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| |  Tuesday, 11 July, 2000, 12:56 GMT 13:56 UK Tyson is just a 'clown' Tyson has been accused of lowering boxing's standards Mike Tyson has been accused of turning boxing into "a circus act" by the promoter of world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, Panos Eliades. Tyson has been involved in a number of unsavoury incidents both inside and outside the ring during his career. And according to Eliades, they have had a damaging effect on the sport. "Boxing is becoming a circus act," said Eliades. "It is no different to WWF, the professional wrestling." Ref floored Tyson's last fight against Lou Savarese lasted just 38 seconds and ended with the former champion flooring fight referee John Coyle. Tyson was also guilty of biting the ear of Evander Holyfield in a previous bout.
Yet the controversial American continues to attract huge interest for his fights compared with other boxers, notably Lewis. There is a reason for that, according to Eliades. "Unfortunately a lot of people who go to boxing don't just got to see boxing, they go to see blood," he said. Unusual "They go to see Tyson not because he is a great boxer but because they want to see something unusual. "It is the same if Hannibal Lector walked through Oxford Street. People will turn up to see Hannibal Lector for no other reason than who he is.
"They want to see something different, an ear bitten off or something ridiculous." Tyson has been labelled "insane" in some quarters but Eliades refutes that suggestion. "Tyson's not insane," he said. "He has done the sport the world of good but now he is doing it the world of harm. He is actually out of control." Confrontation Despite Tyson's reputation, Eliades would like nothing more than for Lewis, who meets South African Frans Botha on Saturday, to confront him in the ring. The fight could eventually take place next March or April - and Eliades expects Lewis to prevail. "He wants to give Tyson a good spanking," said Eliades. "The whole world wants to see Tyson get what he deserves." | | See also:  11 Jul 00 | Lewis in London 25 Jun 00 | Tyson 25 Jun 00 | Tyson 27 Jun 00 | Lewis in London 28 Jun 00 | Other Sports 28 Jun 00 | Talking Point 25 Jun 00 | Tyson Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Lewis in London stories now: Links to more Lewis in London stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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