LONDON -- Mike Tyson delayed his arrival in Britain for his upcoming fight so he could attend the funeral of a slain friend in New York.

Tyson, scheduled to fight Lou Savarese in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 24, was to arrive in London on Wednesday, but said he would travel later this week instead.

"I will be fighting on June 24," Tyson said in a statement released by his spokesman, Sal Patruzzi. "I was scheduled to leave for London today (Wednesday). However, I had to delay my trip a few days due to the death of a close friend.

"I am in New York City to attend his funeral and I would ask the members of the media to respect my privacy during a very difficult time."

Maria Capurro, vice president of communications for Showtime Sports, said Tyson was to attend the funeral of Darrell Baum.

According to New York police, Baum, 34, was shot in the head by an unidentified assailant in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sunday morning.

The police report listed Baum's first name as Darryl. Patruzzi said Tyson listed it as Darrell.

The funeral was set for Saturday and Petruzzi said Tyson would fly to London on the Concorde on Sunday.

There has been increasing speculation the fight could be called off, but Tyson said: "I will be fighting on June 24."

Promoters said they knew of no reason for the fight to be canceled.

"There was never any doubt that in my mind or anyone involved in this promotion that Mike Tyson would not be fighting at Hampden Park," promoter Frank Warren said. "And I am glad that he has now personally stated this and subsequently silenced his doubters."

Savarese is due to arrive in Glasgow on Thursday, Maynard said

"The fight is definitely still on, until we are notified otherwise," Richard Maynard, a spokesman for the fight promoters, said.

Savarese is due to arrive in Glasgow on Thursday, he said.

The fight, Tyson's second in Britain in five months, has been surrounded by controversy.

Women's groups sought to have Tyson, who served a three-year sentence for a rape conviction, banned from entering the country again. But British Home Secretary Jack Straw cited "special circumstances" in exempting Tyson from a law which bans the entry of anyone who has served a sentence of a year or more.

The bout also has been jeopardized by Tyson's use of antidepressants.

Simon Block, the general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, has asked for details on Tyson's medication before deciding whether to authorize the fight.

"Everybody who applies for a license has to provide certain documentation," Block said Wednesday. "He has yet to produce a number of administrative and medical documents in order to be licensed to box in this country ... like he did the last time he was here."

Officials have been unable to explain why Tyson was allowed to fight in Manchester, England, last January, when he knocked out Julius Francis in the second round. That was long after his wife testified in a Maryland court that he was taking the drug Zoloft to combat depression.

Tyson has been taking medication for about two years and has had three fights in that period, facing Francois Botha, Orlin Norris and Francis. It is believed, however, Tyson goes off antidepressants before he fights.

The Tyson-Savarese fight at Glasgow's Hampden Park soccer stadium has reportedly sold around 40,000 tickets. The stadium seats about 60,000.

Glasgow-based fight promoter Alex Morrison, who is providing boxers for the undercard, said ticket sales for the fight were lower than expected.

"The sales did slow down a bit because of the bad publicity, but we expect to sell them all," he said.

On Friday, the Glasgow City Council will discuss whether to grant a safety certificate for the event. Women's groups plan to protest outside the meeting.