Tyson Set For Danish Pastry Feast
By Jeff Day
10.10.01 - The latest episode in the Mike Tyson
saga takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark this Saturday.
Hardly the hotbed you would think the 35-year-old
ex-champion would now be plying his trade.
The latest sacrificial offering
is Denmark's very own Brian Nielson. As the number
one contender according to the WBC, Tyson knows
he is surely one victory away from getting an opportunity
at the winner of next month's world heavyweight
championship fight between Hasim Rahman and Lennox
Lewis.
As I write this, four days before
the match, Tyson has completed a behind closed doors
training session. He emerged and chatted briefly
with Sky Television's Ian Darke. He seemed strangely
subdued, and was asked what he had planned if he
won on Saturday night. He sounded like a man who
was contemplating retirement (again).
So what can we make of Denmark's
greatest heavyweight?! Well, the good news is he
holds wins over former alphabet champions, Larry
Holmes, Tim Witherspoon, Tony Tubbs, Orlin Norris,
James 'Bonecrusher' Smith, Carlos De Leon and several
other 'name' opponents.
Unfortunately, the bad news is at
the time they faced Nielson, they were either the
equivalent of boxing's elder statesmen or were better
fighters at cruiserweight. Or a combination of the
two!
Nielson's record looks fantastic
at 62-1 (43 inside schedule), and he does indeed
have a wealth of experience as amateur and pro.
He was, after all, a bronze medallist at the 1992
Barcelona Olympics.
Although he may not look the part,
appearing flabby and out of shape, we should not
assume that 'Iron' Mike will walk right through
him. If bulging biceps and a washboard stomach made
a great fighter, Frank Bruno would be in the Hall
of Fame!
With Tyson having been out of action
since Andrew Golota's 'no mas', in October last
year, there is likely to be a certain amount of
rust on the former champion. At 36, the Dane has
a wonderful opportunity to gatecrash the big time.
It is well documented that he floored
world champion Hasim Rahman in sparring, despite
having the reputation as a non-puncher, in heavyweight
terms. He also takes a good shot, having been dropped
just once, amateur or pro.
The defeat on the record by Dick
Ryan in June 1999 could also be legitimately questioned.
Nielson was stopped in the tenth and last round,
but was found to be severely dehydrated. It later
became known that Brian was violently ill on the
morning of the fight. This explanation seems plausible
given the fact the Dane avenged the loss in December
2000.
In fairness, Nielson was sent to
hospital after the Ryan defeat so the defeat seems
more an aberration than any flaw in Nielson's mental
make-up.
He has fast hands for such a big
man, and could outweigh Tyson by more than 40 pounds
come fight night. Although he is not the hardest
man to hit, he could take some knocking over. He
has also appeared relaxed and confident as he faces
the fight of his life.
I can see two possible scenarios;
Nielson spoils and leans on Tyson smothering the
American's work, and either outlasts a faded and
unmotivated Tyson and stops him late, or wins on
a controversial points decision.
The more likely outcome though,
is that Tyson may look rusty for the first two or
three rounds, and the Dane may even be outboxing
him with his quick hands. Unfortunately, his size
is likely to prove a disadvantage for Nielson on
this particular night. He is simply not quick enough
on his feet to avoid Tyson's onslaught for too long.
For me, Tyson punches Nielson to
a standstill, and forces the referee to make a timely
intervention with the Danish hope still on his feet
in round 4.
Then the drums can start beating
for Tyson to regain the championship of the world
against the Rahman-Lewis winner.
