Columnist Dean Juipe: Tyson carries baggage into Savarese fight

Dean Juipe

Thursday, June 22, 2000 | 10:24 a.m.

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

He's responsible for more postponements than any lingering rainstorm, nine since 1988 to be exact.

But, having received his license Wednesday, it appears as if Mike Tyson's Saturday fight with Lou Savarese in Glasgow, Scotland, will go off as scheduled.

Of course, Tyson vs. Savarese was initially slated for May in Milan, Italy, and had to be rescheduled due to Tyson's lingering disinterest. But he's in Scotland now, albeit repeatedly fielding questions about his preparedness and the fact he seems outwardly troubled by the murder of a friend on a New York street corner two weeks ago.

"Anytime you have a goal, you never like delays," Tyson's promoter, Dan Goossen, said of having the fight with Savarese pushed back a month so that Tyson could get into better shape. "But Mike has overcome delays and postponements before, so I have to believe he's ready to fight."

Aside from Tyson himself, no one really knows if he's primed for a fight with a man who doesn't have equal physical skills but may have the upper hand when it comes to desire. Savarese, 34, is 39-3 with 32 knockouts and is trying to keep this fight from becoming his last hurrah.

Tyson, who turns 34 next week, is 47-3 with 41 knockouts and has his trainers extending their usual plaudits about his mental state, his conditioning and his ferocity.

"He's ready to vaporize anyone who is in front of him," Tyson co-trainer Jay Bright volunteered. "He's ready to go."

Bright's partner, Tommy Brooks, is equally optimistic although he admitted Tyson is "mentally distressed" by the death of his friend, Darryl Baum, in New York.

"He'll punish Savarese," Brooks said. "His confidence level is soaring. I feel bad that Savarese is going to have to get a beating.

"Tyson is going to make him quit."

Bright and Brooks have talked with Tyson about comments made by Savarese's new trainer, Jesse Reid, that were derogatory and directed toward the former heavyweight champion. They'll likely remind him again before he steps into the ring Saturday for a fight to be televised on the Showtime cable network and delayed for a 9 p.m. viewing.

"Tyson did not like Reid," Brooks said, alluding to a 10-day stint Reid put in with Tyson last year before departing by mutual agreement. "We want to use what Reid said against him."

While Savarese appears unlikely to win -- Las Vegas oddsmaker Herb Lambeck makes him a 20-1 underdog -- he would seem to have the ability to extend the fight a few rounds. It's scheduled for 10 and Tyson could use the work, having fought only three rounds in 17 months.

Tyson's Jan. 29 fight in England with the overmatched Julius Francis was cut short early in the second round when Francis was on the floor for the fifth time. Tyson's previous bout, Oct. 23 in Las Vegas with Orlin Norris, was relegated to a no-contest when Norris retired after one round due to an alleged knee injury.

"The plan is for Mike to have this fight with Savarese and then have at least one more fight before he goes after a championship," Goossen said. "They love him in the United Kingdom, so he could have another fight there, although nothing has been decided."

Tyson's relationship with U.K. boxing officials cleared a hurdle when he received his license Wednesday. His reliance on antidepressants was an issue, although he apparently has been taken off the drugs as a precaution as his fight with Savarese nears.

In placing Tyson in fights with Francis and now Savarese, the idea is to rebuild his confidence and restore his marketability in preparation for a major fight back in Las Vegas.

"That's what I'm waiting for," Goossen said, explaining that his America Presents promotional firm will handle Tyson's pay-per-view fights while "farming out" these lesser fights with the likes of a Savarese. As was the case with the fight with Francis, Goossen isn't even making the trip overseas.

Perhaps he isn't too worried, and outwardly, neither are Tyson's trainers.

"It's absolutely realistic for Tyson to regain the heavyweight championship," Bright said. "Tyson has the ability and the prowess to take on any heavyweight. At this point, he just needs the experience of a couple of fights and then he'll be ready."

Savarese -- who said he gleefully did back flips when Tyson finally arrived in Britain last Thursday -- isn't a pushover in spite of having lost three of his six most recent fights. George Foreman, David Izon and Michael Grant conquered Savarese, while the Houston-based slugger counts wins over Lance Whitaker and Buster Douglas as his best.

"I know he's in tip-top shape for Mike," Goossen said. "As confident as we are, Mike still has to go and win the fight. This is a real challenge.

"If Mike wins by first-round knockout, it's because Mike's that good; it won't be because Savarese is that bad."

"He's in a jam down there (in California) and needs good legal help, but as of last Friday he has been cleared of all charges in Nevada," Risman said. "Everything has been properly resolved."

For those keeping score, Norwood was incarcerated two weeks ago on gross misdemeanor, felony theft, battery charges and unpaid traffic tickets in Las Vegas. Risman said the gross misdemeanor charge, which stemmed from a complaint from a neighbor's daughter, was dropped; the felony theft (which was related to an unreturned Dollar rental car) was dismissed after Norwood paid $1,500 in late fees; the battery charge will be dropped from his record after Norwood completes court-ordered counseling in six months; and the traffic tickets were cleared after Norwood paid his overdue tab.

The Las Vegas resident, who is 37-0-1, faces assault charges in California from an automobile-related incident in which a fellow motorist allegedly was physically struck by both the fighter and his mother.

Risman also said earlier reports that Norwood has been stripped of his WBA title for failing a recent postfight drug test may be inaccurate. "None of his people have been notified of anything like that," Risman said.

But the Las Vegas heavyweight appears to be the big winner in the deal, as he performed on the first CKP card at the Hard Rock and will headline Friday's show in The Joint ballroom.

Shufford, 14-1 with seven knockouts, will be in with Corey Sanders in a fight scheduled for 10 rounds that tops a six-bout card. Last month at the same site, Shufford went 10 rounds with Derrick Banks and earned a decision win.

His opponent -- not to be confused with fellow heavyweight Corrie Sanders of South Africa -- is 18-6 with 12 KOs but hasn't fought since 1998. There is no betting line up on the fight in the Hard Rock sports book.

Also scheduled: Marcellus Brown, 22-10-1, vs. King Ipitan, 18-1-1, 10 rounds, heavyweights; Talmadge Griffis, 12-1-1, vs. Curt Paige, 10-2, six rounds, heavyweights; Davarryl Williamson, pro debut, vs. Eric Mason, pro debut, four rounds, heavyweights; and two women's matches, Suzy Taylor vs. Gina Nicholas, and Mara Callihan vs. Geraldine Iglesias. Of note on the undercard: Ipitan, who has an astounding 88-inch reach, once fought regularly in Las Vegas but this will be his first outing here since 1994; his opponent, Brown, has won only one of his four most recent fights; Williamson once had a tryout as a quarterback with the Indianapolis Colts; Taylor, 9-3-1, and Callihan, who is making her pro debut, are both Las Vegas residents.

Former world champion Vince Phillips of Las Vegas has split from his longtime trainer, Kenny Adams. The two parted by mutual agreement after Adams expressed some concerns about Phillips' prospects for regaining a world title at the age of 36. ... Two local heavyweights, Cliff Couser and Jorge Luis Gonzalez, may be matched in an August fight in Philadelphia, Couser says. "I'll chop him down," he proclaimed. "We've sparred before and I've hurt him. I got the feeling I can knock him out." ... Former cruiserweight world champion Arthur Williams of Las Vegas has rebounded from Hepatitis B and has resumed training. "It wasn't serious," he said. "I took some pills and some herbs to get over it. I'll be all right." He hopes to fight on a July 29 card that's being put together in Biloxi, Miss.

Broadcaster Ferdie Pacheco has quit at Showtime, making the announcement during last Friday's fight in Las Vegas between Andrew Golota and Orlin Norris. ... HBO will replay last Saturday's Shane Mosley vs. Oscar De La Hoya fight in Los Angeles this Saturday at 10:45 p.m. ... Two overlooked results from last weekend: Marco Antonio Barrera improved to 50-3 by knocking out Luis Freitas in the first round in Mexico City; and Roberto Duran avenged an earlier defeat to Pat Lawlor by winning a Friday decision in Panama City by 4, 4 and 3 points on the judges' cards. Duran, 103-15, turned 49 the day of the fight. Lawlor, who beat an injured Duran in Las Vegas, is 22-15. ... Zab Judah has the honor of opening the Tyson vs. Savarese telecast in Glasgow, as he'll take on late replacement Junior Witter in a 12-round fight at 140 pounds. "I'm happy I got to come to Sco tland and show off," Judah said during a conference call. "I thank Witter for stepping in (for Jason Rowland). I don't know! much about him but I'm not overlooking him."

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