Boxing Notes : Cayton Will Let King Run Tyson Show

There are still a lot of things to be worked out, such as date, site and purses, but the major hurdle to Mike Tyson’s next fight apparently was cleared last weekend. Somehow, someone has convinced Bill Cayton, Tyson’s estranged manager, to step aside, accept his 20 percent cut, and let Don King handle negotiations.

It has been obvious since Tyson beat Michael Spinks last June that King was the man calling Tyson’s shots and that Cayton, despite holding a contract to manage Tyson until February, 1992, was a lame duck. But Cayton, in his stubbornness -- and his desire to, in his words, “protect Tyson’s best interests” -- refused to let go, until last weekend.

Now, it will be King who will negotiate with prospective sites -- Trump Plaza in Atlantic City and the Las Vegas Hilton are the front-runners -- and on all other sponsorship and foreign rights deals. Cayton will have none of the aggravation and 20 percent of the purse. Net result? A Tyson-Carl “The Truth” Williams fight on July 21 or 22, depending on where the fight ends up. Trump prefers the 21st, a Friday night, generally a slow night in the casino. The Hilton prefers a Saturday, hence the 22nd.

The only other thing to be decided is the site fee, which is expected to be drastically reduced in the wake of the Tyson-Bruno box-office disaster. The Hilton paid $7 million to host the fight and lost $4.5 million at the gate. And last year’s Sugar Ray Leonard-Donny Lalonde fight, for which Caesars paid about $8 million, lost about $4 million. Consequently, Tyson-Williams will command only about $2 million in site fees, one of the lowest since Tyson-Tyrell Biggs in October, 1987.

“I think everybody’s wising up about site fees,” one hotel executive said. “The feeling is, sure, we’re interested in Tyson-Williams, but only at the right price.”

Mark Breland and Marlon Starling have never liked one another, although Breland always said the animosity was one-sided -- from Starling -- and that he was just responding in kind. Well, now Breland has a reason to reciprocate.

Last Saturday, WBA welterweight champ Breland was supposed to fight WBC champ Starling in a so-called unification match -- IBF champ Simon Brown somehow had been excluded from this party -- on HBO for $500,000. Starling knocked out Breland in August, 1987, and fought a disputed draw with him last April. Then Starling, who never had a taste for a third Breland match, pulled out a month ago, claiming a shoulder injury. So now it’s not only goodby Starling, but goodby HBO and goodby $500,000. Instead, Breland will face Rafael Pineda on ABC’s Wide World of Sports for about $250,000, and his promised $1.25-million showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez -- if he had beaten Starling -- seems in doubt.

“This is why Starling manages himself,” Breland said. “No one else would handle such a nut.”

Breland (22-1-1) doesn’t know much about Pineda and he doesn’t really care. For the record, Pineda is 5-6 -- about eight inches shorter than Breland, and until this month, was ranked among the world’s top 10 by all three organizations -- as a lightweight. Jittery ABC executives are just hoping Pineda will somehow work his way inside the spidery Breland’s long arms, or this will be one short fight.

Anyway, after Breland dispatches Pineda, there is another grudge match on the horizon, with Bronx welterweight Aaron “Superman” Davis, who has taken to saying nasty things about Breland although Breland says he barely knows Davis. “It’s a personal thing with him, but I’ve only met him once,” Breland said. “He and his manager (Billy Giles) dog me, they talk about me, say I’m a bum, I never fought nobody, I can’t punch. Well, fine. Aaron Davis is a slapper. If he slaps me, I’ll spank him.”

Furthermore ...

--Newest odd couple spotted around town together -- Tyson and Lloyd Daniels, the basketball whiz from Brooklyn who was bounced from about five city high schools, wound up at San Jacinto State in preparation for a college career at UNLV, and blew it all by getting caught in a Las Vegas crack house during a televised raid. Tyson and Daniels have been making the rounds of Manhattan clubs lately.

--Details are being worked out for Tyson to fight a non-televised exhibition on the undercard of HBO’s Chavez-Roger Mayweather bout May 13 at the Forum in an attempt to insure a healthy live gate.

--Tough break for Brooklyn welterweight Felix (Superstar) Santiago, who was scratched Wednesday for his scheduled 10-round bout against Saoul Mamby at the Felt Forum Friday night when an athletic commission eye exam revealed a retinal tear. Santiago, 25, will undergo surgery and may be able to come back -- Aaron Pryor, who had similar surgery in January, has been given a clean bill of health by Dr. Robert Vanderlinde, who repaired a retinal tear and removed a cataract that had rendered Pryor virtually one-eyed. Pryor still must pass a New York State Athletic Commission physical before he can be licensed to fight again.

--Madison Square Garden, trying to fill the hole vacated by Santiago-Mamby, tried Wednesday to plug in Renaldo Snipes-Ric Enis. Previously, MSG had Snipes-Manuel Clay deAlmeida, who pulled out with a back injury. But commission Chairman Randy Gordon, who had called some of Enis’ fights as color commentator for USA Network, said “Wrong.” Seems Commissioner Gordon frowns upon allowing Enis, a cruiserweight who was knocked out by one-legged Craig Bodzianowski last year, into the ring with the still-dangerous Snipes.