Elvis happy to sing Lennox's praises

Presenting London-born Lewis with the key to the city and having him made honorary chairman of the council, Mayor Willie W Herenton was moved to declare: "This event excites me because I feel the exhilaration. I feel the spirit of the people and the sense of pride this community has about being Memphians."

Alas, not every Memphian in this sprawling metropolis shares the enthusiasm of their Mayor.

They have no problem with the presence of Lewis. Reverend Al Green, the soul and gospel-singing clergyman, told Sunday's congregation that he was so glad the Lewises were in their midst because "that's the kind of people we want in Memphis - wonderful people".

But those opposed to the place playing host to Tyson, the serial-biter and convicted rapist, have tagged the event 'The Bloody on the Muddy'.

They find it hard to reconcile the fact that Tyson's record has proved no barrier to him coming here and earning at least £12 million, possibly double that sum if television payper-view subscriptions sell well, out of an expected gross take of £100m. This in the capital of the Mississippi Delta, one of the poorest places in America.

The broadsheet newspaper that serves Memphis, the Commercial Appeal, prefers to bill the fight under the heading of 'The River Bout'. But a flick through its pages suggests that 35-year-old Tyson, the product of a New York ghetto, might feel at home on the meaner streets here.

One story reports that a 10-year-old girl is fighting for her life after becoming the victim of a drive-by shooting outside her home. A week ago, a nine-year-old was fatally shot in the neck. Another 10-year-old child was killed by gunfire last month.

The chief medical officer for Memphis was lucky to escape with his life at the weekend after being bound and gagged in barbed wire and having a bomb strapped to his body. This is also the place where a sniper's bullet felled Dr Martin Luther King Jnr in 1968 and the site of his assassination, the Lorraine Motel, is now the National Civil Rights Museum.

It is understood that Lewis has made a private visit to it. Indeed, privacy has been the keyword for both champion and challenger as tension mounts before their clash at the 19,500-seat Pyramid Arena.

Lewis is lodging in the Gardens of River Oaks area of east Memphis, well away from the blues bars. Tyson is tucked away at a mansion in north-east Shelby County.

Both men are training behind closed doors. Tyson attends the Six50 Fit Center in Cordova, and it was there he encountered Maynard who was protesting against the former champion's homophobic tirades in the company of British human rights activist Peter Tatchell.

There was a moment of considerable apprehension when Tyson climbed out of his Chevrolet and marched straight towards Maynard.

Maynard said: "I was shouting 'Stop Homophobia' and then he came up and hugged me. I was totally shocked. I didn't really know what to do so I just posed with him for the cameras."

There has been more chance of spotting the ghost of Elvis wandering through his Graceland home than seeing Lewis in the ring erected especially for him at Sam's Town, the casino in Tunica, 20 miles south of Memphis, that has contributed a significant sum to the £8m site fee that helped attract the fight to the area.

The only sign of the man is a lifesized cardboard cut-out propped next to a board that proclaims "It's OK to take your picture with the champ".

However, a number of celebrities, including George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Michael Jordan and Britney Spears, are said to be jetting in to watch the fight. It is also said that someone in a black sequined jumpsuit has been spied purchasing a ticket. Of course, it was probably our friend Radford Ellis, but you just never know.

This week, in Memphis, stranger things have happened.

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