Boxing: Texas venue rejects Tyson-Lewis fight
Texas Motor Speedway officials have decided against bidding for the Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis fight. The track had been in discussions with the boxers' advisers.
General manager Eddie Gossage says he was told by the pair that the fight was Texas Motor Speedway's if it wanted it.
"Mike Tyson makes this fight undesirable for us," Mr Gossage said.
"We've wound up where I expected it all along. We cannot sell our values. Texas Motor Speedway is a clean-cut, family oriented venue."
Tyson and Lewis were scheduled to fight April 6 in Las Vegas. But then came a melee at a news conference in New York on January 22, followed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission's rejection of Tyson's license application a week later.
He says the fight would have been a big money-maker and would have drawn 20,000-65,000 spectators depending on seating configuration.
"Regardless of the money and regardless of the national and the international exposure, regardless of what some consider the upside, the downside overshadows it all," Mr Gossage said.
