Staples Lands One-Two Punch

With blessings from the California State Athletic Commission, Staples Center President Tim Leiweke has reached an agreement in principle with promoter Gary Shaw to hold a heavyweight doubleheader at Staples on June 21, featuring a title defense by Lennox Lewis, preceded by Mike Tyson in a non-title bout.

The biggest hurdle to the event was cleared Monday afternoon when a majority of the six California commissioners agreed in an informal poll to grant Tyson a license without requiring a hearing. No further vote will be required, said Van Gordon Sauter, chairman of the commission.

Lewis is expected to defend his World Boxing Council title against Kirk Johnson, although as of late Monday, it was still possible top contender Vitali Klitschko would be the opponent. Tyson will face Oleg Maskaev.

Johnson, ranked no higher than eighth by any of the three major sanctioning bodies, lost on a controversial disqualification to World Boxing Assn. champion John Ruiz last year. Klitschko is ranked No. 1 by the WBC and WBA.

The approval of the California commissioners comes a year after a proposed Tyson-Lewis fight at Staples Center wound up in Memphis after it became questionable whether California would license Tyson. At the very least, several commissioners wanted to question Tyson at a hearing.

Just last week, Tyson’s hopes of getting a license in New Jersey were quashed by Gov. James E. McGreevey. Richard J. Codey, president of that state’s senate, said in a letter to the New Jersey Athletic Control Board that “Saddam Hussein is more likely to reform himself than Mike Tyson.”

Tyson, who served three years in prison on a rape conviction and was also jailed for assault, has been involved in two ugly boxing-related incidents, biting Evander Holyfield’s ears in their 1997 title rematch and biting Lewis’ thigh during a New York news conference last year.

Tyson, however, was humble after being knocked out by Lewis last year, and there were no ring incidents earlier this year in Tyson’s 49-second knockout of Clifford Etienne, although there were the inevitable Tyson sideshows. He had a tattoo applied to one side of his face before the fight, stopped training claiming he had flu, called the fight off, then declared himself ready only 24 hours later.

“Against Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson conducted himself with graciousness in defeat,” Sauter said. “This fight could be a big financial contribution to the city of Los Angeles and a tremendous boost to the sport in California.”

Said Leiweke of the licensing procedure: “It should not be an issue. He has had three or four fights in which he behaved himself.”

After losing the Oscar De La Hoya-Shane Mosley rematch to Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Hotel despite a $7-million site-fee offer, $200,000 higher than the MGM bid, Leiweke went after the Lewis-Tyson doubleheader, offering a slightly higher amount.

The top tickets for De La Hoya-Mosley II would have been $1,200. Top tickets for this show could have a face value of close to $3,000, according to Shaw.

“I’m still stinging from losing De La Hoya-Mosley,” Leiweke said, “but this is a much bigger deal economically.”

When De La Hoya and Mosley fought at Staples Center in June 2000, the fight struggled for media exposure against the Lakers, who were in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

That won’t be a problem this time. Even if the Lakers make it to the Finals, a seventh game would be June 18.

“From a timing standpoint, it’s very appropriate,” Leiweke said.

“L.A. is waiting for a big fight,” Shaw said. “And these two guys have never fought on the West Coast.”

Big-name heavyweights rarely do. The last big heavyweight fight in Los Angeles matched Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton at the Forum, 30 years ago.