Tyson-Botha set for Jan. 16 at MGM Grand Garden

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Dec. 3, 1998 | 11:11 a.m.

The fight is on and even the undercard is falling into place.

Mike Tyson will face Frans Botha Jan. 16 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, it was confirmed Wednesday. Showtime, which will handle the pay-per-view distribution of the event, is set to make a formal announcement of the fight prior to a press conference Tuesday in Los Angeles.

When he steps into the ring for the 10-round heavyweight bout, Tyson, 32, will be fighting for the first time in 19 months. His boxing license was revoked for 16 of those months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as a penalty for biting the ears of Evander Holyfield during a June 28, 1997, title fight at the MGM.

Botha, 30, is a former IBF champion with a 37-1 record who has been training for the Tyson fight for the past two weeks in Las Vegas. He defeated Germany's Axel Schulz in 1995 for the IBF title and later lost it to Michael Moorer.

"He and I are truly excited," Botha's manager, Sterling McPherson, said. "Botha's very confident he can win the fight."

Tyson, 32, is 45-3 and is a legendary ex-champion who gained his first world title in 1986. He's currently training in Phoenix.

Tuesday in Rockville, Md., he pleaded no-contest to misdemeanor assault charges that stemmed from an Aug. 31 traffic accident in the Washington suburb of Gaithersburg, Md. A sentencing date has not been set, although the presiding judge indicated it would be "early next year."

Apparently it will not interfere with the Jan. 16 fight in Las Vegas.

"My heart goes out to Tyson and I hope nothing else happens to him," McPherson said. "He's been through hell. Enough is enough: Leave the guy alone."

The MGM has not announced ticket prices or availability but a spokesman said the particulars might be released today.

The undercard, however, is already shaping up and will include two world-title fights as well as another for a minor crown. Luisito Espinosa (44-7), who knocked out Kennedy McKinney in the second round of their fight last week in Indio, Calif., will once again defend his WBC featherweight belt when he takes on mandatory challenger Cesar Soto (51-7-2) in the primary undercard feature. That bout was finalized Wednesday and has been added to a lineup that also includes Robert Garcia (31-0) vs. John John Molina (25-6) for Garcia's IBF junior lightweight title, and Zab Judah (18-0) vs. Wilfredo Negron (17-3) for Judah's USBA junior welterweight title.