Tyson's Comeback Fight Tonight

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 15, 1999 / 11:37 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

Mike Tyson knows only two things about Francois Botha.

"He's white, and he can't beat me," Tyson said of the opponent he will face tonight in a 10-round fight in the MGM Grand Garden.

It will be Tyson's first fight since the suspension for biting Evander Holyfield's ears on June 28, 1997. Tyson was an 6-1 favorite to beat Botha, who won the IBF heavyweight title in 1995. But championship recognition was withdrawn after he tested positive for a steroid.

"I'm going to come right after him," said the 32-year-old Tyson. "I expect him to go down, be out cold."

Tyson weighed in Thursday at 223 pounds, the heaviest of his career by one pound, but he appeared to be in top physical condition. What kind of fighting shape he's in after a layoff of about 19 months remains to be seen.

"You never know until a guy is actually fighting," said Tommy Brooks, Tyson's new trainer. "From what I've seen in the sparring sessions, there is no ring rust."

Brooks also thinks Tyson has been able to put the Bite Fight behind him and focus on his boxing future. He also said the subject of Holyfield has not come up since Brooks began working with Tyson two months ago.

"I don't think he's lost confidence in himself," Brooks said. "He lost confidence in his corner.

"His trainers weren't telling him anything in the Holyfield fights. When you come back to the corner and they're not telling you anything, that could put a damper on the program."

Jay Bright was Tyson's trainer

One ex-champ with another, Mike Tyson meets Muhammad Ali (AP)

when he lost the WBA heavyweight to Holyfield in 11 rounds on Nov. 9, 1996. Richie Giachetti trained Tyson for the Holyfield rematch. Tyson weighed 222 pounds for the first fight and 218 for the second.

Botha, a 30-year-old South African who weighed 233 pounds, expects Tyson to attack from the opening bell.

"He always comes out fast and tries to make it a short night," said Botha, who has fought less than two full rounds in 19 months. "I'm making myself ready for an early attack.

"My strategy is the way Holyfield fought him. You can't run away from the guy. (Bruce) Seldon, (Frank) Bruno and others closed up, put themselves on the ropes, and Tyson could take his shots. I will tie him up when I have to and not stand still in front of him."

While Botha is a much more credible opponent than Peter McNeeley, who didn't last one round in Tyson's first fight after his release from prison in 1995, he has not shown himself to be on the level of a Holyfield despite his 39-1 record.

Botha, who lives in Newport Beach, California, won the vacant IBF tite by outpointing Axel Schulz on Dec. 9, 1995, in Germany, then was stripped because of the positive drug test. His loss came when he stopped in the 12th round by Michael Moorer in a bid for the IBF title in Las Vegas on Nov. 9, 1996.

Tyson is not as quick as he was when he was the most feared fighter in the world from 1986 to 1990, but he is quicker than Botha. The 6-foot-2 Botha has scored 24 knockouts, but he doesn't match the punching power of Tyson, who is listed at 5-111/2, but appears shorter.

Tyson (45-3, with 39 knockouts) is getting $10 million for the pay-per-view match. Botha's purse is $1.85 million.

The telecast will begin at 9 p.m. EST, with the Tyson-Botha match to start no later than 11:30 p.m. It will be preceded by a 12-round lightweight bout between Goyo Vargas of Mexico and Ben Tackie of Ghana and an IBF junior lightweight title defense by Roberto Garcia of Oxnard, Calif., against John John Molina of Puerto Rico.

More from CBS News