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Mike Tyson jumped rope, whomped on a poor, padded assistant trainer for three rounds in an MGM Grand ballroom Friday, did some sit-ups, then wandered over to the side of the ring, with a scowl and a message:
As rumors continue to swirl about an injured or unprepared Tyson looking to postpone his rematch with Evander Holyfield for a second time, by physical presence and words, Tyson reasserted his strong desire to fight and defeat Holyfield in their scheduled June 28 bout.
Is the fight on?
"As far as I know, it's going on," said Tyson, in his first public comments since the Holyfield rematch was postponed early last month. "It's going on. I'm in great shape.
"I hear people say 'in shape,' 'out of shape.' I don't know. I'm just looking forward to the fight."
But, as is his recent, fascinating habit, Tyson managed to sound alternately vicious and vulnerable during the 15-minute ask-and-answer session, with promoter Don King and Tyson's camp members standing alongside. While dismissing any challenges to his boxing invincibility he still managed to raise plenty of intriguing questions of his own.
Several times, when asked to reflect on his knockout loss to Holyfield last November, Tyson referred to his personal life, made reference to his fallibility, and implied that his own house was not in order at that particular time.
"Every now and then I slip," Tyson said. "Because I take a great deal of emphasis off of it, because maybe I've been successful for so long. . . .
"It's all about...