TUNICA, Miss. -- Mike Tyson didn't need to open his mouth to create a scene Tuesday. The odd collection of characters around him made sure of that.

Sticking with his vow of silence, Tyson left it to his entourage to say some nasty things about Lennox Lewis during a brief training session at a casino on the Mississippi River.

They weren't so interested, though, in saying whether Tyson is on antidepressants or if he planned to bite Lewis in the ring Saturday night.

"That's crazy. This is why Mike won't come out and talk with you guys,'' trainer Ronnie Shields said. "You guys irritate him.''

Tyson appeared fit, but it was hard to tell since he did little more than hit a speed bag and practice moving his head in a sweltering ballroom where people stood on chairs to get a glimpse of him with his shirt off.

It wasn't enough to answer questions about his physical or mental state, both of which have been questioned in recent fights. His handlers, though, assured everyone that things are just fine.

"I've been with him nine years and this is the best shape he's ever been in,'' assistant trainer Stacey McKinley said. "I can see it in his eyes. He's vicious. He's a born fighter.''

That didn't explain why Tyson brought in disgraced trainer Carlos "Panama'' Lewis to Memphis on Monday as a last-minute addition to his camp. Lewis, who served a prison term for tampering with gloves in a 1983 fight, is banned in most states from working a corner.

The addition of Lewis was clearly a sore spot for Shields and McKinley.

"Nobody tells Mike Tyson what to do,'' McKinley said. "Don't people know that by now?''

Lewis, with masses of gold jewelry dangling from his neck, was clearly enjoying his new status in camp. He huddled with Tyson after his training session and seemed to have his ear.

"He made a call and said, 'Come on down,''' Lewis said. "Just like on the 'Price is Right.' 'Come on down.'''

The Tyson camp took on even more of a circus atmosphere with the return of Steve Fitch, who goes by the name "Crocodile'' and whose main function seems to be to walk around shouting "guerrilla warfare'' to anyone who will listen.

Crocodile had been pared from the payroll by Tyson after the New York press conference in January where Tyson brawled with Lennox Lewis. But Tyson apparently wanted his camp to have an edge the last days before the fight.

"Three more days and a wakeup,'' Crocodile yelled repeatedly and loudly.

From Memphis, Tyson was driven about 30 miles down Highway 61 to Tunica, where Fitzgerald's Hotel-Casino billed itself as the "official site of Team Tyson.''

The hotel paid $1 million for that right and some tickets, and set aside 52 rooms for Tyson and his entourage. They went unused, though, with Tuesday's appearance the first one for Tyson at the casino.

The crowd that was able to get into the ballroom didn't get to see much of Tyson, who hit the speed bag for a few minutes and then practiced moving his head around a wad of tape stuck to the end of a rope.

It was hardly enticing stuff. When Tyson finished, McKinley took the microphone and acted at times much like a preacher promoting a fight that badly needs help at the box office.

McKinley said it would not be a good idea for Tyson to answer questions like the ones being asked.

"Go in the dressing room and ask Mike what medications he's on if you want,'' McKinley said. "He might take you and throw you in the river.''

Earlier, McKinley called Lennox Lewis a "coward who will die 1,000 times'' and said he was training Tyson to seriously injure the heavyweight champion.

"I want him to break ribs and break jaws,'' McKinley said. "I want them to take Lennox Lewis out on a stretcher.''

The area around Tunica, once referred to by Jesse Jackson as "America's Ethiopia'' because it was so poor, now houses a row of themed casinos that draw gamblers from the Memphis area.

It seemed an odd place to promote a fight that might be the richest ever, though nothing about this fight has been ordinary since the day the fighters fought at the opening press conference.

Lennox Lewis, who has made himself invisible since appearing in a parade last Friday when he got to town, was scheduled to hold a press conference at another Tunica casino on Wednesday, though there was no guarantee that would happen.

Tyson clearly has won the popularity contest between the two fighters in Memphis, where a television announcer kept referring to the fight as "the Tyson fight,'' barely mentioning Lewis.

"Lennox Lewis can't draw 4,000 people in London,'' McKinley said. "Mike Tyson is feeding all these people here.''