Editorial: State should deny Tyson a license

Thursday, Jan. 24, 2002 | 8:56 a.m.

Mike Tyson should be viewed as having demonstrated for the last time that he is as dangerous outside the ring as he is inside the ring. Tyson on Tuesday will ask the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a license to fight Lennox Lewis April 6 at the MGM Grand. His behavior during a press conference at the Millennium Hotel in Manhattan leaves the commission with a simple answer: No.

It may be justifiably said that Las Vegas is the world's greatest venue for professional boxing. A role of the athletic commission is to ensure that no harm comes to that reputation. One way to view Tuesday's press conference in New York is as a preview of what will happen April 6 in Las Vegas if the fight is allowed. This strong warning sign should alone be enough to withhold Nevada's seal of approval in the form of a boxing license.

Tyson claims a confrontation was agreed upon before the press conference and that he was just acting out his role -- until a Lewis bodyguard stepped forward contrary to the script. It's well known and even accepted that "spontaneous" animation at boxing press conferences is often choreographed. But Tyson went berserk. A 10-minute melee resulting in bloody injuries, followed by the boxer's profane language and obscene gestures, was certainly not in anyone's script. Lewis said that Tyson even bit him on the leg. Tyson justified his reaction by saying the bodyguard was trying to intimidate him. "I will never be intimidated by anyone," he said.

Nevada needs to send the world a similar message, that it will never be intimidated by a name or a record purse. Our decision should be based simply on what's right and wrong. Tyson has been a blight on boxing's reputation. He lost his Nevada boxing license after biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear during a 1997 match in Las Vegas. Tyson served four years in prison after being convicted of sexual assault in 1992. And Metro Police said Tuesday there is "probable cause to believe a crime occurred" in his Las Vegas home last September regarding a woman's claim that Tyson raped her, a case now in the hands of the district attorney. Tyson is wrong for boxing and wrong for a license from this state.