Words Superfluous for Tyson-Holyfield

What more can be said about Mike Tyson? What more can he say? People in and out of boxing are outraged. If you’ve turned on your television or radio this week, you know that.

With that in mind, Showtime, in its replays of Tyson’s disgraceful display of biting against Evander Holyfield last Saturday, won’t have any talking heads offering more opinions.

“There will be no new interviews, no more redundancy to what we’ve seen the past week,” said Jay Larkin, Showtime’s executive producer. “Our feeling is the original show caught everything, and in the replay we’ll just put it all under a microscope.”

Not that Showtime could have gotten him, but Larkin said no attempt was made to get Tyson to do an interview. Holyfield wasn’t sought out either.

The first replay Monday at 9 p.m. will show only the main event. Later replays on July 13 (8 p.m.) and July 19 (4:30 p.m.) will also include the undercard.

Larkin, who oversaw the live telecast on Showtime’s

pay-per-view arm, Showtime Entertainment Television (SET), said he went into the fight thinking this would be a highlight of his career.

“I thought that in the years to come people would look back on Tyson-Holyfield II as the fight to end all fights, and I would have the satisfaction of knowing I was a part of it,” he said. “But we were deprived of that, and immediately after the fight we felt devastated and heartbroken.

“But in the aftermath, with all the kudos we have received, there has been an enormous amount of pride with our people along with a sadness for Mike Tyson.”

Considering the circumstances, the job Showtime’s production crew and announcers did was incredible.

Commentator Ferdie Pacheco spotted the first bite immediately, and Showtime’s cameras caught Tyson bitting Holyfield, first on the right ear and then the left, in all its disgusting gore. Blow-by-blow announcer Steve Albert and the other commentator, Bobby Czyz, were appropriately outraged from the start.

A GRAY AREA

Reporter Jim Gray, 36, who has worked for ESPN and CBS and is in his second stint with NBC, early in his career made a name for himself by continually breaking major stories, such as Eric Dickerson being traded by the Rams to the Indianapolis Colts in 1987, and through the years has fine-tuned his on-air skills.

Gray was NBC’s man on the spot at the bombing in Centennial Olympic Park last summer and recently drew praise for tough interviews he did with Dennis Rodman during the NBA finals.

But Gray’s finest hour may have come Saturday on the Tyson-Holyfield telecast.

Gray, despite all the turmoil in the ring after the fight, got referee Mills Lane to explain exactly what had happened--that he wanted to disqualify Tyson after the first bite but let the fight go on after the doctor said Holyfield could continue and Holyfield indicated he wanted to keep fighting.

Next up for Gray was Tyson co-manager John Horne, who thoroughly embarrassed himself, saying Holyfield “jumped around like a little bitch” and that Holyfield quit because of “a little cut on his ear.”

Gray calmly told Horne, “You don’t need to scream at me,” and explained that Holyfield did not quit.

Gray, on the phone this week, said Horne’s comments made him think of Ted Koppel and Al Campanis, and that he just wanted to give Horne a chance to apologize and clean things up.

“It’s not my role to permit someone to go down a road that already doesn’t make any sense,” Gray said.

Promoter Don King, who is also the co-producer of the telecast, soon stepped up and, comparatively speaking, was a voice of reason. Gray asked King to have Tyson step out and address the media, which King was able to do. In retrospect, that was a good thing for Gray, and a bad thing for Tyson, who like Horne, was totally inappropriate.

“Holyfield is not the tough warrior people say he is,” Tyson said. “He gets a nick on the ear and he quits. Look at me [referring to a cut above his eye]. I have to go home and have my kids look at this.”

Tyson’s people suddenly whisked him away.

Was Gray ever scared?

“No, Mike has always been very professional with me,” Gray said. “The only time I was concerned for my safety was when I was in the ring with Mills Lane.”

So far, Gray’s interview is the only one Tyson has done. On Monday, Tyson read an unconvincing apology, then left without taking any questions.

Gray said there have been no repercussions for his Tyson interview from King, who controls the telecast.

“Don has always told me to play it 100% straight,” Gray said. “He says, ‘Don’t protect me or any of the fighters. Ask whatever you want to ask.’ That’s verbatim.”

SHORT WAVES

Showtime, to its credit, provided more footage to news outlets than is usually the case with pay-per-view fights because it was so newsworthy, Larkin said. But Showtime is incensed that ESPN, CNN and Court TV, during Tyson’s hearing with the Nevada State Boxing Commission on Tuesday, showed the fight almost in its entirety by simply showing the footage that was being shown to the commission. “It is in the hands of our attorneys,” Showtime spokesman Jeff Pomeroy said. CNN spokesman Andy Mitchell said, “CNN and CNN/SI were covering an open governmental proceeding which a tape of the fight was a part of.” . . . Although Showtime has denied it, it has been reported that CBS will show the Tyson-Holyfield fight Aug. 9, with interviews from both fighters. CBS is said to have paid $750,000 for the rights. ABC last weekend showed Tyson-Holyfield I, getting the rights for nothing more than promotional time.

The deal the Professional Bowlers Assn. and CBS reached his week is one in which the PBA buys the air time and sells the advertising. With CBS netting about $100,000 per hour, it can’t lose money. CBS will select the announcers and produce the telecasts. . . . One of the innovations to look for with Fox’s coverage of baseball’s All-Star game Tuesday is a catcher’s cam. . . . Van Earl Wright has been filling in for vacationing Jim Hill on Channel 2, and Bret Lewis will be on Channel 5 this weekend, filling in for Ed Arnold. . . . Recommended viewing: There will be an excellent profile on medical pioneer Dr. Terry Trammel, the specialist who treats serious auto racing crash victims, on the Speedvision cable network Saturday at 7 and 11 p.m. and again Sunday at 11 a.m. . . . Over the next nine Sundays, at 6:30 or 7 p.m., Fox Sports West 2 will show a series of classic football games involving USC or UCLA. First up is the 1990 USC-UCLA game.

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What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for sports programs June 28-29.

SATURDAY

*--*

Event Ch. Rating Share Baseball: San Diego at Dodgers 11 5.4 15 Wide World of Sports: Holyfield-Tyson I 7 3.8 10 Tennis: Wimbledon 4 3.7 11 Baseball: Angels at Seattle 9 3.5 7 Golf: U.S. Senior Open 4 2.1 6 Soccer: Galaxy at Tampa Bay 5 1.5 4 Golf: St. Jude Classic 2 1.3 4

*--*

SUNDAY

*--*

Event Ch. Rating Share Tennis: Wimbledon 4 5.0 15 Golf: U.S. Senior Open 4 3.6 10 Baseball: Angels at Seattle 7 3.3 9 Horse Racing: Hollywood Park Live 9 1.7 4 Auto Racing: IRL Pikes Peak 200 7 1.6 4 Golf: St. Jude Classic 2 1.4 4 Auto Racing: NASCAR Truck Series 2 1.1 3

*--*

Note: Each rating point represents 49,424 L.A. households.