GLASGOW, Scotland -- Where Mike Tyson goes, controversy and hoopla follow.

Only this time the controversy is more intense than that surrounding his first fight in Britain, and the hoopla is more subdued.

Women's groups and politicians have protested Tyson's bout against Lou Savarese on Saturday night. They contend the former heavyweight champion, a convicted rapist, should not have been allowed into Britain. The protests echo the ones Tyson faced when he fought Julius Francis in January in Manchester, England.

	Mike Tyson, right,and Lou Savarese squared off at the weigh-in Friday before their non-title bout.

The big attention-getter this time, however, is Tyson's alleged attack on promoter Frank Warren. Tyson says he did not hit Warren or threaten to throw him through a window.

Warren declines comment, but he did not accompany Tyson to Glasgow from London on Wednesday night or attend a news conference Thursday. He is not expected to attend the outdoor fight at Hampden Park.

There reportedly is still $650,000 owed on about $1 million worth of jewelry, including a diamond encrusted watch, that Tyson bought in London in January. Tyson thought Warren picked up the tab. The promoter said he didn't and he wouldn't.

As for the hype, newspapers have carried daily stories, but when Tyson fought Francis there were multiple stories in most papers every day.

One reason for the reduced coverage is soccer's European Championships. Even though England has been eliminated, and Scotland did not compete, soccer remains king in Britain, and many journalists who would have been at the fight remain on the continent to cover the tournament.

Still, a crowd of at least 40,000 fans is expected to attend the 10-round bout, which will be televised by Showtime in the United States on a delayed basis.

The fight should start about 11 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET). The U.S. telecast will begin at 9:30 p.m. ET, with the Tyson-Savarese match preceded by the IBF junior welterweight title defense by Zab Judah of New York against Jason Rowland of London.

Savarese is 6-foot-5 and weighed in Friday at 241¼ pounds. He has a distinct size advantage over Tyson, who is 222 and appears shorter than his listed height of 5-11½.

But Tyson, who will be 34 next Friday appears too quick for Savarese, even though he has been slowed by age and inactivity (12 fights in 10 years). Tyson also is a harder puncher than Savarese, who will be 35 July 14. Savarese's best chance would seem to be in frustrating Tyson into mistakes.

A legitimate question is Tyson's state of mind and fighting fitness. Has Tyson's focus been affected by the shooting death and funeral of close friend Darrell Baum last week, which disrupted his training?

Tyson, however, has a good reason to be focused. A loss would derail a shot at heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

Tyson (47-3, 41 knockouts) has two losses to Evander Holyfield, one the infamous Bite Fight, among his last five fights. There also is the fifth-round knockout of Francois Botha, a one-round no-contest in which he knocked down Orlin Norris after the bell and his second-round stoppage of Francis on Jan, 29.

An upset would put Savarese (39-3, 32 knockouts) in position for a possible challenge to Lewis even though it would be only his fourth win in the last seven fights. A loss probably would end his career.

One of the wins was a first-round technical knockout in 1998 of a faded James "Buster" Douglas, who became heavyweight champion in 1990 when he stopped Tyson in the 11th round of one boxing's greatest upsets.

The losses came on a 12-round decision to George Foreman, a fifth-round knockout by David Izon in 1997 and a 10-round decision to Michael Grant on June 19, 1999, in which he was knocked down twice.