Tyson vs. Lewis Tyson and Lewis Brawl Outside the Ring Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis finally went at it Tuesday -- at a news conference, not in a ring. Tyson charged the WBC and IBF heavyweight champion right after the start of a conference called to announce their April 6 bout, and a brawl broke out on stage at the Hudson Theater. Neither fighter hit the other, but Tyson had a cut on his hairline after the swarm of bodies was pulled apart. WBC president Jose Sulaiman was knocked down during the melee. Lewis was supposed to meet reporters later Tuesday, but instead business agent Adrian Ogun read a statement from the champion. "As a result of today's event, I will evaluate my options after the relative boxing commissions have ruled," Lewis said. Tyson left the building without speaking to reporters. As for the April fight, that's anbody's guess. Tyson's adviser was in the process of getting the paperwork necessary to have the former champion licensed to fight in Nevada. That may turn into a waste of time after Tyson's display Tuesday. The Nevada Athletic Commission has every reason to believe Tyson may not be mentally fit to fight. The commission had scheduled a meeting for Jan. 29 to vote on whether to issue Tyson a license. Of course, the last time Tyson fought for a title at the MGM Grand on June 28, 1997, he was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield's ears. When asked if this incident could affect Tyson regaining his license to fight in his state, the Nevada commission's executive director, Marc Ratner, responded, "Everything could have a impact ... have to get all the tapes ... It doesn't help the situation. ..." Tuesday's melee recalled when Lewis and Hasim Rahman exchanged words and chest bumps before wrestling on the floor during a live ESPN interview in August. That was 2½ months before Lewis knocked out Rahman in a rematch to regain the heavyweight title. On Tuesday, after video highlights of the two fighters' careers were shown, Tyson was introduced first. He walked onstage dressed entirely in black, then faced the wing of the stage from which Lewis was to enter. When Lewis, dressed in a gray suit, stepped onto the stage, Tyson rushed him. People jumped in to keep them apart and it appeared at least one person was hit by a punch. Then, for several minutes, bodies were rolling around and throwing punches until order was restored. "Everything went so fast that I felt like a referee in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Lewis manager Gary Shaw. "Mike charged Lennox and I got hit in the back and the front. "I'm hoping the fight will still happen on April 6," Shaw said. "But that is up to the Nevada Commission and I can't speak for them. This could have been a cowardly way for Mike to avoid fighting Lennox." Tyson then strode to the front of the stage, threw his arms into the air in a triumphant stance and made an obscene gesture. Someone in the audience shouted, "Put him in a straitjacket!" The former undisputed heavyweight champion screamed an obscenity at the man and said, "You're scared of a real man." Tyson, who is 49-3 with two no contests and 43 knockouts, had his eye on Lewis when he canceled his Jan. 19 fight with Ray Mercer. The No. 1 contender to Lewis' WBC and IBF belts, Tyson last fought on Oct. 13, recording a seventh-round technical knockout of Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen. Lewis is 39-2-1 with 30 knockouts.
