"He would have two problems with me," Haupt said. "First, if he beats me he doesn't enhance his title. Second, he'll probably think, `Why in the world does this guy want to fight against me?"
Haupt is the type of boxer who will catch Tyson off guard by picking at his mind. Haupt has the power to transform the ring into a doctor's couch by playing "the psychological game" with the champ. Haupt is 23 years wiser than Tyson, and, as he shrewdly notes, the champ must "have an Achilles heel someplace." Dan Haupt of Overland Park, Kansas, could be Tyson's Paris you know, fight fans, the Trojan guy.
Unlike some of Tyson's past opponents (Trevor Berbick? Larry Holmes?), Dan Haupt is smart. When asked if he knew that all three major boxing councils have not ranked him, Haupt replied, "I realize that I am not a contender. But those who are contenders didn't fight like contenders against Tyson."
Do you actually think that Frank Bruno has this much flair, this much wit? Press conferences can mean something again.
Unlike past Tyson opponents (or, shall we say, victims), Haupt is humble.
"Certainly, I'm no physical specimen," he said.
But then again, Tony "Two-Ton" Tubbs was no Michelangelo's David either. When Tubbs fought Tyson in Japan a few moths ago, it looked like he had one too many pound of sushi and washed it down with a keg of Sapporo. But you couldn't remind Tony about his weight problem. He thought he could beat the champ.
Tubbs is still munching away at the canvas.
BORN with a sense of ease that comes with life in the plains, Haupt would be the most laid-back opponent Mike Tyson would ever face. None of this British stiff-upper-lip business for Haupt. And while he hasn't laced up the gloves since his hight school days, Dan Haupt of Overland Park, Kansas, has the kind of attitude that bespeaks confidence. Something Michael Spinks lost for a span of 91 seconds.
"There is the outside chance that he could lose," Haupt said. "I've got nothing to lose, while he has everything to lose."
And that, gentlemen, is the bottom line.