MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Mike Tyson weighed in at the second-heaviest weight of his career Thursday for his heavyweight title fight with Lennox Lewis.

Tyson weighed 234½ pounds, 16½ pounds more than for the "Bite Fight" with Evander Holyfield. Tyson weighed 239 for his last fight against Brian Nielsen.

A few days ago, his trainer had predicted Tyson would weigh between 225-230 pounds.

"I'm just ready to get it on, crush this guy's skull," Tyson said.

Lewis, meanwhile, weighed 249¼ pounds, compared with 246 for his last fight with Hasim Rahman.

Lewis, wearing a black hat, weighed in three hours ahead of Tyson, part of a plan to keep the two fighters apart until Saturday night's bout.

Tyson chewed gum and flexed his biceps to the crowd at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.

Only one scale was used at Thursday's weigh-in for the heavyweight title bout between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson -- and even then, the fighters' camps couldn't agree on what it said.

Lewis and Tyson weighed in for Saturday's fight three hours apart at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. It was the first time in even the most seasoned boxing observers' memories that two fighters in such a high-profile bout didn't take the stage together.

Team Tyson claimed its fighter is at least six pounds lighter than his announced 234½ pounds. Three hours earlier, Lennox Lewis weighed in at 249¼.

''I know Mike is not that heavy,'' Tyson head trainer Ronnie Shields said. ''I don't think Lennox is that heavy, either. It's got to be something with the scales. Maybe the platform was crooked or something.''

Holding weigh-ins three hours apart was just another way to build the testy atmosphere around the fight -- though safety also played a role, given the fighters' combustible history in public appearances.

The melee at their January press conference, during which Tyson bit Lewis' left thigh, nearly caused the fight to be cancelled. Contracts for the fight stipulated that there would be no joint appearances, from press conferences to weigh-ins, said Tyson's adviser, Shelly Finkel.

''The weigh-ins were the coward's idea,'' Tyson trainer Stacey McKinley said of the two fighters going separately. ''The coward was scared to look at Mike. This whole time, all they've said was, 'Where's Mike? Where's he going to be? When is he going to Blockbuster? What side of town is he going to live on?' (Lewis) doesn't want to see Mike.''

Emanuel Steward, Lewis' trainer, thought his fighter's weight was accurate.

''I really wanted them to weigh in together, but it's not just Tyson that you worry about in that situation,'' Steward said. ''Lennox could snap, too. He has a very calm character, but there's that rage inside him also.''

For a heavyweight bout, the fighters' weights are little more than a possible indication of fitness. Tyson's handlers have insisted their fighter is in the best shape of his life, even though he seems to have the slightest paunch.

Either way, it was the second-heaviest weight of Tyson's career.

''It won't make any difference when the fight starts,'' McKinley said. ''When the fight starts, you're going to see the same Mike as always.''