Lennox on moral high ground

13 April 2012

Lennox Lewis believes his showdown with Mike Tyson will be a classic struggle of good versus evil. And the world heavyweight champion today insisted: "The good guy will win."

If there were any doubts about the identity of the good guy, Lewis dispelled them in a place that lays claim to being the "land of love".

Some might regard the Caesars Brookdale Resort as promoting questionable standards in taste - the cosy cabins come equipped with a circular bed, mirrored ceiling and a lipstick-red two-seat jacuzzi shaped like a Valentine heart, while newlyweds are encouraged to shed their inhibitions in the honeymoon suite which boasts a 7ft tall whirlpool bath in the shape of a champagne glass.

But the air is clear and the mountain springs run as clean as the language in the training camp Lewis has established in the resort's gym complex.

In an interview aired by America's Fox Sports television channel over the weekend, foul-mouthed Tyson spat the f-word more than a dozen times. The most controversial character in sport also referred to his interviewer, Rita Cosby, as "a whore" and made constant references to the male sex organ.

By marked contrast, during a pleasant afternoon spent in Lewis's company here, not one obscenity was heard. The 36-year-old Londoner treated his women guests with politeness and respect, and it was no surprise to hear one resort visitor, brandishing a prized autograph, exclaim "what a nice man!"

Indeed, he is. But Lewis intends to turn nasty in Memphis on 8 June when he defends his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles against an opponent he dismisses as a "misfit".

There is no disguising Lewis's contempt for Tyson and everything the 35-year-old product of a New York ghetto claims to stand for.

The champion has had his fill of outrageous comments and vile personal threats to rip out his heart and eat his children. "I just look at Tyson as ignorant and arrogant," said Lewis. "He is an imbecile when it comes to certain comments.

"He is definitely pretty desperate. He has got kids and what are they going to think of him? What they are going to see is a ranting guy talking a whole bunch of garbage on TV. That is not a role model for young kids. He should really be mindful of what he is saying."

According to Lewis, Tyson should also be mindful of how he behaves.

This, of course, is a man who has served time for rape and a roadrage assault. The former undisputed champion of the world has also bitten the ears of one opponent, admitted trying to break the arm of another, and laid a third flat out after the bell had sounded.

Most recently, in January, Tyson bit into Lewis's thigh when the two boxers brawled during a press conference in New York.

"There is no honour in biting another man," said Lewis. "You don't get no respect for that, especially in the sport of boxing. If that is the kind of antics he is dealing then he is an unhonourable (sic) man. I just want to get the fight over with, and get rid of the last misfit in boxing. Everybody wants me to discipline Tyson, and that is what he is going to get.

"The way I look at it, the good guy has to win. And the good guy will win." Last week, when Standard Sport met Tyson at his training camp in Hawaii, he attempted to excuse his behaviour by blaming it on his rough upbringing.

We didn't fall for it, and neither does Lewis.

"When Tyson talks about being a victim, I can say I am a victim too," said Lewis. "I never grew up in a nice place, a nice world, but look at how I turned out.

"So he can choose how he turns out. He has got to stop using his past as an excuse."

Lewis, coming off an emphatic rematch victory over Hasim Rahman, knows that another win next month will cement his place among the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He is also aware of what defeat might mean to Tyson.

Tommy Brooks, Tyson's former trainer, fears for the future of a defeated man. "I see him locked up or six feet under," he said.

Lewis, understandably, doesn't waste too much time worrying about his opponent's fate. "I don't try to analyse what he is going to do," he said.

"I'm just trying to deal with the sport, going in there and defeat him, beat him and claim my place in history."

So how does the nice guy see the bad guy's story ending?

Lewis finally uses the f-word. "One simple answer," he said. "At the end of my fist."

Lennox on moral high ground

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