BL,
Thought you might enjoy this, advance copy of my column in the August issue of Ring Sports magazine.
ps - my man Juan Manuel is not taking an easy one for his 1st defense, taking on Smoke Gainer.
I laid the juice, NO ONE these days has better 3-4 punch combo's than Juan.
Tyson Declines Date With Lewis, But Propositions Washington
NOT By Sonny Palermo
With the multiple changes to the recent heavyweight championship card at the Staple Center in L.A. it's almost been forgotten that it was originally supposed to feature Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson as co-headliners. But sources (and by "sources" I mean I made it up) tell me they received a tape of a phone conversation between Tyson and his manager Shelley Finkel that shows why that fight card never came off..
A phone rings.
Mike Tyson searches his pockets, realizes it's not his cell, walks into the other room, picks up his kitchen phone, clicks 'on' and puts it to his ear.
He says nothing.
After 10 seconds a voice on the other end says "Hello"?
MT: "Hello back."
SF: "Mike, it's the Finkster'. Why didn't you say something when you answered the phone?"
MT: "You called me, I figured you had something to say, so I was waiting for you to talk."
SF: (Puzzled at that logic for a second, shakes his head, then continues). "Listen Mike, I got us a date. We'll be at the Staple Center in LA, it'll be you and Lennox Lewis. It's gonna be a .."
Click...
Silence..
SF: "Hello? HELLO??"
The line goes dead.
Finkel puts the phone down, redials - no answer.
Two minutes later his phone rings.
He picks up and hears, a whiny, high pitched voice say:
"I have a long distance call from another country for a Mr. Shelley Finkel, will you accept?"
SF: "Oh really? What country is that?"
MT: "One that's far away, it's from uhh, Paris."
SF: "Mike I know that's you. And you can't be in Paris, which isn't a country by the way, because I just spoke to you at your home in Las Vegas two minutes ago."
MT: "Maybe it was one of those standup comedians from TV. They're always imitating my voice and making fun of me. Bastards."
SF: "Mike, I have caller ID. I know it's you."
MT: "I don't want to fight Lewis. He beat me up and hurt me real bad. Red stuff came out of my face. He made my nose look like a runny tomato, my face puff up like Jiffy-pop, and he gave me a cauliflower ear. That's tomato, corn, and cauliflower, Shelley, the guy turned me into a walking friggin' vegetable garden."
SF: "Tomato is a fruit Mike, but anyway, listen to me, you're not fighting Lewis. Lewis is fighting Johnson and we're going to fight a hand-picked bum in the co-feature. You're on the same fight card but not against him."
MT: "I don't want to even be in the same building with him. What if he gets into the ring when I'm in it?
SF: "That won't happen I promise."
MK: "Well, umm, I can't fight anybody right now anyway. I'm injured."
SF: "Oh really? What's the problem?"
MT: "Umm..I got a swollen gland."
SF: "Oh yeah, which one?"
MT: "Uhh, my pituitary gland. Yeah, that's it, I ate some bad Mexican food and it gave me a swollen pituitary gland. And I also got a pancreas ache."
SF: "A pancreas ache? Mike, I never heard of that."
MT: "It's kinda like a headache only it's in your pancreas, and it hurts worser."
SF: (exasperated) "OK Mike, we'll get you someone else, on another night."
MT: "Do you have Peter McNeely's number?"
SF: "Mike, I don't think we can get away with that one again."
MT: "I hear he's been training real hard, I hear he's in the best shape of his life."
SF: "No Mike."
MT: "Well how about Oscar Delahoya? It'll be a battle of the 2 biggest draws in boxing, we can make a lot of money on that one Shelley."
The millions of dollars that fight would bring in appeals to his greed and stops Finkel cold for a second. The possibilities have him thinking. Then he comes to his senses.
SF: "Mike, he's a junior middleweight. It can't happen."
MT: "Yeah, that's just an excuse 'cause he's afraid of me. He doesn't want to fight the baddest man on the planet. Make that fight for me Shelly, I can win it."
SF: "All right Mike, I'll call Bob Arum and get back to you."
MT: "OK, call me back after you make the deal. And send me an advance, I'm going to the Crazy Horse Saturday night."
It is apparent at this time in his career that Mike Tyson wants no part of Lennox Lewis.
As opposed to Desiree Washington.....
Thought you might enjoy this, advance copy of my column in the August issue of Ring Sports magazine.
ps - my man Juan Manuel is not taking an easy one for his 1st defense, taking on Smoke Gainer.
I laid the juice, NO ONE these days has better 3-4 punch combo's than Juan.
Tyson Declines Date With Lewis, But Propositions Washington
NOT By Sonny Palermo
With the multiple changes to the recent heavyweight championship card at the Staple Center in L.A. it's almost been forgotten that it was originally supposed to feature Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson as co-headliners. But sources (and by "sources" I mean I made it up) tell me they received a tape of a phone conversation between Tyson and his manager Shelley Finkel that shows why that fight card never came off..
A phone rings.
Mike Tyson searches his pockets, realizes it's not his cell, walks into the other room, picks up his kitchen phone, clicks 'on' and puts it to his ear.
He says nothing.
After 10 seconds a voice on the other end says "Hello"?
MT: "Hello back."
SF: "Mike, it's the Finkster'. Why didn't you say something when you answered the phone?"
MT: "You called me, I figured you had something to say, so I was waiting for you to talk."
SF: (Puzzled at that logic for a second, shakes his head, then continues). "Listen Mike, I got us a date. We'll be at the Staple Center in LA, it'll be you and Lennox Lewis. It's gonna be a .."
Click...
Silence..
SF: "Hello? HELLO??"
The line goes dead.
Finkel puts the phone down, redials - no answer.
Two minutes later his phone rings.
He picks up and hears, a whiny, high pitched voice say:
"I have a long distance call from another country for a Mr. Shelley Finkel, will you accept?"
SF: "Oh really? What country is that?"
MT: "One that's far away, it's from uhh, Paris."
SF: "Mike I know that's you. And you can't be in Paris, which isn't a country by the way, because I just spoke to you at your home in Las Vegas two minutes ago."
MT: "Maybe it was one of those standup comedians from TV. They're always imitating my voice and making fun of me. Bastards."
SF: "Mike, I have caller ID. I know it's you."
MT: "I don't want to fight Lewis. He beat me up and hurt me real bad. Red stuff came out of my face. He made my nose look like a runny tomato, my face puff up like Jiffy-pop, and he gave me a cauliflower ear. That's tomato, corn, and cauliflower, Shelley, the guy turned me into a walking friggin' vegetable garden."
SF: "Tomato is a fruit Mike, but anyway, listen to me, you're not fighting Lewis. Lewis is fighting Johnson and we're going to fight a hand-picked bum in the co-feature. You're on the same fight card but not against him."
MT: "I don't want to even be in the same building with him. What if he gets into the ring when I'm in it?
SF: "That won't happen I promise."
MK: "Well, umm, I can't fight anybody right now anyway. I'm injured."
SF: "Oh really? What's the problem?"
MT: "Umm..I got a swollen gland."
SF: "Oh yeah, which one?"
MT: "Uhh, my pituitary gland. Yeah, that's it, I ate some bad Mexican food and it gave me a swollen pituitary gland. And I also got a pancreas ache."
SF: "A pancreas ache? Mike, I never heard of that."
MT: "It's kinda like a headache only it's in your pancreas, and it hurts worser."
SF: (exasperated) "OK Mike, we'll get you someone else, on another night."
MT: "Do you have Peter McNeely's number?"
SF: "Mike, I don't think we can get away with that one again."
MT: "I hear he's been training real hard, I hear he's in the best shape of his life."
SF: "No Mike."
MT: "Well how about Oscar Delahoya? It'll be a battle of the 2 biggest draws in boxing, we can make a lot of money on that one Shelley."
The millions of dollars that fight would bring in appeals to his greed and stops Finkel cold for a second. The possibilities have him thinking. Then he comes to his senses.
SF: "Mike, he's a junior middleweight. It can't happen."
MT: "Yeah, that's just an excuse 'cause he's afraid of me. He doesn't want to fight the baddest man on the planet. Make that fight for me Shelly, I can win it."
SF: "All right Mike, I'll call Bob Arum and get back to you."
MT: "OK, call me back after you make the deal. And send me an advance, I'm going to the Crazy Horse Saturday night."
It is apparent at this time in his career that Mike Tyson wants no part of Lennox Lewis.
As opposed to Desiree Washington.....
LOL Sonny.....great article......acn't wait to read the whole thing....I respect you as one of the few who knows his fight game......
I like Forrest this weekend......Mayorga is just talking too much shit for someone who's really only win has come against vernon......Mayorga is tough,but Forrest is a true champion.....I'll lay the chalk come fight time,or just sit back and enjoy if I don't get my price
Vernon 10th rd TKO
I like Forrest this weekend......Mayorga is just talking too much shit for someone who's really only win has come against vernon......Mayorga is tough,but Forrest is a true champion.....I'll lay the chalk come fight time,or just sit back and enjoy if I don't get my price
Vernon 10th rd TKO
>}~
