Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998 | 10:43 a.m.
Twenty-one of the last 31 heavyweight boxing world champions have been arrested, so it's no longer a surprise when one or more of them runs afoul of the law.
But Monday was an especially bad day for the ex-champs, as one was arrested on a multitude of charges in Las Vegas and another was cited for misdemeanor assault in Maryland.
Michael Dokes, a Las Vegas resident for several years and the World Boxing Association heavyweight champ for nine months in 1983, was arrested here and charged with sexual assault, attempted murder with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment of his fiancee.
A few hours later in Gaithersburg, Md., former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was cited by police after apparently striking the drivers of two cars that were involved in a three-car accident that included a vehicle driven by Tyson's wife, Monica Turner.
According to updated information released today, Tyson erupted after the accident and punched one man and kicked another in the groin. They had been talking after the traffic mishap when Tyson, a passenger in the car Turner was driving, approached and began arguing with them.
Witnesses said Tyson hit both men before being restrained by his bodyguards, who had been traveling in a car behind Tyson and Turner.
Because passersby called to report the accident, police later stopped Tyson. "We are writing it up as a misdemeanor assault," Gaithersburg police spokesman Derek Baliles told the Associated Press. "In the state of Maryland, if a misdemeanor occurs and it's not in the presence of a police officer, we can't place anyone under arrest."
Tyson, of course, has a Sept. 19 date for a hearing in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission in which he will lobby for having his boxing license reinstated. It was pulled July 9, 1997, as a penalty for his disqualification loss to Evander Holyfield a week earlier.
"Oh no," said NSAC executive director Marc Ratner, when apprised of Tyson's problem in Maryland. "That's unbelievable. I don't even know what to say anymore.
"I don't have any comment."
While Tyson declined medical assistance at the accident scene and no one was seriously injured, he was later brought to Gaithersburg's Shady Grove hospital and said he was suffering from chest pains. A hospital spokesman said it was "not serious."
Tyson was a passenger in a Mercedes convertible driven by his wife. The driver of the car that Turner struck was not identified, and it remains unclear if that driver will press further charges.
While Tyson's misstep with the law may prove costly in that the NSAC may use the incident to rationalize voting against reinstating him, it's Dokes with more serious concerns.
Metro police Lt. Tom Monahan said Dokes was taken into custody at his home at 4300 Coran St. in northwest Las Vegas after his fiancee -- who was not identified because of the nature of the crime -- had been treated and released from University Medical Center.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 260-pound Dokes remained in Clark County Detention Center this morning without bail. His arraignment on the three felony charges is pending.
The woman, who lives at the residence with Dokes, "was beaten to a bloody pulp when we saw her at the hospital," Monahan said. "She had multiple facial fractures and injuries."
He added that she was so badly beaten that it was not possible to recognize her from her driver's license.
Dokes, who defeated Mike Weaver for the WBA title but lost it in a defense to Gerrie Coetzee, has a background of legal woes including three drug arrests.
Retired from boxing since 1993, Dokes recently said he was considering an attempt to become a professional wrestler.
Sun reporters Jace Radke and Karen Zekan contributed to this story.
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