Nervous Golota loses war of words to Tyson

Mike Tyson won a unanimous decision in the war of words and posturing against Andrew Golota on Tuesday prior to tomorrow's 10-round fight here.

Mike Tyson won a unanimous decision in the war of words and posturing against Andrew Golota on Tuesday prior to tomorrow's 10-round fight here.

There was the obligatory stare-down before the news conference. Tyson won that one going away when Golota, known for his nervousness before and during fights, showed up in sunglasses inside the cavernous Palace arena, where the fight will be staged.

An ashen-faced Golota looked silly and intimidated wearing the glasses. Obviously, he didn't want Tyson or anyone else to see his eyes when the two men stood chest-to-chest as flashbulbs fired. Then Tyson, moved even closer.

Golota, at 6ft 5in and 240lb towered over the barely 5ft 10in, 230lb Tyson. Yet it was the latter who was the more imposing. Tyson could have been talking about that moment when he responded later to a question about his thoughts of fighting a much bigger man.

"To me he's a little boy," the former undisputed heavyweight champion said. "What is he 6-5, 240 pounds? To me he's very small."

Golota said: "I've trained for this fight hard and I will bring my best ability." In mocking falsetto, apparently aimed at what he hoped Golota would be saying during the fight, Tyson burst out with, "No, No, Mike. No, No." Then, Tyson said to the audience, "I'm sorry."

The 32-year-old Golota added that he was "very disappointed it's not a fight for a title. It seems like a semi-final".

* Golota is 9-2 to be disqualified when boxing's bad boys clash. The wild Pole was thrown out in two bouts against Riddick Bowe in 1996 for punching low. Tyson is 5-1 to emulate his July 1997 disqualification against Evander Holyfield, when he was banned for biting. It is the first fight in history in which the bookmakers have offered odds on such an ending.