| Mike Tyson and clifford Etienne both showed up for theire scedualed press conferance and official weigh in yeserday. . Tyson said that he brought his son along so that he could start getting accustomed to the boxing world because his son wants to be a fighter. "I brought my son along today because he wants to be a fighter," explained Tyson. "I thought I would get him accustomed to everything."Tyson was not joking when he said he plans on knocking Clifford Etienne out Saturday. "We have seen each other fight before," said Tyson. "He moves. He is prepared to fight. If he is afraid, that could make him more dangerous, but I know he is here to fight hard and so am I. I am going to win by knockout.'' Tyson dismisses the notion that the newly acquired Tattoo will cause him problems; in fact, according to him this was not a spurt of the moment thing, but instead, something that was planned for a very long time. "I have been planning this (tattoo) for two years," Tyson told reporters. "I spoke with the artist. He told me to wait a year so he could find the right design. It hurt less than all the ones I have had before. It is a New Zealand tattoo. It is personal and I am not finished with it. I am not even half-way done. I did not like the way my face was looking anyway." This leads many people to wonder if this Tattoo was just a publicity stunt to get people interested in the fight. If it was, whoever thought it up was a genious because it has definitely worked. The only downside to the Tattoo would be if it is adversely effecting Tyson's health, which is something Tyson adamantly denies. "There is no problem now," according to Tyson. "My health is fine. I feel well and am really looking forward to fighting. I am not bothered by the time off. One week off after eight weeks of training? You should not fight if you can't handle that." Tyson said that training with Freddie Roach was different for him, but very effective. "Training with Freddie (Roach) was fun work, but hard work. A lot less talk than I am used to. I am the kind of guy who needs to be pushed. And Freddie pushed me. I am 100 percent in better condition this time that when I fought (Lennox) Lewis. I am ready to fight." One thing nobody can ever accuse Tyson of is 'not telling it like it is,' because the man shoots straight from the hip and he doesn't care if you like it or not. Case in point would be him admitting that the only reason he was sick, was because he felt that he wasn't getting enough money for the fight. "They offered me more money," said Tyson. "That makes me very, well real quick. If I don't get it, I get sick rapidly, real quick." With all the attention surrounding Tyson's Tattoo, the fight has taken on a life of its own. It has grown in magnitude and the mega-fight atmosphere may be a problem for Etienne, as it is definitely something new for him. Not only that, but most of the attention is going to Tyson. However, Etienne says he is way too focused on the fight to be worried about all that. In fact, he feels that it is important to ignore the press and their reports about how Tyson may not be 100% anymore. "I respect Tyson, like I respect all my opponents. He deserves to get the attention. I am just a country boy. I do not think he is done as a fighter. But come fight time, it will have nothing to do with him. It will have everything to do with me and giving him a whipping. '' Etienne, who is trained by the infamous Buddy McGirt is said to be in great condition and why wouldn't he be - this is the biggest fight of his career. Now it is a question of putting the Tattoo and other distractions that come along with an event this size out of his mind. By listening to Etienne talk it would seem that he is handling the situation very well. "My preparation has been excellent. Sure, this is my biggest fight but there is no pressure on me. It is all on him. I do not feel any different now than I do before any fight that is two days away. I am not concerned about anything that has to do with Tyson, his tattoos, or what has happened this past week. I do not care what has been written or said. My entire focus is on this fight, and doing my job." Etienne knows that he is in for a tough fight, but says he has been in tough fights his entire life, the difference about this is that he gets to train and prepare for his opponent. "I have been fighting all my life, but I have never worked two months for a fight like I have for this. I have sacrificed a lot. I have spent time away from my family. But this is my profession. I do not have a 9-to-5 job. I get paid to fight." You have to admit, the fight has become much more interesting in the last week. Before the tatoo, Tyson was a huge favorite to win, but now the odds have dropped considerably, but Tyson is still expected to win. At the official weigh-in Tyson was 225 pounds and Etienne 222 lb Tyson is almost a stone lighter then when he faced Lewis, and looked in much better shape then in recent years. Pictures and a full fight report will be shown on this page after the fight has taken place as well as information on what is next for Iron Mike. |
| TYSON ETIENNE PRESS CONFERANCE AND WEIGH IN ! |
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