Heart of a lyin’

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2000 | 10 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.

Intentional or not, for the past week Mike Tyson has been sending mixed messages.

The moody heavyweight, who takes on Andrew Golota in a pay-per-view fight Friday at The Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit, has made himself available on a regular basis to reporters in recent days. And in almost every case, Tyson sprinkles his rational observations with ones that are far more outlandish.

As he confided to an Associated Press reporter, "I mix truth with lies.

"Some of it is a lot of fun. Some of it you can believe. And some is bull."

Amid the extremes, which range from Tyson pontificating on his own position in history to threatening to kill one or more reporters should they cross him, the former heavyweight champion is selling tickets.

"I had no personality when I started fighting," he said. "Now I do. There is nobody nicer than Evander (Holyfield), at face value that is. Nobody nicer than Lennox Lewis. But they can't sell tickets. I can."

Beyond the actual live gate, Tyson is doing his part to create interest in a fight that carries a fairly stiff $50 pay-per-view tag.

In Las Vegas, the fight will also be available via closed circuit at 11 open-to-the-public sites. These include the Las Vegas Hilton, Mandalay Bay, Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand, Paris, Bally's, the Monte Carlo, the Golden Nugget, the Suncoast, the Aladdin and the Beach. These tickets are priced at $40.

"This is a fight that is meant for me," Tyson said. "I'm excited about it."

His violent tendencies have also flared.

"I'm just looking to do some damage," he said. "I'm an angry man. Some people are making fun of this fight; they're just ignorant. I am taking this fight very seriously."

When Golota chuckled during the final prefight press conference, Tyson berated him.

"He's over there laughing," Tyson said. "This is serious stuff. He won't be laughing Friday night."

But Golota admitted as much.

"I'm always afraid in any fight," he said. "This is boxing."

Golota, 32, is 36-4 with 29 knockouts although he really doesn't have a significant win on his resume. While he has bested fighters such as Tim Witherspoon and Jesse Ferguson, Golota has lost to Lewis in one round and to Michael Grant by knockout in 10. He also lost consecutive fights by disqualification to Riddick Bowe in 1996, in each case almost deliberately tossing away a potential victory by continually throwing low blows.

His most recent fight was June 16 in Las Vegas when he took a 10-round decision over a stale Orlin Norris at Mandalay Bay.

Tyson, 34, is 48-3 with 42 knockouts and one no-contest with Norris. A veteran of 15 championship fights, Tyson is coming off easy wins over Lou Savarese and Julius Francis earlier this year in Great Britain.

"I've had a terrific camp and I'm in great shape," Golota said. "Winning is my main concern (but) it's a heavyweight fight, so anything can happen. I plan to fight as clean as possible.

"Tyson is a dangerous guy and he is one of the toughest guys in the world. He is a legend. It's definitely going to be an interesting fight."

Tyson apparently will enter the ring on an unspecified medication that has been approved by the Michigan Boxing Commission. "It's not performance-enhancing or impairing," the commission's physician said.

"They did diagnose me as stark raving mad," Tyson said. "I'm just insecure at times. People call me a bumbling idiot, a dumb (expletive) and sometimes I just overreact when I shouldn't."

He did say he was enjoying Detroit and training in an old gym that once housed Joe Louis.

"There is an energy and excitement about being in an environment like this," Tyson said. "Detroit gives me motivation.

"I'm looking for a quick KO."

Also on the card is a title defense by International Boxing Federation junior welterweight champ Zab Judah, as he'll take on Hector Quiroz.

"I don't watch tapes of anyone and I'm not predicting anything," Judah said during a conference call. "Opponents like Quiroz are nothing for me. I'm looking forward to bigger and better things."

He's 24-0 with 18 knockouts, while Quiroz is 31-4-1 with 25 KOs.

"Zab is going to be too fast for him," Judah's trainer, Lou Duva, said. "He's too classy for him. Quiroz may have more experience but no one has more ability than Zab."

The main event looks very one-sided on paper, as Medina is 57-11 with 25 knockouts while Rodriguez is 18-4-3 and has won only one of his six most recent bouts.

Medina, 29 but a pro since 1985, lost by decision to Ingle last November. He has since defeated Frank Toledo in Las Vegas.

Rodriguez is coming off a one-round loss to Adarryl Johnson.

Only one other fight on the card has been formally announced, as Ernesto Zepeda takes on Antonio Ramirez in a 10-round bout at 135 pounds. Zepeda, 23, is 25-4-2 but coming off a loss to Stevie Forbes. Ramirez, 28, is 16-2-4 and had a surprising win over Terrance Churchwell last month in Colorado.

First bell is 7 p.m.

Cheryl McCullough checked in this week with an e-mail that had a postcard feel to it.

"Wayne's been getting a fantastic response from the fans and every newspaper and radio station have been doing stories on him," she wrote, adding that temperatures have been cool and that Wayne is anxious for his first fight in his homeland since he took on Johnny Bredahl five years ago.

McCullough, a Las Vegas resident, sparred 150 rounds in preparation for the 10-round fight at 122 pounds and took sparring partner Brian Clements with him to Ireland. (He also sparred with Daniel Rodriguez, who's on Friday's card at the Orleans.)

As for his knowledge of Koczak, it's sketchy at best as only one tape was available and that one omitted everything but the first and last rounds.

McCullough is 23-3.

The Palace Station will host a collegiate boxing card Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., with the UNLV club team providing six of the participants. Twelve fights are scheduled, with Rebels Manny Libatique, Joey Song, Jose Gonzalez, Dave Lamarca, Chris Kennedy and Louis Ohiaeri slated for action. Proceeds will benefit the Maris Halpern Scholarship Fund. "We want to do this annually," UNLV coach Skip Kelp said of a commemorative event to honor late referee Mitch Halpern. "It seems like a heck of an idea." ... Incarcerated heavyweight Ike Ibeabuchi will have his competency hearing Dec. 18, a judge determined Monday. Ibeabuchi, being held at a Sparks mental facility while awaiting trial on sexual assault, has been refusing to take medication and the hearing will determine whether authorities can force him to do so.

Layla McCarter, a local super bantamweight, won a women's championship last week in Colorado and improved to 7-4-1 after opening her career 1-4. ... Ringside Gym owner James Pollins has formed JPollins Promotions and is trying to arrange a card for later this year at the Tropicana, as well as arrange regular cards beginning next year at sites such as Bally's and Paris. "We've got all these fighters training for things that sometimes never happen," Pollins said. "I figured I'd get involved and maybe level the playing field." ... The Felix Trinidad and Fernando Vargas press tour pulled through Las Vegas last weekend to hype their Dec. 2 fight at Mandalay Bay. "After I knock you out, I'm going after a middleweight championship," Trinidad said, prompting Vargas to reply "you're the one who's going to fall." Trinidad is 38-0, Vargas 20-0. Tickets are $50 to $1, 500.