Etienne waffles again — says he will fight Tyson

Tim Dahlberg

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2003 | 9:57 a.m.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- First Mike Tyson changed his mind. Now Clifford Etienne has changed his, too.

Etienne agreed today to fight Tyson as planned, marking another twist in the soap operalike saga that has enveloped the heavyweight fight for days.

"He called me this morning and said he's fighting," Etienne's manager, Les Bonano said. "In this wacky world of boxing what can you say?"

Etienne had been unhappy that Tyson was dictating terms of the fight, and promised a day earlier to give up nearly $1 million and the chance of a lifetime to take on the once fearsome former heavyweight champion.

"I think he's going to win and fight for the heavyweight title," Bonano said.

Although Tyson was said to have flulike symptoms over the weekend, his recent run of odd behavior began a week ago, when he went out and got a large tattoo, a design with a tribal motif that almost encircles his left eye. He then missed three straight sparring sessions, leaving trainer Freddie Roach waiting at the gym without explanation.

Tyson, who will reportedly earn more than $5 million for the fight, reversed course Tuesday and boarded a chartered jet to Memphis.

"Mike told me he wants to fight, and we're here to fight," Roach said after the plane landed.

Roach had said he told Tyson that he didn't think he was ready for the fight but would stand behind him. After landing, Roach sounded more confident.

"It didn't help at all, but in a couple of days we can get the timing back in," Roach said.

While Tyson's mood swings are well known, Etienne had a little fit of his own.

"I'm going to show him I don't have to live by Mike's rules," Etienne said. "I think he has mental problems, but Mike has to live with that."

Proving that an opponent is just an opponent, however, promoters said they had four fighters lined up to replace Etienne.

"If I were him, I'd be jumping for joy that he's fighting a Mike Tyson who hasn't trained for days," said Tyson's manager, Shelly Finkel. "I think you'll see him fight. If not, we have others to take his place."

On Tuesday, the 36-year-old Tyson said he was feeling better and wanted to fight. The night before, Tyson said he wasn't 100 percent and didn't want to risk not being his best.

Tyson might have been influenced by the unhappiness of Showtime executives who had a big weekend of programming built around him and the possibility the network might drop the fighter from its stable. He also faced losing a return match with Lennox Lewis that would pay him millions more.

Tyson reportedly wanted more money for the fight. He was to make between $5 million and $10 million, far less than the $20 million for losing to Lewis in June.

Tyson owes his ex-wife $6.5 million in future earnings as part of their divorce settlement.

Brian Young, one of the local promoters, said 10,700 tickets had been sold for the fight.