Pre-Trial Tyson Bout Sought

Mike Tyson might fight for the heavyweight title a week before he begins a fight to stay out of prison.

Promoters considered a possible Jan. 20 date Saturday as they scrambled to reschedule Tyson’s bout with heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, which was put on hold because of a rib injury to Tyson.

Such a date would put the fight on a weekend between the final game of the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, when there would be less competition for the entertainment dollar.

Tyson is scheduled to go on trial on rape charges Jan. 27 in Indianapolis, where he faces a possible 63 years in prison if convicted.

“Mike will fight before that court date comes up,” Tyson’s promoter, Don King, said at a news conference at Caesars Palace.

Promoter Dan Duva, who is putting on the fight, called the Jan. 20 date “a possibility,” but said it probably would be Monday before details would be worked out on a new date.

Doctors said Tyson would need six to eight weeks of limited activity to fully heal the torn cartilage in his lower left ribs suffered Oct. 8 during training for the Nov. 8 bout that was to be the richest in boxing history. Tyson said he would need another four weeks of sparring after that to be ready for the bout.

He said that he suffered the rib injury while doing sit-ups in training camp.

Holyfield said he would like to keep the Nov. 8 date with a bout against another heavyweight contender, but Duva said Holyfield “will not fight Nov. 8.”