Tyson v Lewis, who really cares?

Despite a fortnight of heavy-duty public posturing, a Lewis-Tyson match-up is no closer to happening than ever. What we find most troublesome about this is the tendency among people who should know better to describe the mythical encounter as "the heavyweight fight the world wants to see".

What world? Who are these people whose lives won't be complete until Lewis gives Tyson his comeuppance once and for all? A few months ago you could place the blame squarely on the Fleet Street boxing press, a gullible lot if ever there was one, but of late otherwise knowledgeable people on this side of the Atlantic have also taken up the cudgel on behalf of Tyson, the disgraced former champion and convicted rapist who hasn't beaten a heavyweight of consequence in years.

Lewis is under contract to Home Box Office, America's largest and most dominant cable television network, while Tyson is indentured to Showtime, HBO's chief rival. This isn't one of those simple little disputes between Sky and the BBC, where reasonable men might be expected to sit down and sort out a solution. Both entities have literally tens of millions of dollars invested in the protagonists, and neither is likely to budge.

When Tyson emerged from prison six years ago, his mystique remained so commanding that Showtime outbid all rivals, signing him to a long-term contract that included a signing bonus estimated at $20 million.

You might expect Tyson would have worked that off by now, but you'd be wrong. The tax bite on an eight-figure purse is substantial, and by the time Tyson got through serving his one-year ban (for engorging his appetite on Evander Holyfield's ears) and emerged to fight Francois Botha, Showtime had to advance him more money just to pay off the tax lien.

It has become a self-perpetuating cycle. Tyson fights, makes $10 million for destroying unthreatening opponents like Julius Francis and Lou Savarese, and Showtime pays Uncle Sam. It isn't just that Tyson is beholden to the network: Showtime has liens on everything he owns.

So when Lewis "accepts" the challenge and says, "Sure, I'll fight Tyson on HBO; we can split a $60 million purse down the middle and he can pay Showtime out of his end," what he's really saying is "not in my lifetime". Under such an arrangement, Tyson would likely have to compensate Showtime to the tune of $25 million. Mike might not be the brightest guy on the planet, but why would he fight Lewis for $5 million when he could make twice that fighting Porky Pig?

Besides, there is little evidence that a Lewis-Tyson bout would even be competitive. Just about the only figure of consequence I've heard give Tyson a chance in this mythical match-up is Holyfield - and you'd have to term it wishful thinking on his part.

Like Tyson, Holyfield is under contract to Showtime, and should the 38-year-old champion prevail in his World Boxing Association defence against John Ruiz on Saturday night (in which Holyfield is a 2-1 favourite) there would be no impediment to a third fight against Tyson, a man he has already soundly beaten twice.

Although the London scribes continue to regard Lewis as one of their own, it has become increasingly clear that American interests will henceforth guide the fortunes of the WBC/IBF champion. A few months ago, just about the time Lewis' long-time manager Frank Maloney was entering into his unholy alliance with Frank Warren, long-time promoter Panos Eliades announced he had "sacked" Maloney.

This turned out to be somewhat premature, and amid suits and counter-suits, Eliades himself has been sacked. While Maloney remains in place as manager-ofrecord, it is apparent any serious negotiating on Lewis' behalf will be undertaken by Main Events, his American promoters.

Showtime has supposedly sent smoke signals indicating it might be willing to be bought out if the price was right, providing it would retain the rights to a rematch.

"I don't think we should even speculate," HBO sports president Ross Greenburg told Tiny Tim Smith of the New York Daily News this week. "This thing is so messed up that it's going to take a long time before it even gets to us."

At the same time, Smith correctly pointed out that Lewis' negotiating team hasn't exactly maximised his earning potential over the years. Lewis' three largest career pay days ($10 million for Tony Tucker and $10 and $15 million for his two fights against Holyfield) came in bouts promoted by Don King, who doesn't even represent him. Moreover, that Holyfield and Ruiz are fighting on Saturday night for a championship Lewis won in the ring was made possible by the fact that Lewis' lawyers fouled up the contract for the second Holyfield fight, paving the way for a federal judge to vacate the WBA title.

Lewis is for the time being heading to South Africa and an April 21st defence against the unthreatening American Hasim Rahman, while Tyson will likely fight Nigerian David Izon later in the spring. Neither figures to be as competitive a bout as, say, Holyfield-Ruiz this weekend, but then neither does Lewis-Tyson. (From this vantage point, the only mystery surrounding the fight would involve whether Tyson would get himself disqualified before he got knocked out.)

Will it ever happen? Frankly, who cares? I certainly won't consider my life unfulfilled if Lewis and Tyson never meet.

The "one fight boxing fans can't wait to see"?

Yes, we can.