COLUMN: Jim Fossum

     OK, so Mitch Halpern -- for whatever suspicious reason -- is out as referee.
      Mike Tyson will still lose to Evander Holyfield tonight at the MGM Grand Garden.
      Forget that Tyson is at a crossroads and his pursuit of mega-purses is finished for a spell should he lose tonight.
      Forget that Tyson was supposedly ill-prepared for their first fight in November.
      Forget that seasoned trainer Richie Giachetti is again in Tyson's corner.
      And forget the idea of a setup -- that a third fight, a la Holyfield-Riddick Bowe, will result from a preconceived Tyson victory.
      Evander Holyfield will retain the World Boxing Association heavyweight title for the simple reason he's the more complete boxer, a superb counterpuncher set to face a one-dimensional attacker who is made to order for him.
      Even Tyson concedes Holyfield is the best of the best in reacting to an opponent's punches. "Awesome," is the word Tyson used to describe him.
      Tyson, on the other hand, has shown time and again he can't fight going backward, and Holyfield is the one fighter who can force the action against Tyson. Aggressive to a fault, Tyson's desire to regain the title and further secure his standing as one of the all-time greats is likely to make him that much more aggressive in the rematch, which might make for an even quicker finish for Tyson.
      None other than Angelo Dundee, who trained Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard and correctly forecast Leonard's improbable upset of Marvin Hagler, is astute enough to flatly state, "Evander just has this guy's number."
      Like the flashy Leonard against Hagler, Holyfield possesses certain intangibles Tyson can't cope with, the most obvious of which is his mental toughness.
      Witness Round 10 of the first Bowe-Holyfield fight if you need further verification. Holyfield lost that fight, but the intestinal fortitude he displayed that night earned him greater respect in defeat than he ever achieved in victory. Look now to the first round of his first fight with Tyson.
      Tyson rocked Holyfield early in the bout, and a lesser man would have fallen. But Holyfield displayed his incredible staying power by withstanding the punch on sheer will, just as he did in one of the greatest rounds in boxing history against Bowe.
      Bowe, however, was physically too much for Holyfield with a decided advantage in youth and size. Not so with Tyson. Fact is, Holyfield, the so-called blownup cruiserweight, is the bigger man with a 3-inch height and a 6 1/2-inch reach advantage.
      Remember how Joe Frazier matched up with Ali, but wasn't a fit for George Foreman? Same with Tyson against Holyfield, who can neutralize Tyson's power by cutting off the angles from which he can throw his punches. Holyfield can go from boxer to puncher, but Tyson can't adapt to an opponent's style. With the straight-ahead Tyson, you get what you get, which is a welcome target for Holyfield.
      Nine fighters have tried to regain the heavyweight title from the fighter who took it from them and only three have succeeded. One of them is Holyfield, who had no business returning to the ring with Bowe for many of the same reasons Tyson will wish he had stayed away from a rematch with Holyfield. Still, Holyfield won back his title.
      Talk strength, and everyone turns to Tyson. Fact is, according to Holyfield trainer Donald Turner, it's Holyfield who is the strongest boxer in heavyweight history this side of George Foreman. One glance at Holyfield's chiseled physique and Turner's admittedly biased opinion is difficult to counter.
      When odds were established at 25-1 against Holyfield last year, most questioned his ability to move Tyson backward and the ferocity of his short punches. Holyfield knocked Tyson down in the sixth round and out for only the second time in his life. True, unlike Tyson, Holyfield is not an overwhelming puncher, but there's a difference between strength and punching power.
      Physical strength aside, Holyfield clearly is the stronger fighter mentally. One thing often said of Tyson since he left that Indiana jail cell is he's a kinder, gentler Tyson. He's also not the same fighter. With diminished reflexes, this isn't the Mike Tyson who could bully even quality opponents with sheer strength, while mere intimidation worked against Holyfield tuneups such as Peter McNeely, Buster Mathis and Bruce Seldon.
      Then, there's the matter of inner strength.
      Holyfield struts around sounding supremely confident of victory, while Tyson comes across as trying to convince himself he can win, which is understandable considering Holyfield's domination in the first fight. The spiritual Holyfield seems at peace with himself, while Tyson appears a bundle of insecurity more desperate to regain the title than confident he will.
      Evander Holyfield will win the rematch with Mike Tyson, but not only because God is on his side.
     
      Jim Fossum is sports editor of the Review-Journal. He can be reached at 383-4618 or by e-mail at Jim_Fossum@lvrj.com.