Tyson: Lewis 'should have died'

Mike Tyson says that Lennox Lewis ‘‘should have died’’ during the pair’s press conference scuffle in New York in January.

And to clarify matters, he insists he will finish the job when they meet in their world heavyweight title scrap in Memphis on June 8.

Tyson’s latest outburst will increase the doubts over his mental state ahead of the controversial bout.

He said: ‘‘He (Lewis) should have died that night, his two guys putting their hands on me like that.

‘‘But I wasn’t with the right crew. I was with people who just wanted to be seen on television. If I had been with the right crew those guys would have been finished, right there.’’

In a rambling interview with the Evening Standard from his training camp in Hawaii, Tyson added: ‘‘My main objective in the fight is to be professional but to kill him.

‘‘Lewis has a fight on his hands. Winning the world championship again will mean a great deal to me.

‘‘But it will mean a lot to people who are in prison, who don’t really believe in the system.

‘‘I don’t care if you are black, white, the Klan, Aryan, a gang member. It will show that you can succeed, that you are not garbage.’’