Magic throws his hat into the ring

Tim Graham

Thursday, Feb. 5, 1998 | 10:08 a.m.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- It's all about impact.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson is not getting into the business of promoting major boxing events because he needs a hobby. He wants to be as influential on the canvas as he was on the hardwood.

And even though his promoter's application has yet to be filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Johnson already is making his boxing presence felt. The man who led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA championships is ready to add punch to another sport he loves.

Former heavyweight king Mike Tyson has inquired about Johnson's services. So has light heavyweight champ Roy Jones.

In addition, a source close to the basketball legend said Wednesday night that his first card would be held in Las Vegas as early as April 25. The fight will feature flamboyant featherweight sensation "Prince" Naseem Hamed -- possibly against Hector Lizarraga -- at an undetermined property. It will be televised on HBO.

In an exclusive interview with the SUN at his corporate offices, the 38-year-old Johnson explained his plan to become a major force in boxing promotion and how Las Vegas fits in. It was Johnson's first interview on the subject since obtaining his application in November.

Although Johnson will be making a public announcement soon in regard to Tyson, it was obvious he had put considerable thought into what he could do for the fallen champ, who reportedly has split with Don King over poorly managed finances.

"I would love to have Mike Tyson because Mike needs somebody like me," Johnson said, leaning his 6-foot-9 frame back in his leather chair at the head of a conference table. "First of all, Mike needs somebody to respect. He needs somebody to tell him 'This is how you're going to have to do it, Mike. You can't do this, this and this. You gotta do it like this.'

"He needs somebody he can look up to. That's what he needs. No matter what people think, boxing still needs Mike Tyson. But they need the right Mike Tyson. They don't need the old one; they need the new one."

Johnson is prepared to recapture that Tyson of old. He claims he can correct the error of Tyson's ways and help erase the memories of his rape conviction and his ongoing suspension by the NSAC for biting Evander Holyfield on both ears last summer.

"Mike needs image control," Johnson said. "He needs status right now. He needs somebody to bring that back.

"First of all, you got to sit him down and say 'This is it. This is your last shot.' That's the No. 1 thing. No. 2, we need the old Mike Tyson fighting-wise. The real dedicated, stern Mike Tyson. Then we got to get him out so people can see him again. Then people feel good: 'Well, OK. The association with Magic can help him maybe.'"

Tyson is eligible for reinstatement July 5, but he must petition the NSAC. Johnson, however, is confident he can convert Tyson's bad-boy persona. If Tyson ever does return to the ring, his first fight is expected to eclipse all live gate and pay-per-view records.

"You still don't have a lot of guys to replace him value-wise," Johnson said. "Let's be real about it, OK? Nobody is bigger than Mike Tyson. He's still the No. 1 box-office draw."

Promoter Bob Arum of Las Vegas-based Top Rank Inc. believes Johnson is just the man for Tyson.

"I have heard as recently as Monday that Tyson wants to work with Magic," Arum said. "He would make an immediate impact. My God, how that would help the sport. People involved in the sport should be rooting for that.

"If Tyson goes before the Nevada Commission and says he's learned the error of his ways, that he has a new promoter in Magic Johnson, and says, 'He's the kind of person who is a role model for me,' I can't see the commission denying him a license."

Such a concept, however, was belittled Wednesday by Sig Rogich, Tyson's crisis-management specialist.

Rogich, a former advisor to presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, has been assisting Tyson since the Holyfield debacle. Rogich claimed any professional partnership between Tyson and Johnson was "way off base."

"I have not heard anything about Mike and Magic Johnson," Rogich said.

Viva Las Vegas

Regardless of Tyson's status, or that of the Hamed fight, Johnson intends to make Las Vegas his primary event site.

"I love boxing," Johnson said. "I want to turn it back into what it used to be: a great weekend, a big party, when that Strip was just buzzing. Remember on the night of a big fight, when you could feel the electricity going all day? That place was just booming. I want to see that back in Vegas.

"We want our major presence in Vegas, without a doubt."

Johnson, whose $56 million worth of real-estate assets include Westland Plaza in West Las Vegas, decided to dive into the shark-infested waters of fight promotion because of his love for the sport.

"I thought that boxing needed to go in another direction," he said. "I didn't like the direction it's going in now. I think we can help that.

"I want to try to help (fighters) grow not only in their sport but outside of their sport because they need to grow as men and learn how to handle their money a little bit better. Some of these guys come out of the game with nothing.

"You need somebody with vision. And that's what I'm going to bring to the table. I feel right now is the time."

NSAC executive director Marc Ratner expects Johnson to submit his completed application by next week. Johnson then must undergo an extensive background check, including FBI and Nevada Highway Patrol investigations, fingerprinting and a review of his financial records. He then must appear before the five-member commission, which will decide his fate.

Johnson's approval is considered academic.

"When he first came to see me, it was probably the most enjoyable two hours I've spent with anybody," Ratner said. "The questions he asked were so good, so meaningful.

"He's getting in this to help fighters, to teach them about money and finances. He's not getting in this to exploit them."

Magic touch

Even before he embarked on his legendary NBA career, Johnson was considered one of the most effervescent personalities in sports. With a classy demeanor and cherub's grin, it is nearly impossible to walk away from Magic with a bad impression.

That type of personality can only help restore boxing's respectability.

"I know that Magic is a tremendous fight fan, and if he's going to seriously get into boxing, I think it will be good for the sport and good for him," Arum said. "Everybody loves Johnson, and rightly so. He'd be a terrific addition to boxing, and I think he'd be very successful.

"If he doesn't try to conquer the world in the first year, he'll be extremely successful. He's a very bright person. He inspires trust in people. We would give him any kind of assistance we could.

"If you have competition, you'd want your competition to come from somebody like Magic Johnson, who is a nice, respectable person, rather than some people in the business right now."

Johnson's main goal is to return boxing to its most recent glory days of the l970s and '80s. He fondly recalls the fights of his favorites: Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Alexis Arguello.

"We gotta get back to that," Johnson said. "We have to give fans a little bit more for their buck or we're going to lose them. The shows have got to be better, be on time a little bit better. And I think maybe add some stuff, too, some tricks we have planned.

"We don't want fans to start saying, 'They're not giving me my money's worth. The show's not good enough anymore.' You don't want that. You want to come away saying, 'That card was unbelievable.' The last two years I only made a few fights, and I used to make all the fights."

The boxing days that Johnson fondly looks back upon coincided with the NBA's renaissance. Johnson and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics are considered the founders of the new NBA.

Johnson claims those pioneering days taught him a lesson in re-invention.

"Why did the NBA go from the doormat to being the second most popular sport to football?" Johnson asked. "It's because of marketing. They market their guys better than anybody else. Here we got all these great commodities in boxing, but nobody knows them. We have to get them out there, get them in front of the camera, get people out there talking about them, which I will be doing. Every article you see now, I'm going to be talking about it.

"When I first came in, the NBA was at its low of lows. I see right now boxing is not at its low of lows, but it's not where it should be."

Marketing 101

Exposure is the chief element in attaining a loftier status for the sport. Johnson will host "The Magic Hour" on Fox, which debuts June 8. He intends to use the show to market boxing, and not just his own fighters.

Johnson does not consider himself a competitor of the major promoters such as Arum and King. He prefers to be thought of as a colleague.

"Bob Arum is established. Don King is established," Johnson said. "What we want to do is just enhance the boxing game. And if we do that it's good for everybody.

"We want to bring more exposure to the game in a positive way. We want to bring more marketing to the game. The (other) promoters are great at what they do, but we're also going to be great at what we do, too.

"People have to understand something: I've been on both sides. I know business. That's what I know. We already have six or seven new sponsors that we're going to bring to the game, sponsors who have never been in boxing before that are household names."

Johnson would not say which companies he has convinced to give boxing a chance. But the fact he was able to do so makes Arum happy.

"It would help the sport so much that the pie could get appreciably bigger," Arum said. "Even though we as a company might be getting a smaller percentage of the pie, it would be of a much bigger pie. He can help bring advertising into boxing. He can be very, very good for the sport."

Added Ratner: "Magic can really elevate the sport. It's about time we got some new blood."

Pugilistic portfolio

For Johnson to make his mark, however, he must procure talent. He never was secretive about his interest in Hamed, an Arabian-born Englishman known as much for his lavish ring entrances as his devastating power and quickness.

"I think the Prince is very good for boxing," Johnson said. "His showmanship is great. He's bringing something fresh, something you haven't seen. And it's wonderful. He's marketed very well. Now we need to get him going here."

Because of contracts, Johnson must be careful in talking to most fighters. But that does not preclude him from accepting their phone calls.

"The phone's been ringing a lot because I know what guys need," he said. "I'm an athlete-turned-businessman. I know what the athletes are going through. I know what makes them tick. They know me. And so there's a sense that I want to help them.

"I'm somebody who they want to work with. They know what they're getting when they approach me."

Johnson is not only looking for established talent. He also wants to develop some on his own. He will be opening a gym in Los Angeles by the spring.

And that led to one last question as Magic unfolded himself from his seat: If you had made the decision as a youngster to enter a boxing gym instead of a basketball gym, what would you have been?

"Me? A winner," Johnson answered. "I would be a winner. Whatever style I needed to win, that's the one I would have adopted.

"I've been a winner all my life. I don't know how to lose."