Letter: Let Tyson fight here again, even if he takes his lumps

Saturday, Aug. 22, 1998 | 5:13 a.m.

I love boxing and have been involved as a coach, a friend and manager of fighters. In fact, I've written a novel about life in the world of boxing that celebrates the sport, but I don't know what to think about this business of Mike Tyson getting his license back.

On one hand I don't think he should because his behavior reflects on all of us in a very negative way. On the other hand, nobody draws like Mike. I'm thinking about the average Joe who lives and works in our city; the cabdriver, the waitress, dealers, etc. who get a nice payday when he fights. Mike generates a lot of income for an awful lot of hard working people. Attendance at other fight cards picks up, too, because he stimulates interest so.

Mike was never a brilliant tactician, just a knockout king because he was young and ferocious. Now that his zip has slipped, he's going to be getting the hell beat out of him out there. Why don't they go ahead and license him? I say let's let the chickens come home to roost, so to speak. Let's let boxing dish out to Mike what he's been dishing out to others all along.

As Jackie Gleason said to Anthony Quinn in the movie "Requiem for a Heavyweight," "We made money from the winnin', we gotta make it from the losin.' "

People love knockouts. They'll line up all the way to Los Angeles to see one. So what if it's Mike on the canvas from now on? The crowds don't care who it is and they'll gleefully shell out their money to see Tyson get what he deserves.

The Nevada Athletic Commission should stipulate he fight quality opposition only, license him on a restricted basis, approve his opponents and let him get his butt kicked. That way everyone will come out happy, all except Mike.

He'll have to fight with a muzzle, though, and thumbless gloves.

Paul Blanton