VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Tyson relates his life as street fighter

Wednesday, June 30, 2004 | 10:40 a.m.

In an interview with a London newspaper, Mike Tyson -- who turns 38 today -- says that he has been sleeping in homeless shelters and living like a "street bum" since declaring bankruptcy last year.

"I ain't the same person I was when I bit that guy's ear off," he told the Evening Standard, referring to his infamous in-the-ring chomp on Evander Holyfield during a bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in 1997.

He also told the paper that he has been accepting handouts from drug dealers. "I've got nowhere to live. I've been crashing with friends, literally sleeping in shelters. Unsavory characters are giving me money, and I'm taking it. I need it. The drug dealers, they sympathize with me. They see me as some sort of pathetic character."

After earning nearly $400 million in his career, Tyson filed for bankruptcy in August and owes millions to creditors.

Tyson will fight British boxer Danny Williams on July 30 in Louisville, Ky., in an attempt to cover his debts. In paperwork filed last week with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, Tyson attorneys outlined an ambitious plan under which Tyson could fight as many as seven times through 2007 to help clear debts that approach $38 million.

According to the court documents, Tyson will contribute half of the net proceeds from his fights through July 2007 to the creditor fund, or until the debt is paid off. He's allowed to keep a minimum of $2 million from each bout.

The new Tyson says that all the money he had might not have been such a good thing.

"When I had money, I was an animal," Tyson told The New York Times last week. "I was so belligerent, I was so cantankerous, so persistently disregardless. I wasn't that nice of a person. Just because you buy mansions and cars doesn't mean you know what money is worth.

"I lost all across the board. My life has been a total waste."

Doing it again

The Brit papers are also full of Britney Spears news. Several of them reported Tuesday that Spears is pregnant.

If true, that would be especially disheartening news for "Moesha" actress Shar Jackson. She is on the verge of delivering the second child Spears' fiance, Kevin Federline, has fathered with her.

The papers say that the Federline-Spears nuptials are slated for November, and will not be in Las Vegas, the scene of her memorable last marriage.

Wayne's World

Armed forces members currently serving in South Korea will celebrate Independence Day with Wayne Newton.

Continuing a USO tradition, this tour marks the Stardust headliner's third annual trek to South Korea for the July 4 holiday and his eighth overseas trip in the past three years.

Others participating in this year's jaunt, which runs from today through Tuesday, are Miss USA 2004 Shandi Finnessey, comedian Lewis Dix Jr. and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders -- who as a group are making their 54th trip to visit U.S. troops.

Club scene

All seemed peaceful between the Body English (Hard Rock) folks and the gang from Light (Bellagio) when they were both at the debut of V Bar Mondays (Venetian).

There were reports here and elsewhere this week of a feud between the nightclubs over a club promoter who jumped from one venue to another.

All eyes were on Hard Rock player Harry Morton and Body English impresario Michael Greco when they went over to the Light booth for a tete a tete with Marklen Kennedy and several other Light brights.

But the conversation ended all smiles, and Morton went back to pals Tommy Lipnick and Jeff Beacher and spent the rest of his evening fending off advances from a steady parade of young lovelies. It was truly something to see.

That's how things are when you are 23, personable, fairly good looking and your family owns one of the hippest places in town.

Also making the V Bar scene: Mike James, a reserve guard on the NBA champion Detroit Pistons.

Mas talent

Our old friend El Vez -- a Mexican Elvis tribute artist (real name Robert Lopez) -- has hit the big time.

We first met him nearly 10 years ago when he was working at a Los Angeles art gallery. He decided to mount an all-Elvis show; by the end of it, he was plotting a trip to Graceland and writing alternate lyrics, in Spanish, to Presley classics.

His fall tour, announced this week, includes an Oct. 3 stop at the House of Blues (Mandalay Bay).

"Armed with the mantra, 'Say It Loud, I'm Brown and I'm Proud!' and the ability to cheekily convert Elvis tunes into political propaganda, El Vez is a swiveling vehicle for Latino pride and awareness," according to the music Web site www.pollstar.com.

"El Vez tackles subjects including the Zapatistas and other Mexican revolutionaries, while retaining a sense of the absurd."

His songs include "You Ain't Nothing But a Chihuahua" and "En el Barrio."

VegasBits

Hungry: Shaquille O'Neal hosted a group of 10 for dinner inside the private Dragon Room at Crustacean (Desert Passage at Aladdin) on Monday night ...

Listen up: "Someone to Die For," a new song by Queen guitarist Brian May, is on the "Spider-Man 2" soundtrack. The movie opens today; May is in Vegas for "We Will Rock You" rehearsals. The production opens at Paris Las Vegas on Aug. 16.

From Sun wires

Beyonce, Jay-Z big winners: R&B diva and actress Beyonce and her rap star boyfriend Jay-Z won separate awards and were honored for their hit song collaboration during Tuesday's 2004 BET Awards honoring musicians, actors and athletes.

Beyonce was named best female R&B artist, and Jay-Z won the award to top male hip-hop artist. They both won for their collaboration on the hit "Crazy in Love."

OutKast won multiple honors for video of the year and best group.

Potter title announced: No word yet on when the next Harry Potter book comes out, but at least there's a title: "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince."

"Well the door opened at last and I showed you the title of book six -- the genuine title, the title that will appear on the published book, the title I have been using in my head for ages and ages," author J.K. Rowling wrote on her Web site.

Hope floats: Bob Hope once joked he left England at the age of 4 after discovering he couldn't become king.

That trip took the budding comedian -- then still Leslie Townes Hope -- through New York's famous immigrant portal at Ellis Island.

Now, as the one-year anniversary of Hope's death approaches, two congressmen are working to rename a floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum in his honor.

"Bob Hope held a special place in his heart for Ellis Island," Reps. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., and Elliot Engel, D-N.Y., wrote other members of Congress last week to generate support for the Bob Hope Memorial Library.