Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, September 26, 1994                   TAG: 9411090016
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS|
DATELINE: LONDON                                  LENGTH: Medium

MCCALL ALREADY TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT WITH TYSON

Oliver McCall used to get $2,000 a week working as a sparring partner for Mike Tyson. Now, he could make millions by giving his old boss a shot at the World Boxing Council heavyweight title.

``Yes, that is a most definite possibility,'' said Don King, McCall's promoter, when asked about the chances of the new champion making a defense against Tyson in the fall of 1995.

McCall was making a mandatory challenge early Sunday morning when he scored a major upset by stopping Lennox Lewis 31 seconds into the second round.

``Oliver will make two or three defenses, and by that time Mike Tyson will be out of prison,'' King said.

Tyson, convicted of rape, is expected to be released from the Indiana Youth Center by May.

``That's my ultimate goal, you hear. To knock out Tyson, the No.1 guy, who I helped prepare for nine title defenses,'' said McCall, who has been living in Martinsville, Va., while training out of Winston-Salem, N.C.

McCall sparred with Tyson before Tyson defended the undisputed title against James ``Buster'' Douglas in February 1990 in Tokyo. But McCall did not accompany the champion to Japan. Douglas knocked out Tyson in the 10th round, after having earned the title shot by outpointing McCall in July 1989.

McCall, who has served as sparring partner to several fighters, went into the title bout against Lewis on a five-fight winning streak, but he still was a 51/2-1 underdog to Lewis despite being ranked No.1 by the WBC, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation.

``I was prepared in my mind that a day like this would come,'' said Lewis, the only British boxer to hold a piece of the heavyweight championship in this century. ``But I didn't think it would happen like this.''

Lewis complained that referee Lupe Garcia of Mexico was hasty in stopping the fight at 31 seconds of the second round after he had struggled to his feet from a knockdown.

Frank Maloney, Lewis' manager, and Dan Duva, the fighter's promoter, said they would protest what they called Garcia's controversial action and demand an immediate rematch when the WBC holds its convention Oct.31 in Seville, Spain.

Jose Sulaiman, the WBC's president, indicated the protest would not be upheld.

Asked about Lewis' chances for a rematch, King said, ``His chances are slim and none, and slim is out of town.''

King said McCall's next opponent could be Franz Botha of South Africa or Peter McNeely of Boston, whose father, Tom, was knocked out in the fourth round of a heavyweight championship challenge against Floyd Patterson in 1961. A McNeely fight could be in December at the Boston Garden.

Botha and McNeely are promoted by King, as are Tony Tucker, ranked No.2 and about to be ranked No.1 by the WBC, WBA and IBF, and Bruce Seldon, ranked No.3 by the IBF and WBA.

Big winners, along with McCall and King, are Showtime cable and SET, its pay-per-view arm, which televise King promotions.

A loser is HBO and pay-per-view TVKO, tied to Lewis and Michael Moorer, the IBF-WBA champion. Moorer is scheduled to fight 45-year-old George Foreman on Nov.5 in Las Vegas.

Duva also was a loser because his only tie to the title now is with Moorer.

The biggest loser of all may be Riddick Bowe, the former undisputed champion, who was supposed to challenge Lewis in March. Bowe is not tied promotionally to King or Duva, and he is not in position for a mandatory challenge at any of the titles for some time.

``Bowe is in a deep, cold place right now,'' Duva said.

``I will bring the world title back to England,'' said Lewis, who also might have to wait some time for such an opportunity.

Lewis started to throw a long right in the second round, when McCall fired a left hook to the head. Then, as Lewis' right arm was extended and his left was low, McCall connected with a right to the jaw.

Down went Lewis. He got up as Garcia reached the count of six. Then as Garcia continued the mandatory eight-count, Lewis reeled on rubber legs. He got his gloves up in front of his face in an exaggerated boxing pose. But as Garcia signaled the fight to be over, Lewis fell against the referee, as his right leg shot sideways.