LAS VEGAS -- For a mostly cosmetic endeavor, the heavyweight weigh-in can give us significant signs of what's to come on fight night.

	Francois Botha will need plenty of muscle to beat Mike Tyson.

Francois Botha has weighed anywhere between 198 and 240 pounds. Weighing in at 233 on Thursday wouldn't seem to be indicative of poor preparation. However, in Botha's most meaningful fight -- against Michael Moorer two years ago -- he was nine pounds lighter than he was Thursday. That's not a good sign, especially when Botha wasn't exactly chiseled that night.

Iron Mike weighed in heavier than he ever has before. At 223, though, he is only one pound heavier than he was previously, and his physique looked heavier with muscle mass rather than fat.

There have been rumors that injuries interrupted Tyson's training. ESPN analyst and USA Boxing columnist Jon Saraceno reported that Tyson had suffered an injury to his hand and had to curtail sparring. This was denied by Shelly Finkel, Tyson's manager, and ordinarily hand injuries are enough to postpone a fight.

The new Team Tyson
Oddly enough, Tyson's old trainer, the man who led him to the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world, is also at the MGM Grand. Kevin Rooney now trains Alex Stewart and attended the weigh-in.

At one point Finkel had contacted Rooney, the first serious move toward reuniting the two former Cus D'Amato stablemates. But a Tyson-Rooney reunion never came close to reality because Rooney is still waiting for the money owed him from his court victory over Tyson.

Team Tyson had brought in Jesse Reid, who trains Orlando Canizales, the stylish former world bantamweight champion. Reid clashed with yet another D'Amato disciple, Tom Patti. At the weigh-in, Patti told me he had been training Tyson for several weeks when Reid was brought in.

Immediately, Reid tried to break Tyson from the D'Amato system. He was quoted as saying he didn't know how Tyson got as far as he did using that style. The style, mind you, that made him the youngest heavyweight champion of all time, brought him the undisputed title and led to a complete pancaking of the heavyweight division.

Reid failed to show up the day after a confrontation with Patti, ending the relationship. Tyson is the better fighter for it.

Perhaps I am biased. I trained at the D'Amato Club for five years. Even with that background, it would seem preposterous to deviate from the one thing that brought Tyson success. His slide began after the break from Rooney in 1988. He was truly impressive only once thereafter: against Frank Bruno in 1996. For that fight, he was trained by, yes, yet another D'Amato disciple, Jay Bright. Bright may lack Rooney's cornerman skills and certainly Rooney's experience. His knowledge of Tyson and the D'Amato style at least resulted in one sensational win.

Patti and Tyson then turned to Tommy Brooks, the man credited with helping Evander Holyfield dethrone Tyson twice. Patti claims he then quietly stepped back and allowed the professional trainer to do his work. If you listen to anything coming out of the Tyson training camp, you wind up thinking Tyson could be as technically sound as he has been since that Bruno fight. Brooks has brought in his own degree of professionalism and knowledge while molding himself to the style Tyson learned when he was 13 years old.

Would Tyson be better off back in the gym with Rooney? Most certainly. There is probably though too much venom between the two to ever work together again. It does appear, however, that Tyson, after back-to-back failures in the ring, has allowed himself to be trained by a professional who will not allow him to cheat himself in training. This could mean an early night for Francois Botha.

What about Francois?
How long will Botha last with a revitalized (we think) Iron Mike? Check out the fight with Michael Moorer. Botha is strong and willing, but unable to overcome a more polished former heavyweight champion.

Botha has a very good right hand, but not good enough to take Tyson out with one shot. He has an extremely powerful right uppercut, but one that could lead to his downfall.

It was D'Amato who said your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness. Botha's best chance of stunning Tyson is with that right uppercut. What happens when he misses that shot? It leaves him wide-open for a left hook. That hook just happens to be Tyson's best weapon.

Botha also has the unfortunate habit of going straight back when pressured. Again, a bad move, but one that can be overcome with good head movement. Alas, poor Francois, he does not have that either.

Botha is a perfect choice for a comeback bout. Wise guys like myself can slam him too much, and yet he provides an easy target. I say he will hang on with everything he has. He's no joke and will fight to actually win, rather than just survive. I also say he's done in five rounds.

Now for the undercard
Fifty bucks can buy a lot of baby food. Or if you're near Bristol, Conn., it can get you a good snowplow or two for the driveway.

If you decide you can spare the cash to get the pay-per-view, tune in early to see Zab Judah, who is 18-0 and already the IBF's No. 2 ranked junior welterweight. The future champ, managed by Lou Duva, meets 17-3 Wilfredo Negron on the undercard.

Roberto Garcia, the IBF champ at 130 pounds, fights John John Molina in the top undercard bout. Garcia is a champion in the same division as Floyd Mayweather, which means he'll continue to be a champion if he can avoid a unification bout with Mayweather. No disrespect intended on Garcia; Mayweather is just that good.