LAS VEGAS -- No one bothered telling Orlin Norris that his fight with Mike Tyson is no longer scheduled for 12 rounds.

Maybe it's because not many people think Norris will be around long enough for it to matter.

"You would think they would give us the common courtesy of notifying us," Norris' manager, Scott Woodworth, said Tuesday. "It gives me a signal that Orlin Norris is being treated like a preliminary guy."

The biggest fight of Norris' 14-year pro career was changed from a 12-round fight for an obscure heavyweight title to a 10-rounder after Norris had already signed for the bout.

Norris has been training in the mountains of Southern California for a 12-rounder, but will now have to get his work done in 10 rounds or less.

"It doesn't really make a difference to me," the veteran fighter said. "I know I signed a contract for a 12-round fight. And it was never told to me or my people it was changed."

Norris is getting $800,000 to meet Tyson Oct. 23 at the MGM Grand after being handpicked by Tyson's management as a fighter they hope will give Tyson some badly needed rounds in the ring but not too much trouble.

That is a mistake, Norris warned Tuesday, in a fight that is the chance of a lifetime for the journeyman.

"This is this is a fight I've always wanted," Norris said. "We're both the same height. One's a boxer, the other's a puncher. I always thought it would be a very good fight."

Oddsmakers don't share that belief, making Norris a 12-1 underdog against Tyson, who will be fighting for the first time since Francois Botha made him look rusty and awkward before getting knocked out by a single punch in the fifth round of their Jan. 16 fight.

Since that time, Tyson served a jail term in Maryland for assaulting two motorists and is now embarking on yet another comeback.

During that same time, Norris waited, hoping he would get the nod as Tyson's opponent.

"I was sitting back praying it was me they would pick," Norris said. "I was hoping they would make that mistake and say we want Orlin Norris."

Though Tyson's advisers view Norris as safe because he lacks punching power, Norris (50-5) says he will box Tyson and hope to frustrate him in the later rounds.

"I'm coming to win this fight," he said. "There's really no need for me to be afraid or be intimidated. I know what is in front of me. It's not a mystery."