No more talk: It’s up to Holyfield and Tyson

Thursday, June 26, 1997 | 11:49 a.m.

"We're ready," snarled Richie Giachetti, who has become Tyson's trainer since that shocking WBA title loss to Holyfield on Nov. 9.

Both camps have been loudly predicting victory. Now it's time for Holyfield and Tyson to back up the boasts.

"My people are talking and his side is talking, but those people are not going to fight," Tyson said. "I'm going to fight, and on Saturday night I'm going to be champion."

"I'm the man and he can't handle me," Holyfield said. "That individual can't get over the fact that I did it before. He may fight a better fight, but I will have enough if he does."

Tyson was a 9-5 favorite to win what appears to be the richest fight ever, which will start between 11:30 EDT and midnight. A gross worldwide income of $130 million has been projected for the 12-round pay-per-view match. Holyfield is getting $35 million and Tyson $30 million.

How the fight - before a sellout crowd of 16,331 paying up to $1,500 a ticket in the MGM Grand Garden - will compare with some other heavyweight title matches remains to be be seen. But it has all the ingredients to be memorable.

"I don't know if this is the greatest fight ever," Tyson said. "I know it's been built up as the greatest fight ever."

The buildup began almost as soon as the first fight ended. And it hasn't slackened even when it had to be moved back from May 3 because of a cut over Tyson's left eye received in training.

It indeed is an intriguing fight.

Can Holyfield perform to the level he reached in the first fight? Or will 26 years of boxing and 34 years of age combine to suddenly make him an old fighter whose body doesn't obey his will?

"The big thing for all my fights is that I have to train hard," Holyfield said. "I'm a hard worker and I know you can't live off your past performances. Winning is doing your best, and I do my best every time I get into the ring."

Tyson, who will be 31 on Monday, has had more pro fights than Holyfield (47 to 36), but he had a much shorter amateur career. And although he's been knocked out twice, he's undergone a lot less wear and tear than the champion.

How can Tyson, who likes to attack, offset Holyfield's counterpunching that led to his being stopped in the 11th round in the first fight?

"He's a real fast counterpuncher, a first-class counterpuncher - awesome," Tyson said. "I know what I have to face and I'm prepared for it. I've watched the tape (of the first fight) and I saw a lot of mistakes I made that I don't want to make this time. One of them was not moving my head."

Making an opponent lead and moving side to side or back, however, are not things Tyson has ever done.

"He can't fight going backwards, never could," Turner said. "All he wants to do is come forward and destroy you."

Holyfield, 6-foot-2 1/2 , held his ground against the 5-11 1/2 Tyson and often moved him back by planting his left foot between Tyson's feet and pushing.

Holyfield and Tyson each weighed in officially Thursday at 218 pounds. That is four pounds less than Tyson weighed for the first fight and three more than Holyfield weighed,

"Weight don't make a difference," said Holyfield, the heaviest of his career.

The only change Holyfield expects from Tyson is for him "to be more aggressive, which plays into my hands. It will make the fight end a lot quicker than it did the last time."

Holyfield, however, must guard against looking for an early knockout. That could lead to a costly mistake against the hard-punching Tyson, who has 39 knockouts on his 45-2 record. Holyfield's record is 33-3 with 24 knockouts.

Tyson nailed Holyfield with the first punch of the first fight, a right to the head, and had him in trouble in the fifth round, especially when he landed a right to the body and followed with a right uppercut to the head.

Tyson was ahead by a point on each of two official cards and behind by a point on the third after five rounds. Holyfield than took charge, winning four of the next five rounds on each of two cards and all five on the third. Holyfield was awarded 10-8 rounds in the sixth and 10th by two judges and a 10-8 round in the sixth by the third judge.

"I just think Tyson is made to order for Holyfield," said Angelo Dundee, who trained Muhammad Ali. "He's just got this guy's number."

One change in Tyson appears to be his mindset.

"There's no one to blame but myself," he said of the loss. "I can't get caught up in defeat. That's what life is about, losing and persevering and coming back from a loss."

Tyson doesn't even make excuses about the head butts that opened a cut over his left eye in the sixth round and buckled his knees in the seventh.

"They were just as much my fault as his," he said.

Nine fighters have tried to regain the heavyweight title from men who took it from them, but only three succeeded - Holyfield (from Riddick Bowe), Ali (from Leon Spinks) and Floyd Patterson (from Ingemar Johansson).

Failing were Bob Fitzsimmons (against Jim Jeffries), Jack Dempsey (against Gene Tunney), Jersey Joe Walcott (against Rocky Marciano), Patterson (against Sonny Liston), Liston (against Ali) and Larry Holmes (against Michael Spinks).

There will three other live bouts on the pay-per-view show beginning at 9 p.m. EDT. Julio Cesar Chavez, a former champion in three weight classes, will fight Larry Daniel La Coursiere, and Miguel Angel Hernandez, former WBC lightweight champion will oppose Bert Roberto Granciosa in 10-round super lightweight bouts. Christy Martin will box Andrea Deshong in what is billed as a WBC women's lightweight championship match of 10 2-minute rounds.

Lonnie Bradley will defend the WBO middleweight championship against John Williams in a fight that will be taped for possible showing on pay-per-view.