|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Mike takes Milan Italian promoter: Tyson fight in Italy close to set
Posted: Monday February 07, 2000 07:27 PM
ROME (AP) -- Mike Tyson would fight Lou Savarese in Milan in early April under a deal close to completion, an Italian promoter said Monday. Promoter Salvatore Cherchi said he flew to London this weekend for talks with Frank Warren, who promoted Tyson's Jan. 29 fight in Manchester, England. Tyson knocked out Julius Francis in the second round. Cherchi said Warren left England on Monday for New York, where he is to discuss the Milan proposal with Shelly Finkel, Tyson's boxing adviser, and Showtime, the American cable TV network to which Tyson is under contract. "All that is possible," said Finkel, adding he will meet with Warren on Tuesday. Cherchi, who has managed and promoted fights for 1988 Olympic featherweight champion Giovanni Parisi, is confident the deal will get done for an April 1 or 8 bout at the 15,000-capacity Assago Forum. "If things go well in the next few days, the fight is 100 percent certain to happen," Cherchi said. "Showtime likes the idea of Italy, and I think Finkel likes the idea, too." Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Copenhagen, Denmark, are also trying to land Tyson's next fight. "If you can do it in England, I think it can also be done in Italy," Cherchi said. "Having Tyson here would be a great thing for fighting in Italy. No matter his reputation, good or bad, he's a big draw." Jay Larkin, who runs boxing for Showtime, said after Tyson's Manchester fight the network had been getting "real offers from Europe." Tyson would like more fights in Europe after his successful trip to Manchester. The former champion knocked down Francis five times and stopped him at 1:03 of the second round before a sellout crowd of 21,000. The 4 minutes, 3 seconds of action against Francis means Tyson has fought only 70 minutes, 3 seconds in 8 years and 7 months. His previous fight was a controversial one-round no-contest against Orlin Norris, who was knocked down by a punch after the bell. Europe is attractive to Tyson because he has become more difficult to sell in the United States since his unimpressive fight against Francois Botha about a year ago. That bout was his first since he bit Evander Holyfield's ears, and the no-contest with Norris followed. The prospect of a bout in Milan clearly diminishes the chance of a Tyson-Savarese fight March 25 in New Jersey. While Savarese has faded, he would be a more legitimate opponent for Tyson than Francis. "The ideal adversary for Tyson in Milan would be Savarese," Cherchi said. "He's a good fighter with a good reputation. Plus, he has Italian roots."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
