Columnist Dean Juipe: Holyfield: Blame both sides in debacle

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1999 | 8:32 a.m.

Dean Juipe's boxing notebook appears Thursday. His sports column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at juipe@vegas.com or 259-4084.

From Evander Holyfield's perspective, there is plenty of blame to go around from the abbreviated Mike Tyson vs. Orlin Norris fight last Saturday.

Holyfield, the WBA and IBF heavyweight champion who will face Lennox Lewis Nov. 13 at the Thomas & Mack Center, said this week that Tyson was guilty of a foul and that Norris should have made a better effort to continue.

Speaking from his training site in Houston, Holyfield also feels the Nevada State Athletic Commission -- which will meet Friday on the subject of imposing penalties on Tyson -- should refine its regulations to include specific penalties for late blows.

"I can see both sides of it," Holyfield said of Tyson hitting late and Norris choosing to end the fight after one round. "It was a foul, and (referee) Richard Steele did the right thing and took two points.

"Unfortunately, you can see the corner telling Norris not to continue. There was no grimace on his face like he was hurt ... and they should have made Orlin at least try to walk."

Holyfield said it came as no surprise to see Tyson involved in still another bizarre incident.

"You know it's not an accident," he said, "because it's been happening his whole career. In my opinion, it shows a lot of frustration because now he really has to work for his money."

Late hits are not uncommon with Tyson, nor were they with Riddick Bowe, Holyfield said.

"In my first fight with Tyson I realized he had a habit of hitting on the break," Holyfield said. "It's an intimidating factor. When you hit someone at the bell that man has to go back and sit down and think about how much it hurts.

"But I made up my mind that there wouldn't be any break hitting against me. When someone hits me on the break, I usually hit him back."

As for Bowe, Holyfield said "he kept hitting me on the doggone break" during each of their three fights.

He thinks the commission should take a stand on the matter.

"The commission danced around (what to do after Tyson fouled Norris)," he said. "They shouldn't leave boxing in limbo. They need to come out with some kind of rules and regulations that make it clear what will happen if you commit this kind of foul."

The NSAC's Friday meeting will be held at the county commission chambers, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

* QUICK HITS: Asked Wednesday for his opinion on the Tyson incident, Steele was unusually evasive. "The commission doesn't want me to say anything until after their ruling," he responded. ... Overlooked fight: Erik Morales retained his WBC super bantamweight title by taking a unanimous decision over Wayne McCullough last Friday in Detroit. It was an excellent, action fight, with McCullough his typically busy self yet unable to wear down the young champion. The Las Vegan slips to 22-3 without tarnishing his reputation. ... The Nov. 12 card at The Orleans has added heavyweight contender Wladimir Klitschko to its lineup. He's 29-1 and will take on Thomas Williams, 24-6, in his American debut.

Unbeaten Las Vegas heavyweight Charles Shufford has taken a Nov. 4 fight in Worley, Idaho, and his opponent is coming off a loss to another Las Vegan on last week's Tyson card. Shufford, 11-0 with six knockouts, can expect a decent effort from Augustin Corpus, 7-4-2, without having to stay up nights worrying about him. Corpus dropped a six-round decision to Duncan Dokiwari on the Tyson undercard. ... Another Las Vegas heavyweight, Jimmy Thunder, will meet Eli Dixon Nov. 18 in Coachella, Calif. Thunder is 33-9, Dixon 22-5-1. ... Tickets are on sale at nine Las Vegas locations that will show the Holyfield vs. Lewis bout on closed circuit. The sites include Caesars Palace, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Monte Carlo, the Flamingo Hilton, the Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, the Luxor, Circus Circus and Paris. ... The official Internet site for the Holyfield vs. Lewis fight goes up today (sports.excite.com). Training camp diaries from each fighter are among the scheduled features.

Editor's note: This Dean Juipe column appeared in the Las Vegas Sun on Oct. 28, 1999.