Angry Tyson lashes out

Dean Juipe

Friday, Oct. 2, 1998 | 10:38 a.m.

In a volatile interview that will appear in the November issue of Playboy magazine, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson talks at length about his life and predicts "I know I'm going to blow one day. My life is doomed the way it is."

The interview, conducted by freelance writer Mark Kram, captured Tyson at his candid, talkative best. He may even have been forthright to a fault.

"I didn't have anything to do with it," Tyson's adviser, Shelly Finkel, said from his office in New York City. "The interview was conducted before I came on board."

Finkel declined commenting specifically on the interview because he had not yet seen it. The magazine will be released Tuesday.

The Sun obtained a copy of the interview Thursday through a Playboy publicist.

Encompassing seven full pages of the magazine, Tyson didn't dodge any questions, and apparently any and all topics were fair game. He also didn't try to sugarcoat his responses and used the f-word 70 times.

The interview was conducted in New York's Central Park.

"There's not much more of this ... I can take," Tyson said, describing the pressure he says he's under. "I'm just angry these days. Really, really angry."

The timing of the interview is interesting, what with Tyson attempting to get his boxing license reinstated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He also underwent five days of psychological testing last week at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"Maybe it's me, because I'm real bitter and defensive," Tyson said. "I'm always just ready to attack. I'm a very hateful (expletive) right now, a hateful individual."

Throughout the interview, Tyson comes across as a man who fears -- and anticipates -- the worst.

"I expect the worst to happen to me in my life," he said. "I expect people to ... treat me bad. I expect that one day somebody, probably black, will blow my ... brains out over some (expletive)."

Tyson offered his views on a wide range of topics, including his childhood, his rape conviction in Indianapolis in 1992 and his fights with Evander Holyfield. A sampling follows.

* On biting Holyfield's ears during a fight last year at the MGM Grand Garden, which led to the NSAC revoking his boxing license: "I wanted to kill him. He was head-butting me intentionally. He knows what he did. I wanted to hurt him."

* On growing up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn: "It's rare in that neighborhood to see a guy who gets straight A's in school. Instead, you see a guy like me -- in trouble all his life. I got hit with bats, sticks, bottles across my face. Everybody said 'He'll be in prison for the rest of his life.' They didn't think I'd make it to 16."

* On his rape conviction: "(Desiree Washington) had it planned from the beginning. I think she's mean and vindictive. She comes to my room ... ready to (expletive). I don't care if you believe it or not."

* On his three-year prison stint: "It's something you get accustomed to. I was just happy to make it through the day without being written up. People will try you. You don't let anyone get away with saying anything funny or sarcastic. That's what I do. I'm a settler. I'm in my glory in a place like that. Chaos all over."

* On dealing with sexual advances and fellow prisoners with weapons: "They tried me a few times. They had (knives), but they didn't have anything I didn't have."

* On his perception of how the public views him: "People want tragic stories. What image do I need to worry about? I've been in prison. I've been convicted of rape. I've had problems in and out of court. Are you kidding me? I do what I want. I'm not going to dance to nobody's tune. When people think of Mike Tyson ... they think of the extreme psycho, the walking time bomb. It's easy to hate Mike Tyson. I don't (care). The people don't (care) about me. People really hate me because of where I come from. Also, they see me in my cars and feel I'm rich. People hate me because I want to better myself."

* On his mood swings and need for therapy: "It gets worse and worse. I have no one to blame but myself. (Therapy) helps, (although) I'm a little apprehensive about expressing my thoughts to a middle-aged Jewish man. I don't take medicine. Probably one day in the future."

* On how he perceives himself: "I don't really believe I'm a rebellious individual. I'm a different kind of villain, if you're going to call me a villain. I'm just like (former bare-knuckles heavyweight champion) John L. Sullivan. He was a villain, but he was a villainous hero. I've done quite a few things in my life, most of them I'm not proud of. I want ... action."

* On his prospects as a fighter and his ability to make money: "I'm going to be champ again. I don't have as much money as I used to (but) the reality is, I'm not going to be broke in my life. I'm Mike Tyson. How long you think it would take me to make $100 million?"