Decision delayed
Commission: No reinstatement until Tyson undergoes psychiatric exam
Posted: Saturday September 19, 1998 11:46 PM
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Tyson must convince the commission to allow him to return to the sport he once dominated, or fight in another country AP |
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Mike Tyson is only a psychiatrist's nod away from returning to the ring.
Nevada boxing officials all but gave Tyson his boxing license back Saturday, awaiting only a report from a psychiatrist that he is not likely to snap again if he's allowed to return to the sport he once dominated.
Unless the report proves alarming, Tyson's licensing figures to be a mere formality when the Nevada Athletic Commission meets October 3 to formally decide his fate.
"If they say he's normal and can fight again, then we have the responsibility to maybe, probably, license him to fight again," commission chairman Dr. Elias Ghanem said.
The commission will pick three psychiatrists by Monday, and Tyson will be able to choose one of them for an examination expected within a week or so.
The former heavyweight champion was at times testy but for the most part contrite during a six-hour hearing before the same commission that revoked his license on July 9, 1997, for biting Evander Holyfield's ears in a title bout.
"I'm not opposed to anything. I don't mind seeing a psychiatrist now and then," Tyson said.
Tyson has been in training recently, and his handlers already have tentative plans against an unnamed opponent for a fight in late November or early December, quite possibly at the MGM Grand hotel-casino in Las Vegas.
His return to the ring would re-energize the heavyweight division, but also bring millions of dollars to Tyson, who remains the biggest draw in boxing despite his absence from the ring. And Tyson needs that money, his lawyer told the commission.
Attorney Dale Kinsella said the boxer has a $13 million tax lien filed against him and only came away with $5.2 million of the $30 million purse he was supposed to be paid for the last Holyfield fight.
Kinsella also said the boxer has lost $50 million to $65 million because of the ban. Tyson's advisers say his money troubles could force him to fight overseas if he's not allowed to box again in the United States.
"If I ever get reinstated again, I'll probably make $300 million," Tyson said, claiming he would use the money to help the disabled and feed his children. "And you know, I'm probably going to give it all away."
Kinsella said he was pleased with the commission's decision, which came after a 40-minute break during which the boxer's lawyers and the commissioners huddled in a hallway to try to reach a solution. Tyson rested his head on the table at one point during the break; at another, Magic Johnson put his arm on his shoulder and talked to him.
The decision came despite testimony from a psychologist hired by Tyson's camp that the fighter had learned to control his temper.
"He's not crazy," Dr. Norton Roitman told the commission.
Tyson, who arrived for the hearing on a motorcycle wearing a leather jacket and jeans, apologized repeatedly to the commissioners and said the ban has left him all but broke. He promised he was a changed man and would never misbehave again.
"I believed I was bigger than the sport. I realize now I'm Mike Tyson the athlete. It brought me down to earth a great deal."
When commissioner Lorenzo Fertitta asked the boxer why he always seemed to be getting in trouble, Tyson said:
Tyson, talking with his wife, Monica, told the court he has significantly changed his life AP | |
"I'm belligerent sometimes when I'm provoked. I'm tired of people trying to take advantage of me, trying to bully me around and antagonize me. It's been pervasive for so many years that I'm a bad seed."
Tyson is accused of assaulting two men following a fender-bender involving his wife's Rolls-Royce in a Washington, D.C., suburb. A preliminary hearing is set for October 2. But because the matter is pending, Kinsella said Tyson would not answer questions about it.
Tyson sounded annoyed at times during the hearing and at other times buried his head in his hands as if he were disgusted. At one point he said he was being "humiliated."
He entered the meeting room, which overlooks the minor league ballpark Cashman Field, surrounded by bodyguards and an entourage of about a dozen people.
On a hill next to the ballpark stood a green, 10-foot sign that said: "Mike Tyson Is Still Our Hero." Six protesters with the National Organization for Women demonstrated outside the building. Tyson served three years in an Indiana prison for rape.
Kinsella opened the proceedings by reading a letter from Tyson.
"I acknowledge that I made a mistake and again I apologize for it," the fighter said in the letter. "I assure you this kind of behavior will not repeat itself."
Tyson sat at a table in front of the commissioners as his lawyer read the letter. Sitting with Tyson were his wife, Monica, and other lawyers and advisers. The audience included celebrities such as Johnson and Karl Malone.
Kinsella told the commission that Tyson has surrounded himself with a new set of advisers and lawyers, meaning he's no longer associated with Don King and others Tyson feels cheated him.
"He has significantly changed his life," the lawyer said.
Kinsella presented a chart to the commissioners that showed most of the $30 million Tyson was supposed to earn from the last Holyfield fight went to taxes, King, the $3 million fine for biting the champion and other expenses. In addition, the boxer is facing an $8 million judgment to former trainer Kevin Rooney, which is being appealed.
During the discussion of Tyson's finances, the boxer interrupted the commissioners, saying, "My life is on trial, so to speak. I'm not going to allow other people to have nice things and my kids to starve. You've got to understand I care about my kids."
Commissioner Luther Mack then asked him how many contracts he had signed in his career, and Tyson snapped, "Do you really think I know, sir? Do you know any fighter who can actually say that?"
Mack said he wasn't trying to humiliate him.
"You are humiliating me," Tyson said.
As the Tyson camp ended its case before the commission, the boxer gave one final statement.
"Thanks for the opportunity to be here," he said. "For some reason I feel like Norman Bates up here with all the doctors and stuff. Trust me, this won't happen anymore. I've learned, man. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Tyson's application in Nevada comes two months after he applied in New Jersey, which was seen as an attempt to get around the ban. The boxer withdrew that application last month, the night before the New Jersey commission was to issue its decision.
Tyson adviser Shelly Finkel apologized to the commissioners Saturday for going to New Jersey, saying it was his idea.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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