BLACK & BLUE

Circus owner P.T. Barnum, a perfect role model for promoter Don King, once said there’s a sucker born every minute.

The birthrate is apparently down this week in this gaming capital.

So is the buzz for Saturday’s Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis rematch at the Thomas & Mack Center for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

In boxing, “the buzz” is the term used to describe street conversation, which indicates the level of interest, about a coming bout. In some cities before some bouts, it is everywhere, like the buzz of a swarm of killer bees.

But the buzz for Holyfield-Lewis II is no more than a faint hum, despite the best efforts of that renowned noisemaker, King, a man who could normally sell honey to a bee.

But even King admits Holyfield-Lewis II is not selling well.

“There has been a rash of bad fights, one after the other, and that has created a questionable atmosphere,” King conceded.

The signs of indifference can be found everywhere from the site seats to the pay-per-view projections to the level of wagering to closed-circuit sales.

Although the 19,000 seats at the Thomas & Mack Center were grabbed up by the casinos early, hotel sources who wish to remain anonymous say that many of the high rollers those tickets were designated for are not coming to town. Some casinos are trying to dump their tickets.

The exact percentage is difficult to gauge but the wagering on the fight, in which Lewis is a 9-5 favorite, is noticeably down at the sports books along the Las Vegas strip.

“It’s all coming down on the sport of boxing right now,” said Pete Korner of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the organization that sets the sports odds the casinos depend on. “There have been some real black eyes for the sport. People are wary. They want to know the sport has some integrity.

“So this fight hasn’t really energized a lot of money yet. There is no doubt the handle is down so far. We simply have not had a lot of excitement.”

It is not just the bettors who are wary, according to Korner, but those who set the bets as well.

“Some places wait until the last few days to even put anything up,” Korner said. “Boxing is precarious right now. People putting up the odds hesitate to throw up a lot of stuff. They are wary of the people running the sport.”

So are many others. Closed-circuit locations around town report sluggish sales.

And, most ominous of all, officials of TVKO, the pay-per-view arm of HBO showing the match, have been subjected to a gag order. Where in previous fights, they would loudly and proudly predict pay-per-view numbers, guaranteeing that they would reach a certain lofty level, now there is only silence.

The first Holyfield-Lewis match brought in 1.2 million buys, making it the eighth-biggest seller in boxing history, but this one may do little more than half of that.

“I haven’t answered any questions about pay-per-view numbers and none of my employees will answer,” said Lou DiBella, vice president of Time Warner Sports, parent company of TVKO. He nevertheless concedes that this fight might get only 700,000 buys. “But it doesn’t matter. What matters is what happens in the ring Saturday night. That’s what’s really important for the sport of boxing.”

Very important.

This was supposed to be the year boxing cleaned up its act. The promoters, managers, fighters and pay-per-view outlets were going to move beyond their differences and put on the fights people wanted to see.

And they tried. But the results were not what anyone wanted to see.

The last three major fights have so disappointed and angered boxing fans that they may be turning their backs in protest.

The first Holyfield-Lewis fight, held in March, ended with Lewis clearly the winner in the eyes of most observers, but it was called a draw.

Then, in September, welterweights Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad fought the richest non-heavyweight bout ever and that too was a huge disappointment. De La Hoya frustrated his fans by refusing to trade blows with Trinidad and refusing to even fight for much of the last three rounds.

De La Hoya lost a close decision, and that too was questionable because Trinidad hadn’t done enough, in the eyes of some, to merit the victory. But most agreed that it was not an appealing fight.

And then, last month, Mike Tyson, who has done more to turn off fans and pay-per-view buys than anyone else, was at it again. He hit Orlin Norris after the bell ending the first round of their heavyweight bout. Norris injured his right knee and the fight was ruled no contest, bringing renewed boos and disgust to boxing.

And all this was followed by last week’s indictment of International Boxing Federation officials by a federal grand jury on charges of accepting bribes to fix rankings.

So much for the year of revival.

Some of the pessimism may yet turn to optimism. As many as 6,000 English fans are expected to hit town in the next few days to support Lewis, an Englishman. They will bring money and enthusiasm. Eighty percent of all wagering is done on the day of an event and pay-per-view and closed-circuit outlets often get most of their customers in the 24 hours before the opening bell.

And, of course, in boxing, revival is always one good punch, or one good fight, away.

“People remember the last fight,” said another Time Warner Sports vice president, Mark Taffet.

King, being King, said, “If people don’t show up [Saturday], they are going to miss a great fight, a great war. And that will flip the coin again. And next time, for the next fight, the door will be open and everybody will come back in.”

Which puts the responsibility for boxing’s latest revival on the shoulders of Holyfield and Lewis, who showed a 25-pound difference when they weighed in Thursday, Lewis at 242 and Holyfield at 217.

“The fighters understand what they have to do,” DiBella said. “They understand their responsibility. They know they have to get in the ring and perform. This is a tough sell.

“We are in a down period right now. But maybe the business of boxing has to hit bottom. Notice I said the business of boxing, not the sport of boxing. I love the sport of boxing. But maybe the business side has to hit bottom before it can come back up. Maybe this is a good thing.”

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THE DRAW

March 1999: The first Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis fight. Lewis appears to be the clear winner, but the fight is called a draw.

THE LETDOWN

September 1999: Oscar De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad. The fight doesn’t live up to the hype as De La Hoya “runs away” from Trinidad in last three rounds trying to preserve a victory. Many also question whether Trinidad does enough to rally for a decision.

THE LATE BLOW

October 1999: Mike Tyson-Orlin Norris. In his first fight since coming out of prison--again--Tyson hits Norris after the bell in the first round, injuring Norris and leaving him unable to continue. Fight is ruled no contest.

THE INDICTMENT

November 1999: International Boxing Federation officials are indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of accepting bribes to fix rankings.

Tale of the Tape

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LEWIS HOLYFIELD 34 Age 37 242 Weight 217 6-5 Height 6-2 84 Reach 77 44 Chest (normal) 43 46 Chest (expanded) 45 17 Biceps 16 15 Forearm 12 34 Waist 32 26 Thigh 22 18 Calf 13 18 1/2 Neck 19 1/2 8 Wrist 7 1/2 12 Fist 12 1/2

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