Head case
Tyson psychology tests prove confusing
Posted: Thursday October 01, 1998 03:15 PM
Mike Tyson came to Boston last weekend to undergo psychological testing to determine whether or not he is fit to return to the boxing ring. The Nevada State Athletic Commission ordered these tests.
Did anybody else find this bizarre? I mean . . .psychological tests?. . . To determine if a man is fit? . . . to return to the boxing ring? I mean . . . what score was he supposed to receive? Minus seven out of 100? F-plus? I mean, if you score well on psychological tests, wouldn't it indicate that you probably shouldn't be considering a boxing career rather than should?
What are the indicators that a man should step inside a squared circle and try to knock Mr. Evander Holyfield's block off its sizable foundation? Or try to knock even Peter McNeely's block off? Or anybody's block, for that matter?
If your answer to the question, "Do you enjoy inflicting and receiving pain?" is "yes," do you pass or fail? (It had better be "yes" if you want to be standing upright for over a minute). If one man sees a flower in every ink blot and another sees mayhem and carnage, which has the better chance of being a good fighter? If I lie on a couch and describe my mother, Harriet, and my father, Ozzie, and an idyllic childhood, am I more psychologically fit for the ring than someone who describes a childhood of abuse and anger and poverty?
Good luck, Mike. I hope you passed. Or failed. Or whatever it was you were supposed to do to get back into the ring.
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