Date: Wednesday, November 6th, 1996
Reporter: James Twohie

The toothsome Peter McNeeley appeared to be the overmatched palooka, running a fool's errand. Buster Mathis, Jr. seemed to be strolling uncomfortably and sluggishly into the inevitable. Frank Bruno might as well have been on his way to the gallows. And Bruce Seldon looked to be whistling in the dark.

But when Mike Tyson takes the ring in the MGM Grand Garden on November 9th to defend his WBA Heavyweight title, he'll be face to face with a man who simply isn't buying into the scare tactics: formidable challenger Evander Holyfield. If you didn't know better, you might think he just underwent a fear-ectomy.

Wouldn't any reasonable man get even the slightest case of the yips in the face of the menacing glare of the self-proclaimed baddest man on the planet? "I don't care how many times we have to look at each other," Holyfield maintains. "It don't put no fear in my heart 'cause there's no fear to get. So the whole thing is that it may backfire on him 'cause it don't bother me."

Tyson and Holyfield are no strangers to one another. They first met in 1984 at the U.S. Olympic trials: Holyfield, the retiring country boy and Tyson, the enigmatic outsider. Although not fast friends, they developed the cordial relationship of two incipient fighters who seemed a little different than the rest of the pack, perhaps the most impressive array of boxing talent America has ever produced.

So if you're looking for a primary reason for Holyfield's fearless perspective, chalk one up to a long-standing familiarity which in this case not only breeds contempt, but a seeming ability to see though the steely stance of Iron Mike.

"His whole thing is just trying to intimidate you. You can't intimidate somebody that's not intimidated," said the Real Deal. "You're wasting your time. It's a lot of effort and wasted motion. And it don't really mean nothing."

Even the macho posturing and bluster and bravado of that time honored, preening pugilistic ritual, the pre-fight press conference, held in the airy climes of Manhattan's Rainbow Room, failed to put a dent in the armor of Atlanta's greatest champion this side of the Braves. When Tyson got in Holyfield's face with a gaze Medusa would envy, Evander returned the stare in kind with a look that seemed to say, "You're gonna have to beat me in the ring, not here...with force, not fear. I've squared off with the best and I've been waiting for you."

Was Holyfield ever afraid as he climbed through the ropes? After all, it seems a quite natural reaction. "In my first professional championship fight with Dwight Qawi for the WBA junior heavyweight title in 1986, I tended to have stamina problems and I had never fought anyone as tough as I thought he was. I was apprehensive, to say the least, but once the fight started, it all went away. And no, I haven't experienced that fear since."

Count on this. Evander Holyfield will not be beaten by fear. But with the odds at 15 to 1 against him, he just might be beaten by Mike Tyson.