DOES HOLYFIELD HAVE ONE MORE REBIRTH?

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Boxing

Everyone who saw the first bout between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis on March 13 in Atlantic City, N.J., must be wondering the same thing about their second matchup on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas:

What could Holyfield possibly do differently that would reverse what was perhaps the most one-sided draw in boxing history?

The first time, Holyfield, the benefactor of that dubious draw, simply couldn't get inside to hit Lewis. The big Briton is listed as having a 2-1/2-inch height advantage - it looks bigger - and a 6-1/2-inch reach advantage. He will also outweigh Holyfield by about 30 pounds.

That, combined with Lewis' solid left jab and all-around ability, rendered Holyfield a frustrated fighter.

So what's Holyfield's plan?

``I know more about Lennox Lewis than I did in the first fight,'' said Holyfield, who will be 37 six days after the bout. ``I pretty much know I have to be patient. My game plan is to be a little bit more precise, mix it up a little more, not wait for him.

`` . . . My distance (is the key to getting inside). I was either too far out or too far in. I need to find a happy medium to get my punches off.''

Sounds simple enough - perhaps too simple. And if anyone could pull it off, it's Holyfield.

Remember, he's been in this position before.

He lost a decision to Riddick Bowe in 1992 to lose the WBA and IBF heavyweight championships but came back to outpoint Bowe in their rematch the following year to reclaim his belts.

He was outpointed by Michael Moorer in 1994 to lose the same championships but came back to pummel Moorer in their rematch in 1997, an eighth-round knockout, to recapture them again.

Similar to the first Moorer fight, after which Holyfield said he had fought with an injured shoulder, he claims he wasn't well when he fought Lewis. He said he had a heavyweight stomach ache.

Sounds like an excuse, doesn't it?

Well, with most fighters, it's easy to dismiss it as such. With Holyfield, there's some room to wonder.

``I left the hotel, and my stomach was feeling bad,'' said Holyfield, who had predicted a third-round knockout. ``I went through the whole act, singing (gospel in pre-fight, psych-up preparations), hoping everything would just be better.

``When it came to the third round and I hadn't gotten him out, I had to face the fact that I had to fight when I really didn't want to fight.

`` . . . People have to understand that I had to gut it out and see what happened. I wasn't willing to give up because I wasn't feeling good.''

Holyfield also said the fact Lewis called him a hypocrite for advocating a pious lifestyle while fathering children out of wedlock had him fighting angry, a counterproductive state of mind.

``I learned from that,'' he said.

Of course, coming back against Lewis - even in perfect physical and mental condition - is not the same as coming back against Moorer.

Lewis is bigger, stronger and better than Moorer.

And the fact Holyfield is pushing retirement age has to become a factor sooner or later, even with a remarkable physical specimen like Holyfield. Perhaps his age caught up to him in the first fight.

Holyfield, thought to be finished so many times in the past, insists he has at least one more surprise in him.

``It would be hard for me to want to come back if I felt I did everything right,'' he said. ``I made mistakes. If I minimize the mistakes, I can win - handily.''

Poor strategy: Lewis made his own crucial mistake: Like Oscar De La Hoya did against Felix Trinidad, he fought too cautiously in the late rounds and allowed his opponent to climb back into the fight.

Lewis said he learned his lesson.

``I need to step up the pace a little bit more, I need to use my talent a little more,'' he said.

`` . . . I need to come on strong at the end. I was really impressed with the way (Shane) Mosley ended his fight (against Wilfredo Rivera).

``And I watched the De La Hoya fight. I realized, boy, the judges aren't looking for you to run around the ring. They're looking for you to mount some kind of attack.''

Miss-judging: Lewis said he'd like to knock out Holyfield to take the fight out of the judges' hands.

However, he believes he'll get a fair shake this time if it goes the distance.

``They're known to have good judges in Las Vegas. All I can say is I have confidence in them,'' he said.

Anniversary: The Rumble in the Jungle, the fight in which Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman 25 years ago last Saturday, wasn't Ali at his best.

By 1974, Ali was 32 and had already seen his best years.

It had been seven years since he had to give up the championship for refusing induction into the armed services and about 3-1/2 since Joe Frazier outpointed him in Ali's first attempt at regaining the title.

Meanwhile, Foreman, so big and strong, was undefeated and apparently unbeatable. He had destroyed Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, two fighters who gave Ali so much trouble.

Thus, Ali was given little chance to win in Zaire.

Of course, he was underestimated. He had the game plan - ``rope-a-dope'' - and ability to pull off an upset that rivaled his first victory over Sonny Liston.

He simply leaned against the ropes and deflected most of Foreman's punches until the champion was exhausted, then knocked him out in an unforgettable eighth round.

``It was his idea (to go to the ropes),'' Angelo Dundee, Ali's trainer, told The Associated Press. ``I thought he was a dope. I was cussing him out every round, telling him to get in the middle of the ring. He told me, `I know what I'm doing.'

`` . . . I sensed it from the get-go,'' Dundee added in spite of his doubts about Ali's tactics. ``My guy just had the style to beat this guy. In this profession, style is everything.''

Foreman doesn't disagree, even though the fight was postponed when he was cut during training.

``I don't think the postponement hurt me. He was always going to win,'' Foreman said.

Again, Ali wasn't at his best that night. But he was never greater.

Tyson tribulations: Mike Tyson's after-bell punch that ended his bout with Orlin Norris wasn't the most egregious offense in recent years. And Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Elias Ghanem's use of the word ``hoodlum'' to describe Tyson was a bit harsh, at least as it applies to his latest foible.

Still, the commission's decision to evict the former champion from its boxing arenas was appropriate: Trouble follows Tyson around, and Nevada has had enough trouble for a while.

The move should also benefit Tyson, who will be received enthusiastically by those who haven't grown weary of his act - in New York, England, Germany, wherever.

He's tentatively scheduled to face Shannon Briggs on Feb. 26 at Madison Square Garden in New York but could also fight on Dec. 11.

The latter date would be ideal for a European trip, to get Tyson as far away from here as possible.

Rabbit punches: Carlos Hernandez faces Alejandro Jimenez in a 10-round junior lightweight bout Friday at Steven's Steakhouse in the City of Commerce.

Also fighting will be former Olympian Pepe Reily of Glendale and Ramon Baez in a 10-round welterweight bout. . . .

Lance ``Mount'' Whitaker had successful surgery on his left knee and is expected to return to the ring in about three months.

The Granada Hills heavyweight injured the knee during his victory over Monte Barrett in August.