Following his 49-second win over Clifford Etienne, Mike Tyson (far right) looked back on his career, ahead to his next fight and beyond to his life after boxing. Excerpts follow:
ON A RE-MATCH WITH LENNOX LEWIS: Tyson said he wants two or three fights before facing Lewis. “I’m not interested in getting beat up again.”
HOW HE COULD BEAT LEWIS IN A REMATCH: “Fight with more morale.”
ON ROY JONES, JR., who has won titles in several weight classes and goes for his first heavyweight title Saturday against John Ruiz: “Roy Jones is the best fighter in the world … but he’s not a household name. A little old white woman going to Dairy Queen with her grandson wouldn’t know who he is. They’d know who I am. They’d grab the kids and say, ‘Get away from him, that’s Mike Tyson.’ “
WHAT HIS FIGHTING HAS EARNED HIM: “I haven’t received any dignity from it.
I’ve received a lot of pain from it.”
WHAT’S AFTER FIGHTING: “I like doing other things, too,” he said, enumerating a spectrum from being with women to “getting high” to “hanging out with my kids.”
