Well, maybe Tyson was a bit hungry, but he was mostly scared.
Must be tough to have stood on top of a sport, considered in line to be one of the greatest, and then slip so far. When Douglas beat him first, it was considered a fluke. Tyson didn't train, his "supporters" said, Douglas got lucky, etc.
But actually, he had turned into a big punch fighter only. He had lost ALL of his defensive skills (when he lost true supporters like Gus), and other than one punch that almost won the fight for Tyson, Douglas breezed by him.
That fight, Tyson learned what it was like to be hit, to get his face busted up, to get knocked out. But, strictly speaking, Douglas is no big puncher and a kind of a gentle soul in the ring.
Holyfield was another matter. Holyfield pushed him, hit him, humiliated him in the ring, and then knocked him out cold in the first fight.
When Holyfield looked like he'd get the same result in the second fight, Iron Mike melted.
Yup, he might have been hungry, but mostly he felt fear - fear of pain, fear of loss, fear of humiliation.
The Lewis fight could go either way. Sure the start of the conference was staged, but Mike headcased out. He's afraid. He knows he is not in good enough shape to fight Lewis, that he's too small to fight Lewis, that he has no defense. My prediction if the money lets the fight go on - Lewis wins by disqualification in the 6th round. I have no idea what Mike will come up with if he doesn't score a quick knockout, but if he's getting hit by Lewis I doubt he is man enough to continue to fight.
(Apparently the only odds being offered since the press conference are on disqual).