Tyson looks to past

      Besides being a former undisputed heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson has always been a dedicated boxing historian. Particularly in his younger days, Tyson loved to watch the old-time champions on film from the extensive library of his former co-managers, Jimmy Jacobs and Bill Cayton.
      So sitting in the Las Vegas home of promoter Don King on Monday evening, Tyson went through his mental video log and came up with the name of a fighter whose qualities he shares -- Sonny Liston.
      "I pretty much identify with him," Tyson said.
      There are parallels between the lives of both these great but enigmatic fighters.
      Liston was widely known for his brushes with the law before he won the heavyweight championship by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round in Chicago in 1962.
      Tyson had a troubled youth on the streets of Brooklyn. He was taken out of a reform school by Cus D'Amato and went on to win the heavyweight championship in 1986 at the Las Vegas Hilton. Liston died under suspicious circumstances in Las Vegas in 1970 when Tyson was 3 1/2 years old.
      "(Liston) wanted people to respect and love him and it never happened," Tyson said. "You are who you are."
      Tyson did point out that Liston's boxing skills were appreciated.
      "Everyone respected Sonny Liston's abilities," Tyson said.
      That seemed to be the key point Tyson was making -- gaining respect -- at the informal gathering with national media members to hype Saturday's pay-per-view telecast of his rematch against Evander Holyfield at the MGM Grand Garden.
      Tyson was more talkative than at past press conferences and answered a variety of questions at length. However, he was more inclined to talk about the past than his future bout with Holyfield.
      "I demand (respect)," Tyson said. "You can't be in my presence if you don't (respect me)."
      Liston, who was 38 when he died, was considered awesome and indestructible for the 1 1/2 years he reigned as champion, much as Tyson was before his shocking upset losses to Buster Douglas in Tokyo in 1990 and to Holyfield last year. In Liston's only successful title defense, he knocked out Patterson in the first round at the Las Vegas Convention Center in 1963.
      Tyson's two losses are two of the most memorable fights in the history of the heavyweight division because they were such shocking upsets. The Mirage was the only sports book in Las Vegas even to post a line on Tyson's fight with Douglas, making Tyson a 42-1 favorite. Tyson opened as a 25-1 favorite over Holyfield, but by fight time last November, the odds had dropped to as low as 7-1 and 6-1.
      Liston was also a huge favorite when he lost his heavyweight championship in the days before there were multiple alphabet organization championships as there are today. In 1964 in Miami Beach, Fla., Liston was stopped by a young fighter from Louisville, Ky., named Cassius Clay -- later known as Muhammed Ali.
      Tyson, in his role as boxing historian, put his rematch with Holyfield in perspective. Officially, the fight will be for the World Boxing Association title Holyfield won Nov. 9 by stopping Tyson in the 11th round.
      "This is a very big fight," he said. "This is probably the biggest fight ever."
      The fight was a sellout in the MGM Grand Garden long before the first fight scheduled for May 3 was postponed due to a cut over Tyson's left eye, which was sustained in training.
      Tyson also seemed to confirm rumors of his marriage earlier this year to Monica Turner. He referred to her as his "wife" several times and said they are expecting a child in August.
      The wedding reportedly was a small, private Muslim ceremony held in Bethesda, Md., in late April.