In a fight that seems like it should have happened years ago, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis are set to fight Saturday June 8th finally. The fight is drawing a large venue of people, which is good for the sport, but it's happening for all the wrong reasons. Most people who are tuning in to watch this fight aren't boxing fans; they can't tell you who Marco Antonio Barrera is, most probably couldn't tell you what weight a Jr. welterweight is. Yes, this fight may come off big but for the real fans and real followers of the sport we know that the heart and effort that Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti displayed a week ago will not be on display Saturday June 8th. Rest assured that if Tyson lands on Lewis the way Gatti did on Ward, Lennox would be on his back very early. In the same breath if Lennox lands on Mike the way Ward did on Gatti in the 9th round, does anyone really think Tyson would come back out the next round and right the ship the way Gatti did? This fight is a career defining moment for both fighters, a way of going out on top, this if they decide to do so. Like him or not, Lennox Lewis is starting to build a legacy for himself even though some of the names on his list like Holyfield weren't in their prime and if he was fighting in the 1970's he might not be even ranked in the top 10. If Lewis should beat Mike Tyson then his best bet is to retire and go out on top because there be nothing left to prove for him. Should Tyson win, rest assured he'll have to keep fighting because after dealing with Don King and Company he's not as financially stable as he should be at this point in his career. KEYS TO THE FIGHT: For Mike Tyson to be successful in this fight he has to move his head. Also, Tyson must keep his hands busy, and take advantage of his hand speed especially on the inside and not allow Lennox to tie him up when he gets there. If Tyson can hurt Lewis to the body when he's on the inside it will be easier for him to find Lewis' chin. Another big key for Tyson is for him to stay short and not reach for Lewis otherwise he's asking to get countered with a right hand. If Tyson can stay short he'll be harder to hit and Lewis will have to come down which will put him in range for Tyson's power shots. Tyson's chin -while it's not Tua's or even Evander's- is still very solid. Tyson may have to take a couple of shots to get his in. Tyson should wait for a Lewis jab and leap up with a huge right over the top in the early moments to see if he can drop Lennox right then and there. Lennox Lewis must keep this fight on the outside and use the jab. The left jab should be his number one weapon in this fight, he has a 15-inch reach advantage on Tyson and he should remember to use it every step of the way. Another thing that may help Lewis is that if he's around 245 lbs and Tyson ends up on the inside he should tie Tyson up on the inside walk him around and lean on Mike to hopefully wear him down. As stated above, Lewis should use his size to his advantage and make Tyson reach for him. That will give him many opportunities to counter with that big right hand of his. I'm of the thought that Lewis should be assertive with Tyson to try and hurt him early and let him know Tyson wasn't ready for him. OUTCOME: Before his first fight with Hasim Rahman, I thought Lennox Lewis would have wiped the floor with Mike Tyson. After I saw that Lennox "fine china" chin up close, shattered by one right hand from Rahman I'm not so sure. On his worst night Mike Tyson hits much harder than McCall and Rahman put together. If I were betting, my head would tell me Lewis because he's comfortable stinking up the joint by just jabbing and moving the whole night which means if it goes to the cards it's Lewis' fight. My gut is telling me that because of his past work with Tommy Brooks and now with new trainer Ronnie Shields, Tyson will get inside and land in a big way and become the first man to ever win the heavyweight title in three different decades.   Brought to you by Saratogamist copyright 2001-2004