Ex-manager says champ is vulnerable early

Published on Sunday 2 June 2002 01:00

LENNOX Lewis’s only hope of beating Mike Tyson is to stay out of the American’s road for four or five rounds, according to the world champion’s former manager Frank Maloney.

For if Tyson can tag Lewis early on, there will be only one outcome, such is the wrecking-ball power that Tyson still puts into his punches.

"Lennox has never been in the ring with a puncher like Mike Tyson," said Maloney. "Tyson is the hardest puncher in the heavyweight division, and if Lewis gets caught at all, it will be goodnight Vienna. But if he can use his reach and weight and keep Tyson at bay, then maybe after four or five rounds, Lennox will be able to pick him off because Tyson will tire."

Maloney managed Lewis after he turned professional in 1989, and was the fighter’s guide and mentor until after his superb boxing display against the dangerous American, David Tua, in November 2000. Their split was nasty and expensive, and Maloney all but cackled his way through Lewis’s next fight in which the champion was destroyed by a single punch from Hasim Rahman at the end of a dreadful high-altitude, low-octane performance in South Africa.

Maloney is still disappointed at the way the relationship ended, but he retains some feeling for his former charge - though not much. As for Tyson, Maloney feels that the former champion simply should not be in the ring this weekend.

"I have the greatest respect for Lennox," Maloney revealed, "but there are flaws in his character, and there are flaws in his fighting make-up. From the fight against Oliver McCall, when he was knocked out early, I was always worried that he would get caught.

"I can say it now - because obviously I wouldn’t say it back then - but I’ve seen Lennox on the floor in the gym after being put away by his sparring partners. And now he is going into the ring with the most lethal one-punch specialist that boxing has ever known.

"There is one particular punch that Tyson has, which I know he will try out on Lennox. It’s a kind of an uppercut-cum hook, similar to Rahman’s punch which caught out Lennox in South Africa. If Tyson can get that punch into play, he will knock out Lennox."

Tua was supposed to be similar to Tyson, and Lewis handled him with ease, but Maloney points out that the opponent "froze" against Lewis, and there is no chance of Tyson doing that.

"Tua was a good rehearsal for Lennox because he is of similar size and build to Tyson, but he hardly threw a punch all night. Tyson will throw plenty of punches, and at times he will throw them in clusters which are very hard to avoid. Tyson is not as fit as he was, and will try to avoid a long fight. He will want to force Lennox into a street fight, but I don’t think Lewis will go for a shoot-out - that would be crazy."

Though he has been quoted in the past as seeing a Tyson victory as ideal, Maloney now maintains that a result in either man’s favour would be of no consequence to him. He may feel distaste for Lewis, but he is no fan of the American fighter either.

Maloney said: "I still believe that Mike Tyson is no good for boxing, and he should never have been allowed back into the ring after biting Evander Holyfield, but the fact is that he is there, and is the No1 contender. He’s not going to go away, so he has to be finished off in the ring. The trouble for Lennox is that I am hearing some very good reports from Tyson’s camp; that he is working hard in training, and going through the sparring partners."

If Maloney’s intelligence reports are correct, his former charge could be in for an early night. And, as he observes, if Lewis can’t beat Tyson, then who can?