By Sanjeev Shetty BBC Sport Online in Memphis

Mike Tyson weighed in at 16 stone 10 1/2 lbs for his fight with Lennox Lewis here in Memphis on Saturday, giving away over a stone to the Briton.

That represents the second heaviest weight of Tyson's career, although he is 4 1/2 lbs lighter than his last fight against Brian Nielsen in Denmark in October 2001.

And the former champion kept up the heat by saying of Lewis that he plans to "crack his skull", adding : "I'm going to pray and hope that Lennox Lewis does not die of a heart attack."

Tyson certainly looks at his muscular best, with superb definition in his upper body and a general thickness in his torso which cannot be mistaken for fat.

His demeanour - jumping onto the scales and furiously chewing on a piece of gum - was that of a man ready for action.

Nevertheless, he will be conceding over a stone to champion Lewis, who weighed in three hours earlier at 17 stone 11 1/4 lbs.

That represents a 3 1/4 lb increase for the world heavyweight champion from his last fight, a fourth round knockout of Hasim Rahman in Las Vegas last November.

"I am very, very satisfied about the condition of Lennox," said Lewis' trainer Emanuel Steward.

Lewis generally enjoys a weight advantage in most of his fights and has not been outweighed since he fought Michael Grant in April 2000.

The two men weighed in seperately because of a contractual stipulation which prevents them being together until the first bell sounds at the Pyramid Arena, scheduled for 0415BST on Sunday.