation of Islam for Protection

Lennox Lewis's personal security will be provided by members of the controversial Nation of Islam group in the build-up to his fight against Mike Tyson and on the night itself.

Tyson's outburst that he would have "killed" Lewis at the chaotic New York press conference if he had "been with the right crew" has put Lewis's camp on high alert that attempts may be made by Tyson's paid followers to physically intimidate the champion.

But Lewis's choice of minders has raised eyebrows. Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader since 1977, is barred from entering Britain and was the target of renewed criticism this week after referring to Jews as "bloodsuckers" who prayed in "synagogues of Satan".

Lewis's advisers have tried to force the promoters to pay for his bodyguards and the onus was put on the Tyson camp to find the $250,000 (£170,000) Lewis was demanding, a demand which was rejected.

Minders from the Nation of Islam, otherwise known as the Black Muslims, were with Lewis when he was involved in the New York brawl, and rumours persist that funds provided by the group helped conclude the deal for the contest itself.

Insiders close to the promotion insist that the television companies are calling the shots and that Farrakhan's speech has not improved his acceptability as a figure close to the fight. But his influence is clear, not least in that his son Mustafa has become a regular fixture within the Tyson camp since 1999 and Farrakhan himself was at ringside as far back as 1997 for Tyson's second fight against Evander Holyfield.

Farrakhan is regarded as a spiritual guru by many hip-hop stars and there are suggestions that money from influential figures on that wing of the music business may have helped underwrite the estimated $12m required as a site fee in Memphis before the fight could go ahead.

Though most of the advance publicity to date has come from Tyson, Lewis has agreed to allow reporters into his regular training camp in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania next week.

All 19,000 tickets for the fight have been sold - mainly to agents and travel companies - generating a live gate of more than $23m, $6m more than the record in 1999 when Lewis beat Holyfield in their second fight in Las Vegas.

Ringside seats have been sold at $2,500 and, in the all-important American pay-per-view market, subscribers are being asked to pay $54.95 for the fight. With overseas rights, an unprecedented $100m gross remains feasible.

But as the suited men in dark glasses, who once bled millions from Muhammad Ali, gather at ringside, it seems television will not be the only business to profit.

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