"If the goddess of luck is smiling on us, then we'll make a profit," he said. "But either way, the long-term value of this is immeasurable."
The bout has already elevated the exposure of at least one participant in the fight sweepstakes.
It was Brian Young, a 36-year-old fight promoter out of Nashville, Tennessee, who literally picked up the phone in early February and put Memphis in the bidding game after Tyson's application was denied in Las Vegas.
He first called his friend Tommy Patrick, of Tennessee's Board of Boxing and Racing, who said he thought they could pull off the fight. Then he phoned the top promoters for both camps.
Gary Shaw, representing Lewis as chief operating officer at Main Events, was recovering from prostate surgery at his sister-in-law's house in Los Angeles.
"She kept coming into the room, saying there's a guy on the phone from Nashville who says he can do the fight," Shaw said. "I told her to take a message."
Both camps were "very skeptical," said Young, whose biggest promotion to date was a US$10,000 WBC World Youth title fight on the Nashville Fairgrounds last May that drew 1,500 fans. Young stands to make considerably more on the Lewis-Tyson bout, though he declined to put a number on it.
Then, Herenton gave his full support and the two started working out a bid centered on the Pyramid, home of the city's fledgling Memphis Grizzlies basketball franchise. Shaw started taking Young's calls, and Lewis announced Memphis as the site during a March 25 press conference.
Tyson's history, which includes a conviction each for rape and misdemeanor assault, gave the fight's supporters more than a few headaches. The biggest threat came from First Tennessee Bank, which denied a line of credit to fund the US$12.5 million site fee because of a "moral issue" with the fight. Unnamed private investors were rounded up instead.
While they're apprehensive about hosting Tyson, whose antics crossed over into the ring when he bit Evander Holyfield's ear during a 1997 fight, Memphians are counting their fortunes at the same time.
"I heard one of our bellmen say he's going to buy a new house with the tips he makes from the fight," said Dan Bills, weekend manager at the Peabody Hotel.
The 130-year-old Peabody, whose twice daily march of mallard ducks between the hotel's lobby fountain and an awaiting elevator still draws the crowds, is bracing for a big haul. The Peabody has sold out fight packages costing as much as US$7,500, including signature fight glasses and a flower bouquet.
Guitarist Greg Norris is banking on the exposure, even if his city runs the risk of returning to the realm of Disgraceland. His band, the BB King All-Stars, is headlining at BB King's Blues Club on June 8, and playing at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica the following night.
"I think Tyson's a thug, but if he can help us, then great," Norris said, before taking the stage at BB's and launching into Eddie Floyd's Knock on Wood.
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