Razor’s Edge Not Tearing at Tyson

On the telephone Tuesday, when I asked Mike Tyson if he could describe what sort offighter he considered Donovan (Razor) Ruddock to be, Tyson said: “All I know is that on March 18, he will be a beat-up fighter.”

Ever since I received a Christmas card from Razor in 1989, I have been eager to see how he fares in the ring against the former heavyweight champion of the world.

The card pictured a smiling, bare-chested Razor--”the next heavyweight champion”--wearing a red Kris Kringle cap and red boxing gloves with white fur cuffs.

Inside, a special message to Mike Tyson, sung to the tune of “Santa Claus Is Coming toTown:”

“You better watch out/Don’t try and hide/You better buckle up/You’re goin’ for a ride.

“Razor’s gonna take you down!

“He’s makin’ a fist/No need to check it twice/He’s gonna find out/Knockin’ you out is so nice.

“Razor’s gonna take you down!”

These men of steel, Iron Mike and Razor, were originally supposed to rumble on Nov. 18, 1989, in Edmonton, Canada, the country where the Jamaican-born Ruddock makes his home.

Shortly before the bout, Tyson withdrew, blaming a respiratory infection. The youngest heavyweight champion in history did not reschedule the Ruddock fight.

Instead, on Feb. 11, 1990, he went to Tokyo to take on what seemed to be a less-worthy opponent, but Buster Douglas did further damage to Tyson’s respiratory system. He knocked the air out of him, then loosened his belt.

Tyson is still trying to get back his title. Having polished off Henry Tillman and Alex Stewart with first-round knockouts, he is entrenched solidly, by three acknowledged boxing organizations, as the No. 1 contender to Evander Holyfield, whom Tyson’s handlers would like to see impeached. They claim that by fighting George Foreman instead, Holyfield is unfairly ducking Tyson.

Meantime, Tyson has a March 18 date at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas against the No. 2-ranked contender, Ruddock, who for more than 15 months has accused Tyson of ducking him .

Does Tyson dislike Ruddock?

“No, nothing personal,” Tyson said.

Is he happy to finally be fighting him?

“I’m just happy that the fight is in this country,” said Tyson, who is 39-1 lifetime but 0-1 abroad.

He is trying to resist a war of words with Ruddock, but one inevitably will follow. The rhetoric is sure to be flying, not only at next Tuesday’s news conference in Los Angeles, but on KingVision pay-per-view TV, where Tyson will be making his debut after ending an eight-fight contract with HBO.

Don King ultimately will have something to say. KingTalk on KingVision.

And nobody will be able to keep Ruddock quiet, either.

Maybe he’ll even sing more of his favorite Christmas carol:

“He dreams of knockouts when he’s sleeping/He’s focused when awake/He knows he will decide it for good/So you better look out for health’s sake.

(Razor’s timing might be off, but not his rhyming.)

“Ohhh, you better watch out/Don’t try and hide/You better buckle up/You’re goin’ for a ride.

“Razor’s gonna take you down!”

What does Tyson think of Ruddock?

“I don’t think anything of Ruddock,” he said.

Only 24, young enough to be Foreman’s son, Tyson figures there is a lot of fight left in him. He also figures the heavyweight title is rightfully his. The farce of the Douglas-Holyfield “fight” remains fresh in his mind.

“I was upset that a guy (Douglas) wouldn’t give his best,” Tyson said. “He was so out of shape, it was sickening. He couldn’t have thought much of his title, defending it that way. He looked pathetic.”

And next, Holyfield will fight another out-of-shape opponent, Foreman.

“Holyfield will win,” Tyson said. “I don’t see how he won’t.”

Tyson considers himself to be in the greatest condition ever. He has been boxing up a storm in camp and said he can’t remember being in such a good mood in a long, long time. He wishes the fight were tomorrow. Ruddock has waited long enough.

Razor, 27, is nearly five inches taller than Tyson and carries an 11-inch reach advantage. That concerns Tyson about as much as a lunch tab. He has been taking aim at taller men his entire alife.

Ruddock claims Tyson “backed out” of their last meeting, because he was afraid. Tyson claims the only thing about Ruddock that makes him afraid is Donovan’s brain. He’s afraid when Razor falls, he might land on his head.

“Maybe then you could send him a card,” I proposed.

“Yeah. A get-well card,” Tyson said.