By Nodley Wright, Staff Reporter
Lennox Lewis - File
WORLD Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis who is scheduled to defend his titles in one of the richest fights in history against Mike Tyson on June 8. The dreadlocked fighter who was born in England to Jamaican parents was in the island for sometime recently and the Gleaner caught up with him.
QUESTION: You are scheduled to fight Mike Tyson on June 8, what can fight fans expect from Lennox Lewis?:
LENNOX LEWIS: I would say a good fight. The world is expecting a lot. They are thinking of Mike Tyson of when he was 19 and that is great because I want to take away that shine and the sense of belief that his die-hard fans have.
Q: In Tyson's last few fights he has not shown any sharp boxing skills but still has that devastating punch. What kind of Tyson do you expect to show?
LL: This is the question that is on everybody's mind. Which Tyson will come. I definitely am not expecting the Tyson of yesterday. I just hope that he can stay within the confines of rules to make it a true pugilists sport. He was diagnosed with a problem before he even got a card to fight in Memphis so the commissioner had to make sure that he was getting some sort of medical help and he has passed that so let's hope that everything comes together for him. But I am not worried about him in that sense. Right now he has been declared fit to fight and that's all I need to worry about. What I need to be concerned about is when I get into the ring what I need to do and what I need to accomplish and yes you are right Mike Tyson still has a devastating punch and if I stick my chin out there then he will definitely knock me out.
Q: Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman did that?
LL: Those were learning experiences for me and in one sense you cannot walk into the rain without getting wet but the greatest thing that I have done is that I have come back and beaten those guys who beat me. In my own mind I have not really lost.
Q: What makes you so sure now that you will not be hit by one of the Tyson bombs?
LL: The first one against Oliver McCall was that I tore my right hand and my balance was thrown off. The second fight I was a little lackadaisical and it affected me in that I was not as sharp as I could be. I learnt from that and came back. You could say that I have gone through a lifetime of learning so all of a sudden now in the most important fight of my whole life I definitely am not going to take it for granted and I going to be totally focused.
Q: You have been in Jamaica around beauty contests and so forth so it could be said that you are not taking this fight seriously?
LL: I am definitely taking the fight seriously. I am a normal person. There are going to be times when I am going to be seen at certain places but I have to live as well and I still get my training in. These people are not behind the scenes so they do not know what I do and there are moments when no one sees me and they do not speak about those moments.
Q: So you have been training while you have been here?
LL: Yes absolutely. I am a top athlete so I have to have a certain amount of maintenance so when I get into training camp I have to be prepared for that.
Q: What kind of training were you doing here?
LL: I was doing some road work and weight training. It was largely a strengthening programme because right now you cannot get into heavy training. It is too early. Next week I will get into training camp.
Q: Apart from the mutual hatred between you two what is it that motivates you so much for this fight against Tyson? You are a multi-millionaire and you are not fighting for the money. What really motivates you for this one?
LL: Now it is personal. It is a personal situation. The man said that he wants to eat my children. He said he said he wants to shoot me. He has bitten me so it is more personal right now. This man says he wants to fight but it does not appear as if he wants to do so fairly. He seems to want to do it on some animal basis and as I said he has to let me know the rules before we step into the ring. I am true boxer, a pugilistic specialist I am not into the biting.
Q: How do you think he will approach you in this fight?
LL: I can only see Mike Tyson doing one thing and that is rushing after me and coming out and trying to get in close and many boxers have tried it in the past. Evander Holyfield , one of the most gifted boxers out there - he has all kinds of offence and defence, he is a great technical boxer he was not able to do it. That is all that he can try and do. I am the very best there is right now and have been for a long time. Mike Tyson is just trying to get a nut.
Q: Again there are questions about your defence and your peripheral vision, it seems not to be so great . You seem to be susceptible to being hit by fighters who punch from and angle and shorter fighters as is Tyson who happens to swing from all angles and is two-fisted. How do you respond to this?
LL: Every boxer has a weakness. I would not say that is a weakness on my part, my peripheral vision is great. I mean throughout history shorter boxers have always given taller boxers a problem and vice versa.
Q: Observers have also questioned your stamina, will you be there competing in round 12 if it goes the distance?
LL: When I train I train to go to 12 rounds. I do not train to go less than that and I think I have answered all those stamina questions and I have also answered the chin question as well in the sense that what they were saying after this Rahman fight that I don't have no chin and that I have lost it. All those things they say when you lose and it is like you have to come back again and prove yourself once again. Everytime after a loss I have to come back and prove myself again.
Q: This fight does it still have the rematch clause in it?
LL: It is actually a two-fight deal and whatever the result we will meet again.
Q: Are there any conditions under which a second fight would not take place?
LL: Yes there is. The provision is that he will lose some of his money if the referee stops it and disqualifies him on any ground.
Q: These conditions that you have laid down Lennox, could they not be seen as psychological games being played on him to get him out of his fight plan just to let him lose it a bit?
LL: Not really. I think he has lost it already. I go to camp next week and will be based in the Pocano Mountains of Pennsylvania.
Q: How much money do you stand to make from this fight?
LL: Under US$100m .
Q: How much are you worth now?
LL: How much are you worth to your mother? I would not say I am worth a particular figure. I would not look at my worth in terms of money. I cannot put a value on value myself in terms of money because I am all over. Have you every been in the ring ducking and diving, bobbing and weaving? Well there you go. (He chuckles as we conclude the interview).
