Bruno claims Mike’s heart not into fighting

Dean Juipe

Thursday, March 7, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

A week in Las Vegas and Frank Bruno has seen enough of Mike Tyson to make a critical evaluation. The World Boxing Council heavyweight champ believes Tyson would rather not be fighting.

"I'm going to do Mike Tyson a favor," Bruno said. "I'm going to wipe him out. He wants someone to take him out of all of this. He looks bored. He looks like he's in a different world. I don't think he wants any of this."

Bruno believes Tyson will retire if he loses their March 16 fight at the MGM Grand Garden. And despite being a 10-to-1 underdog, Bruno is committed to doing his part to speed Tyson along to his rocking chair and slippers.

"I thought prison was supposed to wise you up and make you a better man," Bruno said of Tyson's 3 1/2-year prison stint which ended 12 months ago. "But he's getting worse, to be honest, both in the ring and out of the ring. That entourage around him are bad people. There's not an ounce of class among them. They need to be put in their place.

"Cus D'Amato (Tyson's first trainer) must be turning over in his grave."

It's unmistakable: Bruno's confidence is up, not only because he feels Tyson is indifferent but because he believes Tyson has inadequately prepared for their 12-round title fight.

"If I was Mike Tyson, I would have never taken this fight," Bruno said. "But I think he felt he had to take it. It's in his contract that he has to fight for a title.

"But there's no way whatsoever that he's ready, unless he's Superman. He needed to have about six fights and go up in stages instead of fighting two guys anyone can beat. He's made a big mistake."

With the conditions so ripe for an upset, Bruno said he'd go to any lengths to fight Tyson, let alone do it in the comfort of the Grand Garden.

"If I had to go to Tyson's prison cell, I'd fight him there," he said. "If I had to go to Tyson's home, I'd do it. If I had to go to his grounds, I'd fight him there."

It's apparent that this is an anxious Frank Bruno, anxious to make his mark in history, anxious to avenge a 1989 knockout loss to Tyson and anxious to establish himself as a legitimate world champion and not just some temporary occupant of the throne.

"I'm a brand-new man," he said. "People think I'm soft, but now that I've got the championship I want to keep it. I'm humble and grateful, but I'm a proud dude. If it's Mike Tyson coming at me or 10 Mike Tysons coming at me, I'm keeping my belt."

Bruno, 34, is 40-4 with 38 knockouts in a pro career that began in 1982. After losing three world-title fights (to Tyson, Tim Witherspoon and Lennox Lewis), he won the WBC crown last September by taking a 12-round decision over then-champ Oliver McCall.

"I'm fighting for queen and country and to put myself in the history books," the Englishman said. "I'm working twice as hard as I ever have. I'm going to say this from my heart: I think this fight is very, very personal. If he wants a rough fight, we'll have a rough fight."

With that, Bruno promised to return to a low profile with the fight now only 10 days away. Wednesday, for example, he only reluctantly attended a promotional news conference in Los Angeles. Tyson was in LA but failed to appear at the event, which may have only further antagonized the reigning champion.

"Let Tyson do the running around," Bruno said, getting in one last dig. "He's the man making six times more than me. I don't need to be flying all over. I'm not into ego things. I'm not into being on TV on the Jay Letterman Show, or whatever it is."